D&D General You're Hasbro/WotC Marketing - What Do You Do for the 50-year Anniversary in 2024?

[Rob Kuntz]

Gail Gygax is the stumbling block here, as covered even in mainstream press a few years ago. It seems like a pretty complicated situation, to put it mildly.

Not only is Gail a stumbling block (and that's putting it mildly), but you can't do Greyhawk Castle 2, which I own a 40% share in, without me. WotC has had many opportunities to work with Gary and myself (starting in 1997). I wouldn't hold one's breath. IMO, WotC/Hasbro will do something related to what they are pushing in the video game and movie area, and more power to them. It's taken far too long to bring the brand into another gear and I'm looking forward to their new routes.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

With the setting search, the non-Keith Baker creators either had or asked for and received permission to publish them on their own, which is where the Morningstar and DawnForge settings came from, and probably some others I'm forgetting.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Not only is Gail a stumbling block (and that's putting it mildly), but you can't do Greyhawk Castle 2, which I own a 40% share in, without me. WotC has had many opportunities to work with Gary and myself (starting in 1997). I wouldn't hold one's breath. IMO, WotC/Hasbro will do something related to what they are pushing in the video game and movie area, and more power to them. It's taken far too long to bring the brand into another gear and I'm looking forward to their new routes.

My apologies. I knew you had a stake in it and should have mentioned you.

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

Sounds good in principle but what worries me is that while sure there'd be one winner, there'd also be dozens if not hundreds of other good ideas submitted; and would WotC expect or demand as a condition of entry the signing away of rights to do anything else with said ideas - e.g. publish them elsewhere - if they don't win the WotC prize? If yes, WotC never have to write another adventure.

It'd probably be like setting search, in that it would start with elevator pitches:

Initial
One (1) Page Proposals All Proposals must 1) be covered with a signed, unmodified copy of the Idea Submission Agreement, 2) include an accompanying cover letter with contact information, and 3) be structured in accord with the attached template. Initial proposals shall be no more than one (1) page in length.

Second-Round
Ten (10) Page Treatments Should your setting be chosen as one of the approximately ten (10) settings Wizards would like to see developed, you will be notified and requested to expand your proposal into a ten (10) page treatment. This treatment must be postmarked no later than July 31, 2002. The ten-page treatments will then be reviewed and a maximum of three entrants will be given the green light to further develop their ideas. You will be notified if your setting is chosen for third-round consideration by August 5, 2002.

Third-Round One Hundred (100) Page Setting Bibles

———————————————————————————————

Fantasy Setting Proposal Template

1. Core Ethos Sentence. [A sentence that describes the core ethos of the world. For example, Forgotten Realms is a world of sword-and-sorcery adventure, where heroes battle monsters with magic.]

2. Who are the heroes? [Brief description of heroes central to the setting. This need not be a comprehensive list.]

3. What do they do? [What are the main objectives of the heroes, and what steps do they take to achieve those objectives?]

4. Threats, Conflicts, Villains [What is the main danger to the world, and from whom does it come?]

5. Nature of magic [What is the source of magic? How abundant/scarce is it?]

6. What’s new? What’s different? [What makes this setting unique?]

Also, would the adventure have to be for 5e or could it be for any edition?

I seriously doubt they'd workshop with the finalist for anything other than the currently supported edition.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Forgotten Realms is a world of sword-and-sorcery adventure, where heroes battle monsters with magic

I wonder how many submissions back in the day included a long diatribe about the Forgotten Realms not being sword and sorcery by anything other than the loosest of definitions.

 

[Rob Kuntz]

My apologies. I knew you had a stake in it and should have mentioned you.

No prob. I'm used to it over the years. That doesn't change the fact that I am the last man standing who can describe all 50+ levels of the Castle, what our intents for it was, its history, adventure stories, map symbol variations, the whole lot. Several Hollywood producers have acknowledged this point as has the curator of the Gygax Estate. All that aside it's going no where fast as long as Gail refuses to engage. That leaves me with my levels only--and a plan.

 

[M.L. Martin]

It feels like a lot of people in this thread don't realize that Art & Arcana isn't "just" an art book -- it's an incredibly comprehensive and clear-eyed history of Dungeons & Dragons, both in the TSR and WotC eras. Anyone wanting a comprehensive history of the game should pick it up.

I glanced at it about a year ago and got the impression of strong nostalgia for the days of the Satanic Panic and the 'edgy and dangerous' feel ascribed to the game in that era. It's one of many reasons I'm skeptical of WotC's direction for the game.

 

[Mind of tempest]

they will make a super dumb expensive thing.

 

[Dausuul]

5.5E. And that is not a "cynical" answer, that is a "why would you not take the opportunity to incorporate 10 years of real-world play experience and design evolution into the core system?"

I like 5E a lot, but that doesn't mean it can't be improved.

 

[M.L. Martin]

5.5E. And that is not a "cynical" answer, that is a "why would you not take the opportunity to incorporate 10 years of real-world play experience and design evolution into the core system?"

I like 5E a lot, but that doesn't mean it can't be improved.

This, but I think it will be called '6th Edition' or '50th Anniversary Edition'--I think the '3.5' nomenclature backfired on WotC back in the day, and they won't want to market something along those lines again.

I also expect it will incorporate the changes in gaming/corporate culture from the past ten years, and perhaps also try to recapture some of the 'edgy and dangerous' feel for which some at WotC seem to be nostalgic.