Post/Author/DateTime	Post
WotC_Tulach 09-03-07, 02:37 AM	I put out a call for volunteers at Gen Con Indy, and many people emailed me. If you emailed my work address, you should have received documents by email over the past day or two. If you sent an inquiry to my personal email, I apologize, but that's not the appropriate place to send it. Please resend it to my work email address. A few of you realized this and sent me a 2nd email to my work. You should have the information you need. Also, PMing me is not a valid way to show your interest. Please email my work email address if you PMd me. I am changing my email that my forum account is linked to, so you should be able to send an email to me through the forums. For those that have not emailed me, but are still interested - this week (Wednesday I believe) the article calling for administrators will post on the website. Read the article and follow the instructions if you'd like to apply. Thanks!
JohnduBois 09-03-07, 08:25 AM	Should those of us who e-mailed you, but did not receive a response yet, re-send or wait for the posting on Wednesday? Thanks.
amysrevenge 09-03-07, 01:10 PM	Several days ago I emailed the email address that this board account showed in your profile - I assume that was the personal one, since I didn't get a reply... I"ll try again. Mike
WotC_Tulach 09-03-07, 01:50 PM	If you send an email to me through the boards now, you'll send it to my work address. Please re-send if you haven't had a response from me.
tharlan 09-03-07, 06:38 PM	If you send an email to me through the boards now, you'll send it to my work address. Please re-send if you haven't had a response from me. :::; looks at the time.. and the date. Heh.... Don't they give you days off at Wizards? hee hee... Also, questions regarding the information that was sent out should be directed to your wotc email and NOT posted here.. correct? Thanks for your hard work! Troy
brettdm 09-06-07, 10:58 PM	Now that there are applications for the LFR Administrator positions posted, I think it is necessary for WotC to provide some idea about the amount of content these administrators are expected to manage. Based on an assumption that each region will produce 18 regional mods (like LG had 9 regional and 9 meta-regional), leads me to the following analysis: The USA LG Triads have one third (6 LFR regions to 17 LG regions) the player populations that LFR Triads will have. LG Triads produced ~9 regional mods, a few intros and meta-regionals, 4-6 interactives, and a few special missions. LG USA produced ~198 regional and meta-regional mods, and 17*4 to 17*6 (68-102) interactives with the 59 Triad and Circle volunteers: ~5 events per volunteer. 1) If LFR is going with an 18 regional mod model, LFR USA will produce 108 regional mods with 21 volunteers. The number of regular conventions that occur does not change, so there will still be 68-102 cons that expect interactives to draw players: 8-10 events per Administrator volunteer. TWICE the work load as an LG volunteer! 2) A LG Triad only had a handful of authors and potential authors to manage (select, review, edit). Now a LFR Triad has do manage 3 times the number of authors and potential authors - more work: more proposals to review, more rejections to send. My 18-regional mod assumption above means LFR provides roughly half the regional mod content as LG, but maybe there will be more than 18 core mods? I am doubtful though, as there are only 3 global admins vs. 8, or global admins are also going to have way more time demanded of them in author/mod selection, reviews, edits, vs. the Circle of Eight. Note, convention support needs to be maintained if this campaign is going to be the booming success WotC thinks it will be. I am concerned based on the organization and regions just announced. So the LFR Triads know they will have to deal with 3 times the number of conventions LG Triads dealt with; 12-18 annually vs 4-6. So, before I apply, and hopefully anyone else would consider their free time availability too, I would like to know what the content expectations are. If not 18 regional mods, 12, 9? Best regards, Brett Hulett
smickra 09-07-07, 02:16 AM	Chris, i have seen the message on the main board and i admit i was tempted, but i think we need more info. eg how much time commitment do you expect admins to give? What is the expected module load for a region? As stated on other posts some regions have few authors and this would add to admin work to make up the numbers. What LFR regions correspond to the real world regions? I personnally would be more familiar with the sword coast north and silverymoon than with the unapproachable east
WotC_Tulach 09-07-07, 12:53 PM	Chris, i have seen the message on the main board and i admit i was tempted, but i think we need more info. eg how much time commitment do you expect admins to give? What is the expected module load for a region? As stated on other posts some regions have few authors and this would add to admin work to make up the numbers. What LFR regions correspond to the real world regions? I personnally would be more familiar with the sword coast north and silverymoon than with the unapproachable east Time commitment is determined by you. There's a space on the application for it. I'd rather have people put down a number in hours/month that they know they can commit to rather than giving them a number and having them compromise time they did not want to spend. The Writing Director is the only regional guy responsible for adventure review, and that's the big job with the position. Adventure load is a function of the time commitment. If you're able to give enough hours/month to the position, you'll be able to manage the workload. The FR to real world regions have not been finally approved. There's no way I'd even consider giving out "tentative" assignments for regions. The admins will know the regional assignments before the public does - I don't know how far ahead though. The public announcement will be at D&D Experience 2008. You do not need any prior experience with the Forgotten Realms if you're applying for the POC or Events Manager positions. If you're applying for the Writing Director position, you just need knowledge of FR as a whole. Remember, these are administrative positions - none of the positions require you to write any adventures. Anyone selected will be a coordinator and facilitator of play more than anything else. If you're interested, apply. If you hear more details, and something doesn't work for you, you can always bow out.
