CEO
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Hey y'all:
I just saw a thread on ENWorld where Scott Rouse says that he is leaving WotC as of today. I thought you might like to know so you can give him your best wishes.
Scott was a good friend to Paizo and he will be missed in this industry.
-Lisa
Hey y'all:
I just saw a thread on ENWorld where Scott Rouse says that he is leaving WotC as of today. I thought you might like to know so you can give him your best wishes.
Scott was a good friend to Paizo and he will be missed in this industry.
-Lisa
There's nothing in the thread from him about whether it was his idea or WoTC's. That usually means it wasn't him having a new job. That's a sad thing. Hopefully he will find a new job quickly in this climate (I'm actually sure he can get a new job in the industry, not sure if he can for his old pay). I hope he does get a new job quickly.
If I'm reading it wrong and he's just playing his new job close to the vest, well then, I don't feel so bad for him. ;)
<Wanders into thread trailing jellyfish and looking slightly singed.>
Grumble, mutter, mumble, flame-wars.
<Looks around.>
Oh good. He's not here yet.
[best Luna Lovegood conspiracy theory voice][/best Luna Lovegood conspiracy theory voice]
Okay, I know I've forgotten some bits, but I hope that clears up the real reason why he had to go...
<Wanders off.>
I wish nothing but the best of luck to Scott Rouse.
From all that I have heard, he deserves nothing less.
(Blazej doesn't have an ENWorld forum account that he can recall)
Really interested to see what the Rouse gets up to after this. I wish him the best of luck in whatever he decides to tackle.
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32
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I'm guessing 'yes'. Sorry.In the CoT pocket dimension thread Lisa and James say they've hired a new editor.
In the enworld thread Scott says he's pursuing new opportunities in te Seattle area.Am I putting 5 and 5 together and making 55 million?
Lol, yeah, probably because Lisa said he'll be missed in the industry ;-)
Still, worth a brief "what if..."|
CEO
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I'm guessing 'yes'. Sorry.In the CoT pocket dimension thread Lisa and James say they've hired a new editor.
In the enworld thread Scott says he's pursuing new opportunities in te Seattle area.Am I putting 5 and 5 together and making 55 million?
Lol, yeah, probably because Lisa said he'll be missed in the industry ;-)
Still, worth a brief "what if..."
Scott is NOT the new editorial hire.
-Lisa
If Scott got a new job (his background is marketing if I remember correctly), I wouldn't be surprised if it was in the video game industry as opposed to the RPG industry.
Too bad. The Rouse was the last person at WotC who had the game and it's fans at heart. At least that's the impression I always had of him. I'll have to stop by the ENWorld and wish the best of luck later tonight.
Is this a layoff - and if so, are there others?
Is this a layoff - and if so, are there others?
Not that we've heard of.
Current speculation is how he may have been picked up by one of the local big-name video game development houses. No one knows if this is the case, yet, but it's one of the more likely scenarios.
(At least Goodman Games had an early presence of mind to do their 4E Dungeon Crawl Classics modules under the OGL, and not the GSL).
I thought Joesph Goodman was publishing under "Fair Use" laws of the USA. I don't pretend to understand all the nuances of copywrite law but I didn't think the OGL could be used with D&D editions other than 3E.
I thought Joesph Goodman was publishing under "Fair Use" laws of the USA. I don't pretend to understand all the nuances of copywrite law but I didn't think the OGL could be used with D&D editions other than 3E.
The OGL can be used with anything you want to use it with. There's several non-D&D games out there using the OGL, and the OGL was the basis of things like OSRIC and other non-3E D&D games.
Nothing in the license that forbids a particular format or type of content.
Best wishes to Scott!
If he leaves the RPG industry, it surely is a loss for the industry. I wonder what that means for WOtC/D&D, though.
Stefan
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Why am I not surprised (apart from the fact that I did expect it later on this year).
Best luck to you, Scott, you we're the last torch bearer of "our" D&D working for the wizards so I guess it has suddenly become very dark around there. Not that I care anymore.
And I'd really like to see him working for Paizo. So if he isn't the new editor, then what will you hire him for, Lisa? :D
Best luck to you, Scott, you we're the last torch bearer of "our" D&D working for the wizards so I guess it has suddenly become very dark around there. Not that I care anymore.
I have a feeling that Scott himself would be the first person to disagree with you on that. You can't spend any reasonable amount of time around any of the WotC guys without getting the sense that they are passionate both about the game and the community.
Yes, Rouse was the guy doing most of the interference-running. But there are others, too. Hopefully whoever replaces Rouse will also be doing a lot of communicating with the fanbase.
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Okay - - - I am interested.
Can someone (anyone with accuracy) explain the top five (5) things I should know about Scott?
For example, I know that 9.5 years places him at the premier moment of Third Edition. This would mean he worked with Ryan Dancy, right? By extension, he would have also overseen Monte Cook's crew right? By extension, he would have had an employee named Lisa Stevens? And, overseen the years when Erik Mona was Editor in chief of Dungeon and Dragon magazines? (Just trying to get the context of his era? I think List still worked there in the early 2000s right?)
Would it also be fair to conclude that Scott was a leader the entire time?
At heart, I wish to know how/where to place Scott in the triangulation between third edition, and what it appears Bill Slavicsec has done with fourth edition and the GSL?
I am seeking to learn. If anyone can provide a short historical timeline of Scott's "perspective" on dnd over the past 9.5 years, that would be marvelous.
