Wizard Wednesday Recap, 2022-08-10

Sorcerer Venga of the River (#4109) wields an example of the "Venus Flytrap." This is one of the targeted metadata adjustments Magic Machine planned for 2022.

Metadata Changes are Afoot!

The first major topic this week was around metadata fixes for the Wizards collection. Elf and Dotta have wanted to fix various spelling errors and trait names. This has been an area that they have long wanted to address. The provenance of the Wizards is immutably on-chain, so any metadata changes won’t affect that, the changes will be happening on IPFS, and be reflected on platforms like Opensea and the Forgotten Market.

There are four types of changes planned:

1. Changes Magic Machine wants (eg. fix unicorn horn prop name, change name of Deatheater to Corpse Eater)
2. Confusing trait names (some color names were incorrect), so some of the body traits will be renamed
3. Addressing some Wizard Honorary names. This led to a lot of conflicting opinions over time, but Dotta will make some executive decisions around them
4. Affinity data for wizards will be published on IPFS. Dotta wants to reach consensus on this matter if possible

Runiverse Blog Post Reveals More About the Game World

A Runiverse blog post was released by Bisonic Games today, and showcases the vastness of the planned game world. Jitcy talked about how this is setting the foundation for a game that will be played for years to come. It also showcases some of the amazing concept and game art that has been created. Elf said that he loved seeing the updates - he wants Bisonic to be able to own their creations. This might result in some divergences with other major media releases such as the TV show, but there will be common essence among all of them as well. Note: Elf mentioned that a map was revealed, which was an accidental leak, and "no further comment".

Dotta has repeatedly used Wise Sam's Shroom Shack as an example of how royalties might be distributed to holders whose original interpretations get used in Magic Machine media.

Dotta Talks About IP Rights

Next, Dotta talked about his views on NFT IP rights. Recently, the Moonbirds project converted their licensing to CC0 with no prior warning. This event spurred a lot of conversation around NFT IP licensing models, and Dotta wanted to communicate his latest thoughts.

Dotta's thoughts: CC0 doesn’t do a great job of capturing value for token-holders. And there is no brand protection, which inhibits larger deals with 3rd parties. However, CC0 can work for some projects, like Nouns, because it’s integrated in their product design. Nouns are trying to increase provenance value, not necessarily future cash flows. By provenance, Dotta means the value that accrues to the original work. He gave the example of the Mona Lisa - the original work has an extremely high value, vs. prints, merch etc. In CC0, the derivative content is essentially serving as advertising to increase the originals’ provenance value.

Overall, CC0 is hyper-capitalistic, and licensing rights are more monopolistic/communal. With CC0 you have no protection, so the value is based on the best ideas, and there are no moats. Licenses are more communal - the group of holders that hold the rights can work more collaboratively while not having to worry about competition from the wider market. Dotta doesn’t want to say that one model is better in all situations, but teams need to think carefully about their project’s goals before deciding on one.

Licensing rights also open the possibility for royalty payments. Take for example the Quantum Style t-shirts. There is the original wizard (Sacred Key Master (777)), and then there is the version of the wizard designed by Magic Machine, which was shown in the TV trailer and later appeared on merch like the t-shirt and stickers. In this case, MM did the heavy lifting of designing and promoting this interpretation of the wizard, so in this situation the royalty % would be lower.

But in another case, using Wise Sam’s shroom shack idea in MM media may merit greater royalties because the concept was designed by Sam. MM wants to do what’s fair in each situation, and is thinking about this now, in the relatively early stages.

Magic Machine Does Q&A

• Regarding dynamic NFTs, Elf said that they received great input on this topic last week. As a result of the feedback, Magic Machine decided to put any plans around this topic “on ice” for the foreseeable future.
• Elf’s TED Talk - Elf has received a rough copy of the talk. Elf is working on sending them motion graphics to minimize his on-screen time. He predicts that it will be released in 2-3 more weeks.

• 

  A depiction of the Quantum Shadow was briefly shown in the TV trailer.

  Comic book Issue #1 - Elf wouldn’t reveal which community-owned wizards would appear in it - you’ll have to wait and see.
• End-of-year holiday events: Yes, there are some planned, including a Halloween event which Elf is excited about. Bearsnake mentioned that the event will involve other NFT communities also.
• Merch update: Souls-themed merch is being planned. Elf stressed that “tokens you already have will be useful in the future.” The community on Discord seemed to agree that adding utility/benefits to existing tokens is preferable to releasing more tokens, in most cases.
• A Webaverse video featuring Forgotten Runes was released. The team didn’t have any further comment on it for now, except that they plan to continue having fun with them.
• Bearsnake confirmed that there will be PvP gameplay in the Runiverse game. People can compete against each other for gaming supremacy.

Elf's Talk: The Quantum Shadow

Image with lyrics to "Chimera." Lyrics were written by Margaret Labour (lorepunk), and graphic was created by Pixelcro.

Elf gets asked a lot about the origins of the Runiverse, as well as for an explanation about the Quantum Shadow and Quantum Downs. For a long time, Elf has resisted revealing these facts in a straightforward way. For now, Elf will drop a few hints on the Quantum Shadow. Elf talked about how the unknown is used by leaders and powerful organizations to control the populace. For example, stories of monsters and the supernatural in the forests were used in medieval times to keep the serfs working the fields. But, eventually, the serfs realized the truth, and the story lost its hold on them.

When Runiverse characters grapple with interpreting the Quantum Shadow, it mirrors this real-world struggle. But from reading Malevolent's planned lore around the Quantum Shadow, Elf is seeing people arriving at an accurate depiction on their own. Elf referenced the monomyth, the idea that various stories and myths across cultures and eras converge to common archetypes and themes. Elf urges you to “ride the monomyth” if you’re considering how to write out your stories.

Community News

• Tania del Rio did a multi-page comic strip featuring a ramen-wielding Kobold meeting the Canis Coven.
• Elf also shouted out the “blood and guts” cap developed by Samikitty and BARONVONFANCY.
• Samikitty has also been created FRWC-themed designs for Animal Crossing clothing. Anybody with the game can download the designs for their character.
• Pabom has been releasing some pixel-art animations, in collaboration with Tad and the RealPixelShop.
• The Moron Global team will release a Fall Collection of apparel that will feature the winner of the Waifu Wednesday competition. The winner will be decided by popular vote after the submission deadline.
• MeepleDad said that a Kitsune-themed DnD session will be running this weekend, and dropped a 3-minute teaser for the game. A podcast of the game will be released afterward.
• The WW ended with a song from Lorepunk and spz, presenting an expanded version of Margaret’s “Chimera” song, now produced with spz’s backup vocals and instrumentation. Margaret announced that a 5-song wizard EP, called “Magic Music”, is in development, and are planning a House of Wizards proposal for it after the proposal hiatus (needed to finalize the legal setup).
• Check out this week's tree.io page for more Cult Content.