Beowulfe 09-07-07, 01:16 PM	Regional admins have to attend one of the "big" conventions determined by WotC. Is there any provision for support for this from WotC? i.e. will they pay for the badge and room or is this just on the regionals to handle?
Kithran 09-07-07, 02:54 PM	Above the regional admins are the global administrators. There are a total of three global admin positions. The global admins need to live in one of the regions that they administer. They are contracted directly by Wizards of the Coast, and are required to attend at least one major convention of Wizards’ choosing each year. Per the above text from the announcement its only the Global admins who are required to attend at least one major convention per year. The Event Manager is the only regional admin with any requirement to attend conventions - they have the specific requirement of being able to travel to regional conventions, and I'd suspect common sense would be applied there - if the event manager for Northern Europe and Russia lived in France it would be a massive waste of either his or the conventions (depending on who footed the bill) for him to attend a convention in Siberia. The convention would be far better spending those resources providing rewards for gm's (and the event manager should be able to help them get in touch with more local gm's). The event manager would be beeter able to use those resources to attend a number of closer conventions and posting support materials to Siberia. Kithran
Kithran 09-07-07, 02:59 PM	One question on the application process though Chris, if you are wanting to apply for multiple regional positions (e.g event manager & point of contact) should you fill in two complete applications and send them seperatly or should you send them in together (and only need to fill in the contact information on one of them)? Cheers Kithran
Sieylianna 09-07-07, 06:20 PM	Chris, What (if any) restrictions are there on play of modules by the administrators? Obviously, the writing director couldn't play modules he reviewed, but that may not be a factor for the other regional admins. What is the expectation on event managers attending regional cons? You could easily fill every weekend, if you wanted and could afford to do so. Ed
WotC_Tulach 09-08-07, 02:09 AM	Chris, What (if any) restrictions are there on play of modules by the administrators? Obviously, the writing director couldn't play modules he reviewed, but that may not be a factor for the other regional admins. What is the expectation on event managers attending regional cons? You could easily fill every weekend, if you wanted and could afford to do so. Ed Ed, good questions. Global admins will be restricted from all play opportunities for at least the regions they are involved in plus the "core" adventures. Regional admins will only have this restriction on their region's adventures. Event Managers will have a reasonable expectation placed on them - try to get out to a few cons a year within your region. You don't have to spend gobs of money or travel great distances to accomplish this.
WotC_Tulach 09-08-07, 02:11 AM	One question on the application process though Chris, if you are wanting to apply for multiple regional positions (e.g event manager & point of contact) should you fill in two complete applications and send them seperatly or should you send them in together (and only need to fill in the contact information on one of them)? Cheers Kithran Send them together. Fill the short contact info at the top on both, since it makes it easier to know it's yours. As a reminder, you don't need to fill in the first 4 administrator questions on your second or third application if you don't want to, since they're the same on all the applications.
gomeztoo 09-08-07, 07:41 AM	Ed, good questions. Global admins will be restricted from all play opportunities for at least the regions they are involved in plus the "core" adventures. Regional admins will only have this restriction on their region's adventures. This reminds me: We can apply to posts for our regions. What happens to the posts for 'core' scenarios?
WotC_Tulach 09-08-07, 11:51 AM	This reminds me: We can apply to posts for our regions. What happens to the posts for 'core' scenarios? The global admins are in charge of "core" adventures.
