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

[Tallow]

Re: Re: rejection "letters"

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

If you are refering to creating an actual Access based (or any other for that matter) data base that is complicated and such, then yes, it could cost upwards of $3 thousand dollars to create one. But that isn't the case.

Any administrative assistant worth his/her salt, is going to know the data base function of a word processing program like Word or Word Perfect. Its actually one of the temp agency test criteria to know how to build a data base and how to merge a data base entry(ies) into a letter and/or envelope address. The word processing programs have a VERY easy to follow wizard FE to create the data base fields, and then has a very nice FE for entering all your data. All you gotta do is know how to do it, which all Administrative Assistants should.

So the cost is paying Christina to do it, which they've already invested in her doing anyways by assigning her to this project. She is probably doing this as her ONLY duty to them.

That being said, WotC, being a large corporation, probably already has thousands of data base templates for Word/Word Perfect, if not a custom Access (or other program) based data base already created a long time ago. It shouldn't be very difficult to open a separate data base file for this project specifically. The creation of the data base is the low end of the cost. The most expensive part is the Data Entry.

Andy Christian

 

[River]

Re: Its Monday

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

My condolences on your doomed-ness. Any idea how many submissions you've gotten to date?


River

 

[Hakkenshi]

what happens if my submission arrives after July 3rd? I don't want to be eliminated just because of a slow postal service!!

How far ARE you, isirga? I mean, for it to take more than 12 DAYS??? Granted, I'm no expert on the postal service, but that seems like an insanely long time.

Mine was sent on the 20th, and they swore it wouldn't take longer than 4-6 days to get there...it had better not!

 

[isirga eth]

I'm from Mexico...

And it's not about the distance, but the general laziness of most Mexican public servants - my submission could take up to two full weeks to arrive... but I DID send it before the deadline, so I think it would be unfair to lose because a slacking postal service...

And yes, I'd rather see this thread focused on getting a response to these topics instead of discussing law verbatim, thank you very much.

 

[Storm Raven]

Re: Re: Re: rejection "letters"

So the cost is paying Christina to do it, which they've already invested in her doing anyways by assigning her to this project. She is probably doing this as her ONLY duty to them.

And you entirely miss the point that if she were not putatively tied up doing a massive amount of data entry, she could be working on other projects. Which means that, yes, having her work on this sort of thing does cost them money.

 

[Writer@Large]

Re: but... but...

what happens if my submission arrives after July 3rd? I don't want to be eliminated just because of a slow postal service!!

Fear not, isirga. I suspect that around the first of the month, we're going to hear about WotC's new, extended deadline for notifying the winning entries. I'm guessing they don't finish it until after the 4th of July weekend.

--Brian P. Hudson, OneShots.com Guy.

 

[zilch]

I sent my entry from England on the Thursday before the deadline. They told me it would take five to seven days to reach Wizards.

 

[Lady Dragon]

WoTC is going to get the names and addresses of thousands of there most core customers do you really think they won't put them into a database and at the very least E-mail everyone with a short note of sorry your submission wasn't accepted.Or even drop a postcard into the mail after all these people aren't just nameless applicants they are there customers and they probably are some of there better customers. Afterall if you care enough about the game to have created your own setting you also probably own more than just the players handbook.

 

[Jamie44]

A lot better

1 in 10,000....
1 in 20,000....

Still better than the lottery.

A LOT better. In more ways than one. If they get 20k entries, that doesn't equal 20k ppl. I sent 2 myself and I know others sent more than 1.

Also everyone isn't on equal ground. Not like with random lottery number. Not to sound harsh but a portion of the entries will probably suck. I don't know if that will be 1/4 or 1/2 or 1/300. While some will be Ok and others excellent.

Too many factors to even think about. Judges fatigue from reading so many entries. Accidently skipping an entry that is stuck to another entry. etc...

From my pov a Great submission has nice odds, though. If you did good then you have a favorable chance to win. I guess that's a 'duh' statement, considering this is mostly about talent and creativity.

 

[reddist]

[Originally posted by Lady Dragon ]
WoTC is going to get the names and addresses of thousands of there most core customers

Indeed. Everybody is so quick to point out that this is a phenomenal marketing ploy by WotC. It is, and in more ways than one. You can be sure they are going to note who sends them submissions. We are their fans, the people who buy their stuff, and the people who are most likely to buy MORE of their stuff. I would not be surprised in the slightest if we start getting WotC mailers after this...

... of course, the people who attend this board are generally well aware of what is coming out, who is writing it, what is being delayed, etc., and even the Wizards themselves drop by here to fill us in from time to time, but most of the entrants will not be EN regulars, or even regulars at the wizards boards.

But now WotC knows who they are, and how to reach them


-Reddist