Wizard Wednesday Recap, 2023-10-04

Before the introductions, Elf makes note that the show might be light on listeners due to a conspiracy theory that the national emergency alert would turn people into "5G Zombies." Following this, he channels in from "The 5G Downs" with Dotta and Bearsnake.

A 5G Conspiracy & DALL•E 3

5G Conspiracy

Dotta mentions that he has a device which detects electromagnetic fields. He says that his observations with it slightly bother him. Elf asks if he noticed an uptick due to the emergency broadcast, but Dotta says he didn't have the device turned on. Elf says that this is his new favorite conspiracy theory going around Twitter, noting he thought Dotta might be a believer. Dotta notes a recent study on the effects of carrying an iPhone in your pocket. Elf asks Dotta about the results of the iPhone study, but Dotta says he doesn't "have the receipts."

Elf says, "Once again, the important information is missing."

DALL•E 3

After this 5G conversation, Elf launches into discussion about the new DALL•E 3. Elf says that he's seen a new meme of community members generating images of toys based on Forgotten Runes. Dotta says, "Ah! It's so fun. My parents were just, like, going through the old trunk in their attic and we just uncovered some incredible, incredible toys."

Cult Content Featured in the Comic & The Royalty Split

Then, Elf discusses Cult Content in the comic book series. He says that a few community members may have noticed Magic Machine reaching out about including artwork (as well as content from The Book of Lore) in the comic. Elf notes that they discovered that, for legal reasons, Magic Machine needs to obtain permissions to include the artwork within the comic pages.

Dotta says:

"People should give permission if we're going to print something and sell it."

Community member O steps up to the stage to ask a few questions about the royalties based on Character appearances in the comic after being approached by Nalgene about the percentage based on sales. Bearsnake says they approached the split similarly to the Screen Actors Guild. Bear says there are three "buckets" for the comic royalty split. He notes these as "Leads," "Guests," and "Appearances." He says these are defined by the amount of words that are spoken by them in the comics. Characters that appear but have no spoken lines fall into "Appearances."

Dotta says this royalty split is an anchor for the entire project. However, Magic Machine is still figuring out how to make it work in both a legal and structural sense. He says based on expenses incurred by the team, it isn't clear that the comic will be profitable to start. Dotta says specifically for the first few issues of the comic, there wouldn't be any profit split, because it's basically been a marketing expense. Though, due to the entire purpose of the project, the team does want to share revenue as early as possible.

Setting a Precedent and Adjusting by Feel

Dotta says this first revenue split helps to set a precedent and allows the team to test things out. He says for the comic's first issue, Magic Machine will share a percentage of the total revenue — rather than profit — that the company receives. Dotta estimates 30% of the revenue from the comic will be set aside for the Characters that appear, but this will be adjusted on a per-comic basis until they feel like they have "something that works out." He says they want to keep flexibility as this is their first attempt. O notes that 30% feels high, considering there is no anticipation of profit for the first issue and thanks the team for the gesture. He asks if they plan for adjustments as the comics begin generating true profit.

Bearsnake says this royalty split structure is limited to the first run of the comic, as they do not yet know the growth pattern, but they will adjust from there. Dotta says it's likely this will move to a percentage of profit — rather than total revenue — in the future. Bearsnake notes that Magic Machine has publisher costs that also are taken off the top. He says to think of the 30% royalty split more in terms of net revenue to Magic Machine as a company. Dotta says splitting revenue prior to true profit is a way to practice what they preach.

Halloween 2023

Next, the team receives a question about opening up Warrior burning with The Sacred Flame for Halloween this year.

Elf says:

"I know we said last week we weren't doing anything for Halloween, but sometimes plans change."

Bear adds, "And doors open."

Bearsnake says they only planned on releasing 3D Souls for Halloween, but he says that they had a conversation with another company "most people would know, or at least they would know the other projects that they're partnering with."

