Wizard Wednesday Recap, 2023-10-25
After the introductions, the team begins by celebrating the release of the 3D Souls collection. Bearsnake and Elf give a shout out to FrogEater, who put together the "Thriller" launch video. Dotta mentions the Angelic Dotta Soul, noting he finally gets to be the cool one.
3D Souls & The Nightmare Run
Elf says the team decided to launch the 3D Souls so they can be used in the new Nightmare Run Halloween Event. Bearsnake says it will be a browser-based, haunted maze / obstacle course. The team cautions against using Brave browser to play. Bear says he's a fan of the concept of virtual concerts and virtual events and speaks well of the Improbable Team, who Magic Machine partnered with for the Nightmare Run. He says they were introduced by BoredElonMusk ~ 18 days ago.
Everyone's Invited
Bearsnake notes that Forgotten Runes has invited everyone to join in the Halloween fun, but around 20 other projects will have "Pumpkin Head" costumes available. He notes there will be a prize for the first three players who get to the end of the Nightmare Run. Elf notes the Nightmare Run will be a skill-based competition. The first, second, and third players to finish the maze will receive a golden, silver, or bronze pumpkin, respectively. Elf says the prizes will be NFTs. Elf mentions Bearsnake's invitation to Gary Gensler, who has his own "Pumpkin Head" costume within the Nightmare Run.
He confirms that Wizard, Souls, and Beasts will be token gated and playable for the owners. Bear says there will be an option to play without wallet connection. Dotta reiterates that the team has made a few custom Pumpkin Head costumes for a few other communities. He says the team wants as many people as possible to come to the event, and extending invitations to other communities is a way to introduce them to Forgotten Runes. Bearsnake says there is a reservation link to sign up for the Nightmare Run event and reserve the time. Elf mentions that the 8 PM UTC timeslot may be awkward for some, and notes they were trying to also optimize for the UK.
An Improbable Event
Madotsuki notes the Improbable team's previous work with Yuga and the Otherside and says he believes Forgotten Runes is going to upstage Yuga. Elf notes that Improbable sent the team a crowd shot of 1000 Wizards, noting they all look different and unique. Elf says the team has been testing builds of the Nightmare Run with Improbable — he notes the fluidity with which the Improbable team was able to add his suggestions. Bearsnake says he thinks this is the beginning of a trend and that he's excited to see progress with the models. Bearsnake says that he's interested in the community's feedback after the Halloween Event. He says he wants to know what the community wants to see next.
Bugs On Souls Website
Elf then says he sees posts in The Secret Tower about bugs on the Souls website. He says they will fix reported bugs in the next few days, and confirms with Dotta that it's about "98% of the way there." Dotta says they have a good process to sort out reported bugs. Elf says that he thinks the exponential vector of 3D metaverse integration is a fruitful path for the project to take. He says we will see a lot more being done with it. Dotta says people have noted the 3D website doesn't work on mobile, and says the team will revisit that — that it needs to work on mobile.
Forgotten Runiverse Whitepaper Released
Elf says he can hardly keep up with all of the new announcements, and Dotta notes the announcement of the Forgotten Runiverse white paper. Dotta says that he hasn't even been able to read the entire final version of the white paper yet, though he has read previous versions. Dotta brings up the topic of a headline in the paper that states that Wizards and Souls, exclusively, will be able to construct a building that helps earn gold in the Forgotten Runiverse economy. He says that Wizards will also have other benefits in-game. Madotsuki notes that they have plans for other collections — like Warriors and Ponies — to have benefits, but the mechanics are still being worked out. Elf then answers a question about the team's favorite aspects of the Forgotten Runiverse game. Elf says that he has enjoyed the work done by the art team at Bisonic. Bear says he enjoys the depth of the crafting system.
Madotsuki notes that there will be a playable Forgotten Runiverse event soon, saying it will be a vertical slice of the gameplay. This means that it intends to give an idea of what the full game experience will be like. It is a pre-alpha build that will be playable in November. Madotsuki also notes that in the pre-alpha build of the Forgotten Runiverse game, there will be mintable tokens that will carry over into other builds.
Herman Narula Of Improbable Joins
Then, Herman Narula of the Improbable team joins the conversation. Herman says that the style, beauty, and pomp with which Magic Machine is going about the Halloween event is commendable. He says the team is approaching it differently than he originally thought they would. Elf notes that the Improbable team has gone beyond his expectations. Herman says he feels like it is a match made in Heaven. He says the more he explores the Runiverse IP, the more he feels like the Halloween Event seems like a favorite book being turned into a movie. Herman says that hopefully if the Halloween Event is a success, Improbable and Forgotten Runes can collaborate more. Bearsnake says there is a ton of potential in the fact that the Halloween Event was spun up so quickly.
