EvilPheemy
First Post
What does Fred Durnst and Limp Bizkit have to do with WotC and Hasbro?
WotC's Campaign search - Storytime
- Thread starter Lucent
- Start date
There is this tendency for people who lose, to blame the officiating committee. This entire line of thought, where WotC is the enemy, and this is all a hoax, or a publicity stunt, or a trick to get more of your dollars into their pocket, is pathetic. Do we blame cops when they pull us over? Yes, we probably do. Do we blame the utilities when the price of oil goes up? Why not? Lack of personal responsibility, or a sense of entitlement, or whatever. I've stopped making sense, because it's just not worth making sense right now.
People, stop complaining about the delays. There's a lot of work involved in this sort of thing. Be grateful that someone is taking the time to read your submission, that you've been given the same chance that everyone else has, cuz this is *not* how publishing generally works. The fact that you can write down your proposal, mail it in, and *guarantee* that it'll get read is a gift to you from WotC, and not one that's likely to be repeated.
Heaven sakes, it's just sad...geez
midi
People, stop complaining about the delays. There's a lot of work involved in this sort of thing. Be grateful that someone is taking the time to read your submission, that you've been given the same chance that everyone else has, cuz this is *not* how publishing generally works. The fact that you can write down your proposal, mail it in, and *guarantee* that it'll get read is a gift to you from WotC, and not one that's likely to be repeated.
Heaven sakes, it's just sad...geez
midi
Furn_Darkside
First Post
Yeah, I can picture a collection of nameless WOTC suits sitting around a table yucking it up over their latest scam to screw the gamers.
"Mwu-hahahahaha"
I mean, we all know, that the gamer market is so huge and filled with sheep that such a con would be forgotten and not affect their sales at all.
FD
"Mwu-hahahahaha"
I mean, we all know, that the gamer market is so huge and filled with sheep that such a con would be forgotten and not affect their sales at all.
FD
Another fine, young, conspiracy theory-
Hhhmmmm. Lets see how many holes international copywrite law would blow into wizard's flimsy little contract if they did try to steal material. If your material is copywritten, you're protected. If wizard's steals your stuff- good for you! You've just earned fame. Now call a lawyer- you'll be rich.
-C
Hhhmmmm. Lets see how many holes international copywrite law would blow into wizard's flimsy little contract if they did try to steal material. If your material is copywritten, you're protected. If wizard's steals your stuff- good for you! You've just earned fame. Now call a lawyer- you'll be rich.
-C
Whatever
I don't care how special you think your idea is; nothing you could fit into a single-page submission is detailed enough to steal in the sense that some people seem to be worried about.
If WotC took any of our single-page summaries and turned them into book-length setting guides on their own, changing the names in the process, I doubt most people would even recognize their own work. One page just isn't enough space to convey the full idea. So why worry? It's like worrying that someone will devalue your masterpiece painting by making a photocopy of a fuzzy photograph.
--N
I don't care how special you think your idea is; nothing you could fit into a single-page submission is detailed enough to steal in the sense that some people seem to be worried about.
If WotC took any of our single-page summaries and turned them into book-length setting guides on their own, changing the names in the process, I doubt most people would even recognize their own work. One page just isn't enough space to convey the full idea. So why worry? It's like worrying that someone will devalue your masterpiece painting by making a photocopy of a fuzzy photograph.
--N
...
Exactly. I submitted something like 4000 words (or was it 1000, anyway, a full page @ 10pt, and I was struggling to fit stuff onto the page. 1 page isnt enough for something that is truely origional. The idea should just scream itself from the page.). If mine isnt 'origional', or too 'origional' (i proposed some changes to some fundamental systems), then so be it. I'll probably think about what everyone else is missing.
Another 3 side points:
If its something that they could develop inhouse, then obviously they'd develop it inhouse. (They're currently trying to cycle in some fresh ideas into the company).
If its something origional that has that flare to it, then it will win and $120,000 will go to the winner.
If its exactly the same as the world that I published, then I'm keen to play in "my" world with less work.
------
On a side note, I mean, really... who uses flying islands.
-Tim
Exactly. I submitted something like 4000 words (or was it 1000, anyway, a full page @ 10pt, and I was struggling to fit stuff onto the page. 1 page isnt enough for something that is truely origional. The idea should just scream itself from the page.). If mine isnt 'origional', or too 'origional' (i proposed some changes to some fundamental systems), then so be it. I'll probably think about what everyone else is missing.