Bearsnake notes the new Halloween event has to do with 3D models and has to do with a 3D experience. He says he thinks it will be a ton of fun and believes the team will have an official announcement at the top of next week.

"There will be something happening on Halloween."

Dotta clarifies that the Halloween event will not involve Warrior burning. "We're saving that for something else."

Elf says he doesn't think they would use the Sacred Flame for a Warrior burn.

"Internally, we've discussed other...deflationary mechanisms for Warriors."

Elf says he believes the Sacred Flame is a Magical item that is only meant for Wizards.

Dotta says:

"Never say never...my opinion is there will be another thing that involves Warrior burning and it might support using the Sacred Flame."

Elf says, "We'll argue about it later." Elf muses that the 2023 Halloween 3D event "honestly might be the coolest thing we've ever done...but we'll see." Bearsnake says that the event will be "indicative of the types of things that we want to be doing going forward."

3D Beasts Finished

Elf also says that the 3D Beasts are done, and receives a question about 3D Beast Spawn. He says eventually everything might become 3D. He says he doesn't know if Beast Spawn are prioritized and says he would rather do Ponies before Spawn.

"Everything is on my to-do list."

Ponies & Battle for Goblin Town

After this, Dotta receives questions about the Goblin Town game and concerns about a cap on Chest purchases. Dotta says there are some dependencies on the results of the proposal to ApeDAO to include ApeCoin in the game.

Dotta says regardless of whether it's paid in ApeCoin or ETH, there will be a mint. He also notes there will be an airdrop for all Forgotten Runes Character Token holders.

"At minimum, 1 Warrior will get you a settlement and a road so you can play the game."

Dotta also mentions that those who participated in the 2022 Halloween event will receive an airdrop per wallet for those that participated. This includes Forgotten Runes as well as the other projects that were invited to participate. Dotta says the mint will occur first and there will be "very generous caps in terms of what can happen on that mint." He states there will likely be constraints to prevent "buying 1,000 pieces on Day 1 and beating everyone to death."

Madotsuki asks if there will be any sort of Co-op team play or Guild-style functionality. Dotta says he wants to add teams and he thinks a natural step for teams would be based on tokens of projects players hold. For instance, Wizard holders could join a Wizards Team. Dotta says they still have quite a lot of things to finish to be ready for the game to ship, so he isn't sure teams will 100% make it. However, he does think it makes sense as a mechanic and he wants to add it.

Dotta receives a question regarding Ponies and "speed boosts" in Goblin Town. Dotta says that Ponies themselves will not be in the game, but Pony holders will receive a stack of "speed cards" that increase the speed of your goblin band so they move more quickly around the board. Elf says he has also seen questions about Ponies appearing in the Runiverse Game that Bisonic is developing. He says he isn't sure, but notes if you would like to see a feature in the Runiverse game, he thinks the best thing you can do is tweet at the Runiverse game account. Dotta says he believes there are already mounts in the game, and he thinks that Ponies will be included.

Madotsuki confirms, stating that there are plans for Pony inclusion, but they may not appear in the first build as there are other priorities to be addressed first.

Lore Questions

Elf then jumps into Lore questions.

Imps, Goblins, & Kobold Ancestry

Goblins

The first question concerns a common ancestor between Imps, Goblins, and Kobolds. Elf begins with Goblins, noting they are the more misshapen, crude, and degenerate of these three. They are not subtle enough to be Wizards, but make great Warriors.

Imps

Elf says that Imps are on the other end of the spectrum. They are the most civilized and congenial of Goblins, Imps, and Kobolds, though they do engage in some harmless trickery. They are talented in music and artistry and make great Wizards. Some make great Warriors. Elf states that Imps' impish behavior was magnified at one point in their past due to the use of Quantum Magic to create a supersymmetric breed of Dark Imps. The Nightmare Imp sits on the Throne of Chaos and spawns Dark Imps with penchants for trickery to destructive ends. Elf says this Dark Imp destruction is tempered once a year on Halloween when the Nightmare Imp relaxes and engages in a Trick or Treat event from his Tower in the Vampyre Mist.

