WotC Seeking Your Setting Proposals (was "Big Wizard announcement")

[EarthsShadow]

font size

There is nothing in the submission requirements about a font size for the proposal at all. If they had wanted it to be font size 12 and title size 20 then it should have been in there from the beginning. I typed mine in font size 10 because I read all the roleplaying game books and most of them are in a size smaller than that so I felt that it would be fine. I think that it would be a sham if they suddenly came out and said that it would have to be font size 12 because there are many people other than me that typed it in smaller font size because perhaps to get the feel of the setting across the size would have to be smaller than 12.

All I know is that I tried typing mine at size 12 and it looked like crap and I couldn't get the feel for my world in at that size so I lowered the size and got the feeling for the world the way it should be. I just don't want my entrant to be disqualified because of that. I might not win, I might not make it to round two, but at least I want the people at WOTC to read what I sent in regardless of the font size.

That's all. And I am sure I am not alone on this.

 

[Deken]

Urgh.

So do we need one idea per envelope or not? I'm sending in four ideas . They all have their own submission agreement and cover letter. All four ideas are stapled to their cover letter and submission agreement, with the submission agreement coming before the idea. The ideas aren't stapled together. I haven't sent it in yet. Is it preferable to send them all in their own envelope, or does it really matter?

I'm sending my proposals in large 10x13 envelopes, if that helps.

 

[Orcus]

After WoTC takes their pick, how many are going to be looking at snapping up worlds that don't make the cut?

I know I am NOT looking. There isnt much to publish from a 10 page setting description. Publishing a whole world is a huge undertaking. Hardly worth the time for many (not all, many) d20 publishers. It would take probably 2 years to get a 10 page setting description to a setting bible and then to a published product. Unless you just wanted to do a 32 page gazatteer type product. But I dont see that as very useful unless there is a lot of expansion material. Just my two cents!

Clark

 

[Christian]

Re: Re: cookies? margins?

If I dropped the font size to 11 points, dropped the margins to 0.75 inches, maybe tightened the spacing a bit, I could probably get another 200 words in. I could certainly use those words, but I don't have to have them to get in the stuff I like best about the setting.

So I'm taking a gamble that the 450 words I have will be sufficient, and doing what I can to make it as readable as possible. And it is a gamble - those 200 words may give the judges more of a feeling of my meaty, juicy world.

So don't feel too bad about 700 words. Use exactly as many words as you need, and not one more.

Probably about right. I finally finished my first draft (whew-a week left to edit!). I'm using 12-point bolded headers, 11-point body, 2 cm (~.8 inch) margins, and it runs ~750 words. And goes about 2 lines onto page 2. But I'm hoping to cut at least a hundred words from that-it feels 'fat' as it is ...

(I don't know whether to sneer, laugh, or cry at the people who have already sent in a dozen entries. Maybe they don't have jobs ... I must have spent at least three hours on the 'core ethos' sentence alone. I think that one sentence at the top of the page has got to be the eye-catching, punch-in-the-gut diamond of the whole thing ...)

(Hey-if I can't find enough stuff to cut, I could run out & get some of that 'A4' paper the Europeans keep talking about! )

 

[Darraketh]

I opened the "doc" file that was distributed. On the "Fantasy Setting Proposal Template" I deleted the word "Template" and everything in [brackets]. The font was already set at 14pt, Times New Roman so I went with that.

I typed my responses and put my name in the footer. Done!

206 words!

I distilled the setting down to its central, overriding theme.

 

[Weeble]

568 words

 

[zilch]

Done, 464 words

 

[uberkitty]

word count, grammar site

My original proposal (a collaboration, but I have the writing job) is still running over 700 words--possibly a case of too many cooks spoiling the brevity. My new proposal, not a collaboration, will probably come in under 500.

For those who have expressed some grammar panic, you might want to take a look at this site:

Jack Lynch's Grammar & Style Guide

If you're truly concerned about the quality of your writing, you may want to partner up with someone whose writing skills are honed. From everything I've read, it seems that this is first and foremost a writing contest, not an idea contest. If you've never been told you write well, if you've never seriously considered writing professionally, if the sentence

"There swords were laying near it's cave."

looks ok to you, then you really should consider hiring an editor or going halves with a talented writer you know.

Just my two cents.

 

[Ghostwind]

716 words, but that count may drop as I continue to play with it...

 

[GoldenEagle]

I have seen a couple of people reference the FR core ethos statement. Is it TOP SECRET or can you post it so that the non-industry types (ME) can see what one looks like? I have seen what others have said they might be, but it would be nice to see one that was selected for publishing.

Hope this didn't sound ignorant...

John