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

[Mistwell]

Given your stated location...

As a fellow member of the California State Bar I herby wash my hands of you! Who in HELL is going to bring suit or prosecute?

Its guys like you who give guys like me a bad name. Actually its the guy who actually files a lawsuit on something like this that gives guys like me a bad name!!!

River

If you ARE an attorney, then you know it is the attorney generals office of Florida who likes to bring these suits, on their own (or other states). Individuals don't bring a suite (there is no individual cause of action that I know of for failure to register), it's the state itself, for avoiding the registration fees and acting contrary to public policy.

 

[Vaxalon]

Re: rejection "letters"

Hell, if WotC operates this like many other job applications I've had, those "not hired" won't get letters, they'll get form post cards, bulk-rate.

Go to your database, pick out the ones that don't get rejection post cards, and off you go.

And how do you make the coupons cheap? That's the lion's share of the expense of that idea.

 

[Storm Raven]

Re: rejection "letters"

Go to your database, pick out the ones that don't get rejection post cards, and off you go.

Uh-huh. How do you propose to create such a database cost free in the first place?

 

[Mistwell]

Re: contest? we don' need no stinkin' contests!

Who knows, but I think the point is mute since they have NEVER called it a contest, not once, nor have any of their representatives. It has always been called the Setting Search

Now, the reality may have the number of submissions far exceeding what they had expected to get, but that does not alter the fact that it is not a contest.

Well, unfortuanately, none of the laws require you to call it a contest. The gaming commissions look at an objective critieria for events with the potential for gaining money through a public entry process. Some focus on the potential for the contest to be a promotion for the company involved, and number of entries can be a factor in deciding if an event is a promotion. I honestly do not know if this event would meet the definition of a contest in any given state, or country. I just worry that it might. I know that I would have advised that they put in a few contest-like rules in the event, even if I felt it wasn't a contest.

I'm certianly not hoping that this thing becomes a problem for WOTC. I hope it goes off without a hitch. I'm just noting that this thing is, I suspect, a lot bigger than WOTC suspected it would be, and that there is the potential for bad ramifications from its size.

 

[Zulkir]

Its Monday

Folks,
Saw the bins of mail this morning. We are so doomed.

AV

p.s. Don't sweat the order of the paper in your submission. That was a misread of the word "covered" on my part.

p.p.s I'm not kidding, we are really hosed over here.

 

[Xeriar]

Re: Re: rejection "letters"

Uh-huh. How do you propose to create such a database cost free in the first place?

Effectively it's going to run at her burden rate, whatever that is. $1,000 a week would not be excessive, and say, two weeks for everything involved. That would seem like a pretty tight ship though, $10k would seem lke an extremely hopeful estimate.

The coupons woulds just be a headache IMO.

 

[Zulkir]

A quick comparison of odds to cool down this "contest" fevor a bit:

The odds of winning the Trifecta at the Derby horse races (picking 1st, 2nd, & 3rd Place all in one shot) are 1 in 1,321.

This "contest" is 1 in 20,000.

In fact, the odds are so against "winning" that I think they may have just blown some contest laws in a few states (Florida comes to mind). I'm an attorney, and I have a bit of experience in contest laws (though not a lot). I seem to recall that if your odds get into this range, and the "contest" is public (and not just a solicitation sent to individuals that the company has a pre-existing business relationship with), that even if the contest is purported to be based on skill rather than chance, you must register with some State gaming commissions in order for participants to be eligible to "play" in certain states. I wonder if Wizards' corp. counsel has looked into this aspect yet.

This might be true if this were a contest, but it is not. It is an open call for submissions. There is a process for the selection of submission and there is a stated offering of a dollar amount for the purchase of full rights to the submission selected (ownere of the submission selected may refuse the money if they wish and keep all rights to their submission). There is no "game" here.

AV

 

[Tom Cashel]

Woo Hoo!

p.s. Don't sweat the order of the paper in your submission. That was a misread of the word "covered" on my part.

Hey, hey! Troll's Choice and others...no worries. You are not doomed.

Folks,
Saw the bins of mail this morning. We are so doomed.

p.p.s I'm not kidding, we are really hosed over here.

Good luck, Anthony. You are a noble gentleman for the task you've undertaken.

EDIT: Now release the lawyers! Let the flames continue!

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

Anthony,

Do you suspect you'll have to bump up the announcment date?

 

[Rasyr]

Re: Its Monday

Folks,
Saw the bins of mail this morning. We are so doomed.

AV

p.s. Don't sweat the order of the paper in your submission. That was a misread of the word "covered" on my part.

p.p.s I'm not kidding, we are really hosed over here.

so does this mean that you are considering one of the following options:

1) moving the decision date to a date later than July 3rd

2) having more panelists "volunteer" to help in the prelim stages of this stage (read volunteer as conscripted), such as weeding out those being obviously unsuited (rip-offs of books, etc..)

3) taking lots and lots of caffiene intravenously until you are done

4) withdrawing into catatonia for the duration