Kobolds

Elf says Kobolds are the "weirdos that are sitting in the middle between these two — they are the freakish missing link." He says Kobolds are hard to categorize, as they have some goblinish qualities and some impish qualities. They are generally very lovable and dopey. Elf notes that Kobolds never fail to surprise, as they have a reputation for being dim-witted, yet some have achieved Wizard status.

"Indeed there are types of Magic where being sort of empty-headed is a virtue."

Kobolds are not known for feats of athleticism, yet some are accomplished Warriors. Elf says they can be kind and generous, but are also known to terrorize, pointing to the Kobold's Crossroad.

"True to their uncategorizable nature, no one can say what freaking color they are."

To wrap up the question, Elf says that Kobolds, Imps, and Goblins are all definitely related, but exhibit their own unique qualities.

The Cockatrice Eggs

Next, Elf is asked if the Wizard Familiar "Mesozoic Cockatrice" is the same creature that would hatch from the Beast Spawn, "Cockatrice Egg." Elf says, "Yes and no." The Mesozoic Cockatrice is a smaller, more tame species of cockatrice. Elf says the Triple Crowned Cockatrice Beast is a different species. He notes that cockatrices steal eggs from other nests, which then serve as food for their young.

"So, you never really know what will hatch from a cockatrice egg."

Beasts of the Runiverse & Their Realms

Elf is then asked if the Beasts roam free in the Runiverse, if there will be a day when they return to imprisonment in the 7th Realm, and if the Beasts are the one and only of each species who were locked behind the Gate. He is also asked about the Lore behind their confinement. Elf says all of these questions about the Beasts are answered in the TV show script, and he won't say much more. Elf is also asked about Realms 1-6, and if the numbers are related to dimensions in spacetime.

All Elf says is:

"The questions you're asking are pretty spot-on. I feel like you're thinking about it in the same way that I do."

Wizards Are for Everyone

Following Cult Questions, Dotta welcomes a few new members who recently joined the community. He says in this market, he feels a lot of people question the value of NFTs, but then they discover Forgotten Runes and feel it is a breath of fresh air.

Dotta speaks about a Space they joined Tuesday night when someone came onstage and said that one of the biggest problems in Web3 is that projects try to attract "bro-y gambling guys." She asked if there are any women in the Wizards Cult. Dotta was easily able to answer this question, and lauded many of the wonderful women who contribute to Forgotten Runes. He says it was a fun moment to be able to agree and state that Wizards are for everyone.

Elf notes that some of the most prolific creators in the Cult are women. He says that when he was looking for Cult Content to put into the comic, he unintentionally over-indexed on Tania del Rio art.

"There's so much good stuff from Tania. She's everywhere in the comic."

Battle For Goblin Town & The Pixel Shop

The conversation segues to the recently released trailer for Battle For Goblin Town.

Elf says:

"I have a lot of opinions when it comes to animation things that we do...but Pixel Shop? They're just so good. My touch was very light...I barely played a role in any of it."

Then, Sumiez from The Pixel Shop joins in. He says he appreciated the creative freedom, and over the course of the project, it developed a personality of its own. Bear says they "hit it out of the park" in creating something that conveyed information without being expositional. Sumiez says the goal of the trailer was to show the gameplay through animations while meshing it in with some actual gameplay to show what the game actually is from a high level.

Elf says:

"You guys just get it, and I love working with someone I can trust to just execute."

Bear asks Sumiez to plug The Pixel Shop's upcoming project. Sumiez says they have always wanted to get into game development and that they are preparing to submit a proposal to Nouns DAO to fund a roguelite indie game as a collaboration with Nouns and Forgotten Souls.

Cult Content

After a brief conversation about the "fresh" drop of the Goblin Town trailer and a synopsis of Forgotten Runes for user "ThugNugz," the team reviews Cult Content from the past week, which Tania del Rio has collected in Week 37 of The Cult Content Chronicle.