On a personal note, Scott has every reason to be proud of the products created under his leadership. I wish him the best in his endeavors. Given that he alludes to working in the Seattle area, I will be interested to learn what he turns to gold next.
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Director of Brand Strategy
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Pax, Scott worked in PR which is why so many fans know him, but I don't believe he was personally involved in design or development of either 3.5 or 4e. I'm obviously not an insider here, but yes, he would have worked at WotC at the same time as many current Paizo employees did, but in a different capacity. So to say that he oversaw Monte Cook, Jonathan Tweet, Skip Williams, et al. is a bit much. He did field questions regarding the OGL, GSL and other WotC announcements over the years and was one of the most approachable staffers on the messageboards, ENworld, etc. His departure from WotC is certainly a loss for the company, but I don't think we should give him more credit than he deserves.
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CEO
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For example, I know that 9.5 years places him at the premier moment of Third Edition. This would mean he worked with Ryan Dancy, right? By extension, he would have also overseen Monte Cook's crew right? By extension, he would have had an employee named Lisa Stevens? And, overseen the years when Erik Mona was Editor in chief of Dungeon and Dragon magazines? (Just trying to get the context of his era? I think List still worked there in the early 2000s right?)
Scott wasn't on the 3rd edition team that Ryan headed and I was a part of. He worked in a different part of the company and wasn't strictly associated with D&D at that point. I believe he became the Brand Manager for D&D sometime in 2004, if memory serves, and at that point, he became someone that we interfaced with at WotC through Dragon and Dungeon.
-Lisa
The first time met Scott Rouse was at D&D experience in early 2007. He struck me as a pretty typical marketing guy who also happened to play D&D, rather than as a game designer. Whatever is behind this change, I wish him well.
As far as things getting worse at WoTC with respect to the GSL, I don't think Scott's departure will matter to third-party 4E publishers at this point. Between the current GSL and the "lock-out" effect of the Character Builder, there IS no third party 4E industry, anyway.
Much luck to Scott in his new endeavors. It's a loss for WotC, for sure.
The first time met Scott Rouse was at D&D experience in early 2007. He struck me as a pretty typical marketing guy who also happened to play D&D, rather than as a game designer. Whatever is behind this change, I wish him well.
As far as things getting worse at WoTC with respect to the GSL, I don't think Scott's departure will matter to third-party 4E publishers at this point. Between the current GSL and the "lock-out" effect of the Character Builder, there IS no third party 4E industry, anyway.
All that is left is the untapped category of "Well Written Adventures"
Anyways, Good luck to you Rouse!
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Chief Technical Officer
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...I don't think Scott's departure will matter to third-party 4E publishers at this point.
Scott was certainly a champion for third-party publishers, and his ENWorld posts of the last few years suggest to me that a lot of the softening between the two revisions of the GSL was due largely to his influence.
Of course, that doesn't mean that his replacement—assuming there is one—won't also be a 3PP champion.
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...I don't think Scott's departure will matter to third-party 4E publishers at this point.Scott was certainly a champion for third-party publishers, and his ENWorld posts of the last few years suggest to me that a lot of the softening between the two revisions of the GSL was due largely to his influence.
Of course, that doesn't mean that his replacement—assuming there is one—won't also be a 3PP champion.
I had the same feeling. Unfortunately for poor Scott, he became the Face of WotC for the GSL and 4e conversion. He became the scape goat for any one wanting to bash WotC over their (IMHO) badly handled switch over. He ought to go into politics as an online media guy for a politician. NOTHING phased that guy on the often contentious ENWorld forums. :)
Scott was certainly a champion for third-party publishers, and his ENWorld posts of the last few years suggest to me that a lot of the softening between the two revisions of the GSL was due largely to his influence...
Agreed. What I meant was, despite his (considerable) effort, the 3rd party market is pretty much dead, anyway. :(
I had the same feeling. Unfortunately for poor Scott, he became the Face of WotC for the GSL and 4e conversion. He became the scape goat for any one wanting to bash WotC over their (IMHO) badly handled switch over. He ought to go into politics as an online media guy for a politician. NOTHING phased that guy on the often contentious ENWorld forums. :)...I don't think Scott's departure will matter to third-party 4E publishers at this point.Scott was certainly a champion for third-party publishers, and his ENWorld posts of the last few years suggest to me that a lot of the softening between the two revisions of the GSL was due largely to his influence.
Of course, that doesn't mean that his replacement—assuming there is one—won't also be a 3PP champion.
I don't recall him suffering any real abuse online. For the most part, flames were directed at WotC, not Rouse.
Best wishes for Mr. Scott and whatever project he will be heading into!
-I hope he sees this thread :P
I don't recall him suffering any real abuse online. For the most part, flames were directed at WotC, not Rouse.
That's my recollection as well. It doesn't make the job of being the company face easy, mind you, being the recipient and conduit of a lot of ire if not the target.
Is this a layoff - and if so, are there others?Not that we've heard of.
Current speculation is how he may have been picked up by one of the local big-name video game development houses. No one knows if this is the case, yet, but it's one of the more likely scenarios.
Hmmm, be interesting to see his touches on console RPGs if that was the case. BioWare isn't based in Seattle, is it?
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I don't recall him suffering any real abuse online. For the most part, flames were directed at WotC, not Rouse.
the RPG Legalities board usually had some pretty harsh responses to Rouse having to post delays or perceived failure to respond fast enough. Of course ENWorld isn't as bad as some other RPG boards. :)