Another 3 side points:
If its something that they could develop inhouse, then obviously they'd develop it inhouse. (They're currently trying to cycle in some fresh ideas into the company).
If its something origional that has that flare to it, then it will win and $120,000 will go to the winner.
If its exactly the same as the world that I published, then I'm keen to play in "my" world with less work.
------
On a side note, I mean, really... who uses flying islands.
-Tim
Rune
Once A Fool
Some of you people seem to be missing the aspect I was trying to represent. It's not the fact that they're stealing ideas, or that fact that anyone could be angry about such things happening.
It's more of the fact that the brainstorming to begin the process of creating a campaign setting is usually given to writers who get paid for what they do, even if it is just bounce ideas off each other.
Now, if WotC supplied them with 11,000 "generalized" ideas. Much like how Limp Bizkit stole some 5,000 sound samples of various musical riffs from budding musicians who wanted a place in their band. They did warn the musicians that they "may give up rights for the portions of the music recorded" and I believe that Wizards wouldn't even need to put that in if they were not directly copying something, bu tinstead deriving inspiration from the works.
It's not a literal theft that I'm worried about, or even pondering over, it is the notion that wizards might be doing something underhanded or disingenious with it.
It's more of the fact that the brainstorming to begin the process of creating a campaign setting is usually given to writers who get paid for what they do, even if it is just bounce ideas off each other.
Now, if WotC supplied them with 11,000 "generalized" ideas. Much like how Limp Bizkit stole some 5,000 sound samples of various musical riffs from budding musicians who wanted a place in their band. They did warn the musicians that they "may give up rights for the portions of the music recorded" and I believe that Wizards wouldn't even need to put that in if they were not directly copying something, bu tinstead deriving inspiration from the works.
It's not a literal theft that I'm worried about, or even pondering over, it is the notion that wizards might be doing something underhanded or disingenious with it.
Henry
Autoexreginated
I'm sorry, but I have a hard time believing it. Remember the cardinal rule: No offense to anyone meant, but 4 out of 5 of those 11,000 submissions will not merit serious consideration (the "80% of everything is crap" rule). Monte Cook once wrote a piece on this a while back: an idea is important, but it is by no means precious. The job of a writer is not to "bounce ideas": It is to take an idea, and create something useable with it, and FINISH the project.
Now, if someone steals a writer's actual hard work, the result of a whole project or what have you, that's different. That's why those top souls are being paid serious bucks for that work.
I'll tell you what the most possibly underhanded thing is that's going on here: WotC has just received 11,000 submissions from gamers around the world on what they would like to see in a new product. The potential to use such as a gigantic marketing survey is astronomical. This is not the result of a 5-minute survey sheet. This is the result of thousands of gamers and gamer groups and authors sitting down and REALLY thinking about what they think would go into a good product. That kind of heartfelt survey info doesn't come along very often.
I don't call that underhanded - I call that smart. If I see the Setting of My Dreams (tm) come out of the distillation of that raw survey info, then I will be a happy camper (er, gamer.) This is not stealing samples of music - this is taking 1 page of concentrated thought about what gamers would like to see in a gaming supplement, and actually doing something with it.
Good fortunes, and good gaming, Lucent.
Now, if someone steals a writer's actual hard work, the result of a whole project or what have you, that's different. That's why those top souls are being paid serious bucks for that work.
I'll tell you what the most possibly underhanded thing is that's going on here: WotC has just received 11,000 submissions from gamers around the world on what they would like to see in a new product. The potential to use such as a gigantic marketing survey is astronomical. This is not the result of a 5-minute survey sheet. This is the result of thousands of gamers and gamer groups and authors sitting down and REALLY thinking about what they think would go into a good product. That kind of heartfelt survey info doesn't come along very often.
I don't call that underhanded - I call that smart. If I see the Setting of My Dreams (tm) come out of the distillation of that raw survey info, then I will be a happy camper (er, gamer.) This is not stealing samples of music - this is taking 1 page of concentrated thought about what gamers would like to see in a gaming supplement, and actually doing something with it.
Good fortunes, and good gaming, Lucent.
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