tharlan 09-08-07, 12:11 PM	Silly question Chris? Lets say that Joe gets the job as one of the GA's. Is he allowed to build a staff of volunteers under him to help him run the global aspects of his duty area? I am not talking about replacing the regional admins, but people that can help share the load so that the Global Area is run more efficiently? Just was wondering. Even though the GA is going to have the Regional Admins under him/her to take care of their regions, I was thinking that a small CORE of people working with the GA on global issues. Just wondering... Troy (who wonders if Chris ever does get days off... )
Golorious 09-08-07, 06:59 PM	The global admins are in charge of "core" adventures. I thought you were supposed to be on vacation! Don't forget work life balance! LOL!!!! Since I'm taking a break from writing a shield lands module I just wanted to share some thoughts with the people who are applying for an admin position. Thoughts on what my current POC experience has taught me, these are things I wish I knew before I started and things I have picked up from others and my experience. This will of course vary depending on the region you work with and how active its’ players are. The Shield Lands are a relatively small region by population so keep that in mind when comparing to the vastly large new regions. It is also only my opinion on how to do things, so your mileage may very. #1 - Never let this job stop you from playing and enjoying the game. (Even if it takes driving several hundred miles just to play a game or finding a home campaign) Playing keeps people excited about the game and keeps you connected to the player experience. Having fun makes everything else in life easier. If this job makes the game loose all its fun, get out. #2 - Get a separate email account for your position as a Triad/Admin etc... Do this immediately before it is too late. (I did it too late) Otherwise you will have personal emails mixed in with the hundreds of game related emails and something important could get missed. Change your group/forum preferences to your new email address so if someone responds or PMs it goes to the Admin account. #3 - Remind yourself that this is a game and when the 1000 emails poor in after a campaign decision that is "ruining" the game that this too shall pass. People are very passionate about their characters and their campaign, and you are their avenue to complain, whine, thank, and share their opinions. Respect their passion and avoid replying with equal passion. For better or worse you are the "face" of the organization so keep that diplomacy skill in mind. Never send an email that would upset you if you had received it. Every time you break that rule it will come back and haunt you one way or another. #4 - When faced with the 1000 emails learn to quickly prioritize and create shortcuts for yourself. If an email takes 3 or less sentences or minutes to answer do it immediately, and get it off your plate. If five or more people are asking the same question then make a public post. If anyone else asks the same question again then simply reply with a link to your public post. Create a document that contains links to all the important things (campaign documentation, DND FAQs, Campaign Announcements etc...) so that when you reply you can cut and paste the link in quickly without having to search for it. If someone asks a complex rules question send them to WotC Customer Service or one of your collected links if the answer is there. Answering the same question two hundred times becomes draining, make it easy on yourself. #5 - Yes, No, I can't answer that question, or I don't have an answer for that question right now. Avoid using maybe or possibly, people will interpret that as a yes or as an invitation to sway you to their opinion and continue filling up your inbox. Be comfortable answering many questions with "No". Avoid the passive language like "I don't believe", "I think maybe" etc...If you don't have an answer to their question tell them where they can find it or tell them you will get back to them with an answer. People ask questions from their player perspective and not with an eye on campaign balance or management. They do not see their requests as inappropriate or ridiculous even if they are, be polite and firm in your denials. #6 - Players have no sense of your boundaries. Whenever you are at or near any RPGA event be prepared to answer questions about your region and the campaign. Be prepared even if you are in a different region, at a convention like GenCon, or out at dinner near a convention site they will find you and ask questions. My suggestion is: if the answer will take longer than 3 minutes or if it is interrupting something (the game you are playing, dinner, etc) is to ask them to send you an email or find you after the session or dinner is over. Usually by saying “can I get back to you after this game, or after we finish dinner” etc... people will realize they are interrupting something and be happy for you to make time for them later. You cannot escape the player base so be prepared for it, and don’t let it interfere or ruin your fun. Remain professional and remember that you are always a triad/admin at all times. #7 – Delegate to your fellow administrators and use your resources. If the topic is better answered by a different admin forward the email and ask them to deal with it. If you come across difficult questions or people bounce off ideas with your fellow admins, they will be a great resource and will also be going through the same things. #8 – Avoid the perception of favoritism. It will always be easier to interact with people that are closer in proximity to you. You will see them at game days, conventions etc… However, there are people that will live on the other end of your region that you will not get to meet, but they deserve your time and commitment equally. Make efforts to keep connected with them, it will not be easy but it is worth it. Also do not allow your friends to believe you will make special exemptions for them just because they are close to you. They are your friends and they will respect you for doing your job, and understand when you tell them no. #9 – You are part of an organization that’s goals are to have fun! You are there to facilitate fun, organize things to enable fun and well simply have fun. If you are no longer having fun, then find a replacement for your position. Get out before you crash, burn bridges, and screw things up for others. It will make coming back to play and rejoining the general populace a lot easier. Paul SHL - Triad
Butterface 09-08-07, 10:49 PM	Wow. This sounds about as time intensive as any any real life job. What's the pay again? ;)
KoboldChieftain 09-09-07, 02:56 AM	Silly question Chris? Lets say that Joe gets the job as one of the GA's. Is he allowed to build a staff of volunteers under him to help him run the global aspects of his duty area? I am not talking about replacing the regional admins, but people that can help share the load so that the Global Area is run more efficiently? Just was wondering. Even though the GA is going to have the Regional Admins under him/her to take care of their regions, I was thinking that a small CORE of people working with the GA on global issues. Just wondering... Troy (who wonders if Chris ever does get days off... ) I am not sure what the "official" line on this is but as a Nyrond Triad guy and Circle guy I cana tell you straight up that having a cadre of people helping you is a "good" thing. I assure you that I had people I sought consel from and it helped immensly. Not only does it help clarify thinking but it gets you moving down the road at a much faster and clearer pace!! This new campaign is going to be different and time will tell how things are going to be arranged. I still think it would be nice to have a play test group to run troublesome encounters, a rules laywer on retainer and let's not forget the gaggle of authors! :)
KoboldChieftain 09-09-07, 03:01 AM	Wow. This sounds about as time intensive as any any real life job. What's the pay again? ;) Hah! Giggle, snort! It IS a real job if you let it be. The trick is to manage your work load and make sure everybody is doing their jobs. If your "staff" is hitting the mark, you will too! I'm not saying it still won't take a bunch of time but you should be able to handle it on a part-time basis. :)
Nanyea 09-10-07, 01:39 PM	That legal disclaimer at the beginning excluding people from Game Studios was very sad panda :(