Herman's Perspective On Forgotten Runes
Herman says that it's been great to have BoredElonMusk connect Improbable and Forgotten Runes. He says he admired Forgotten Runes from a distance, and after working closely, says it's rare to find a project like Forgotten Runes that know what it does and doesn't want to be. Herman says the feedback Improbable team has received from Magic Machine is unlike feedback they normally receive. He also notes that seeing the Souls come to life in the promotional video makes him want to be at the event in a way he hasn't felt with other projects. Herman says one of the things he likes about Forgotten Runes is that the crypto aspect isn't being shoved down his throat.
"You make it about the story, the IP, the components, and you use the crypt pieces as a tool to create a better and stronger community."
The Future Of Forgotten Runes As A Fan & An Offer For Elf's Goat
Herman asks "as a fan" what the future of the Forgotten Runes community looks like. Elf says at a high level, Forgotten Runes is a decentralized worldbuilding project. Dotta notes the idea of attempting to build a "decentralized Lord of the Rings." Dotta explains that Forgotten Runes aims to be as vast as Star Wars, Harry Potter, or Game of Thrones, but with a fanbase that has the ability to collaborate with other storytellers and benefit from it financially. Dotta mentions that the Rowling Estate once sued an 8th grade teacher for creating a Harry Potter Encyclopedia. Elf says in legacy media, fan fiction borders on legal liability, but there is no distinction from fan fiction and "official" material in a decentralized world. Herman briefly plugs his book, Virtual Society, to the Forgotten Runes community, and BoredElonMusk steps up on stage. Bored speaks about the connection between Forgotten Runes and Improbable, sharing his excitement for the Halloween Event.
Herman notes that the time for him is very early in the morning but before he departs, he says that he really joined the space to say that he really wants the Evil Arcanist Black Goat of the Wood. Elf informs him that is his Wizard.
Herman says, "We'll take this offline."
Edison Games
After Herman steps offstage, BoredElonMusk speaks about the "soft currency," noting participants will receive soft currency for edison.games. He also reveals that digital items on the platform, whether tokenized or not, will be transferable between experiences.
Cult Questions
Then another question comes from the community:
Delegate Cash For The Nightmare Run
Tania del Rio asks if the event will be compatible with Delegate Cash. Bearsnake speaks to this and says that it won't be compatible due to the short spin-up time. The team will look toward implementing it for future events. Bearsnake suggests opening the Halloween Event a second time for a different time slot. Bored notes that people will have likely already watched streams and know how to navigate the maze. Dotta says the prizes would likely only be given to the first group.
Souls Filter On 3D Page
Then, Elf responds to SPZ's request for a Souls filter on the 3D page, saying the team is definitely going to make that change. He says they will also add a Beasts filter, as the Beasts will be "ready in a few days." They will also be playable on Halloween.
Runes TCG — Souls Expansion
Following that, Giveahoot approaches the stage to speak about the first Runes TCG expansion — Souls cards. These cards will be limited quantity. 1/1 cards will be distributed through the packs, including a card with art from Elf. Elf commends Giveahoot on his work with Runes.
Outro & Announcement of Bill Gains' Dress Up App
No Magic November
On the topic of community events, Elf asks if anyone has heard that November is "No Magic November." He says he thinks it's a really interesting concept. He says October and December are full of Magic, but November sitting in between feels much less magical.
House of Wizards DAO New Council Member Voting
Dotta also notes voting for the new DAO seats approaches, and states they will post the information for that process in the Discord.
Dress Up App
Bill Gains also approaches the stage to announce a rebuild of the dress-up app. Wizards, Warriors, Babies, and Souls will be able to don new costumes made by the community and equip community items like Barren Court familiars. He notes they will be token-bound tokens.
Cult Content
With the remaining time, the team reviews Cult Content from Week 40 of the Cult Content Chronicle — a newsletter of creations from the past week within the Forgotten Runes that is collected every week by Tania del Rio.
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Heroes Of Cumberland Returns
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Heroes Of Cumberland x BlackSand
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Henry Boyd Ghosts & Goblins Tribute
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Henry Boyd Pony Commission
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Marcofine Sketchbook Wizard
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@jasondesante Wizard Video Game Gen
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Chemical Imbalance Rug
