Cool things are afoot at Wizards.
We've made some recent changes to the D&D R&D staff. We've split the D&D creative team into two groups: the D&D RPG Group (focused on the 4th Edition D&D RPG and spinoff RPGs such as D&D Gamma World) and the D&D New Business Group (focused on D&D games beyond the RPGs, including board games and other stuff we can't talk about yet). Both groups report up into Bill Slavicsek, the Director of D&D R&D and Book Publishing.
Several staffers who used to work on RPG content have moved over to the D&D New Business team, including James Wyatt, Chris Youngs, Bruce Cordell, and Peter Lee. They have very exciting jobs, which I'm sure they'll talk about in the weeks and months ahead.
As for me, I've decided to stay with the D&D RPG, where I can do the least damage. LOL Here's the current D&D RPG Group, presented in alphabetical order:
Richard Baker (design manager), Greg Bilsland (editor), Bart Carroll (D&D website editor-in-chief), Michele Carter (editing manager), Jeremy Crawford (developer), Mike Mearls (group manager), Kim Mohan (managing editor), Cal Moore (editor), Christopher Perkins (senior producer), Stephen Schubert (development manager), Matt Sernett (designer), Rodney Thompson (designer), and Steve Winter (magazines editor-in-chief).
We also have some open positions to fill . . . Stay tuned!
Both D&D teams work closely with several art directors on the CAPS team (Creative and Production Services): Jon Schindehette, Mari Kolkowsky, Kate Irwin, and Keven Smith. They, too, are part of the D&D family.
What does the new structure mean for the 4E roleplaying game? Well, Mearls is responsible for coming up with innovative RPG product ideas and building an exciting RPG release plan that caters to the needs of our diverse gamer audience. I'm responsible for telling Mike when he's being crazy while delivering all RPG products on schedule, on budget, and to mission specs, as well as overseeing the staff that does the work (pretty much everyone in the above list, minus Mike).
We have a terrific, experienced in-house team working to expand 4E's horizons, and we have a strong cadre of freelance writers and editors backing us up. We're wrapping up work on the D&D Essentials product line, which aims to bring new players and DMs into the hobby, and we're hard at work on 2011 and 2012 RPG products. You'll get a sneak peek of what's planned at Gen Con this year; if you're not planning to attend, keep an eye on the website for spoilers!
And, of course, you can expect surprises along the way . . . not unlike the Penny Arcade/PvP podcasts, the Robot Chicken videocasts, the Creature Competition, and the D&D animated shorts!
Chris
