Wizard Wednesday Recap, 2022-01-12: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Void of Absolute Nothingness Purchase - Jan 2022.png|thumb|The Void of Absolute Nothingness, an "undesirable" Soul burn result, was sold for 10 ETH in January 2022, by Tim Smith/Bitvargen.]]
[[File:Forgotten Runes in Business Insider - 2021.png|thumb|Forgotten Runes appeared in the mainstream publication Business Insider, as part of an article on Wave Financial, an accredited investment fund that has purchased Wizards and other prominent NFT projects. (January 2022)]]
[[ElfJTrul|Elf]] opened this first Wizard Wednesday of 2022 with a shout-out to the [[Total Void of Abosolute Nothingness]], which was purchased by [[Tim Smith]]/Bitvargen for 10 ETH. Additionally, the legendary Wizard {{WizardLink|540}} was purchased for 69 ETH around the same time, by the individual who also became known as [[Merlin (community member)|Merlin]] after that.
[[ElfJTrul|Elf]] kicked off the [[Wizard Wednesday]] by thanking all the Cult members who stuck with the project and participated during the launch year (2021). After six months, all the activity and conviction is starting to pay off - Forgotten Runes appeared in Business Insider, as part of the first fully regulated NFT investment fund.
[[File:Forgotten Runes in Bankless - 2022.png|thumb|Forgotten Runes got a lot of press attention during the beginning of 2022, including an article from the Bankless publication (January 2022).]]


===Magic Machine Updates===
===Q&A Session===


*[[Souls]] animations for riding on [[Ponies]] are being created. [[Magic Machine]] wants Souls to be an equal partner among the Forgotten Runes tokens.
*Is the map that Elf made for all 7 Realms, or just one? Elf: The map I made, is a very small portion of the overall Runiverse world, maybe 25% of what will eventually be released. Dotta: We will reveal more of the map as more of the story is released.
*The pony animations themselves are also in production. Ideally, Elf would like to have both walk and gallop animations done for the ponies.
*Can you share more about Magic Machine and the team? [[Dotta]]: MM is myself, Elf, and [[Bearsnake]], and we are equal partners. We also have people collaborating with us, such as the lawyers. No employees yet, but we think that will change this year. Elf and I used to collaborate on a mobile game, and Elf and Bearsnake have previously worked together as well. Elf: All of us are very experienced in our respective fields. I've been in entertainment development for 10 years, and my partners have been involved in their industries for at least that long. Contrast that to a lot of the inexperienced teams you often see in the NFT space.
*Familiar walk-cycles are also still in production - some previews have been shared recently. Familiar turnarounds are already available to download.
*Any more details about the land sale and the Runiverse game? Dotta: Details TBD, but we will take care of [[Wizards|Wizard]]-holders. Lore-writers will be favored, but not those with "airdrop lore". Overall, participating members don't need to worry about getting whitelisted. Originally we were trying to target Feb. 22nd for the sale, but we no longer think that will happen, because we want land-owners to be able to "walk around" in their plots. And that won't be ready until maybe March.
*MM shouted out the [https://twitter.com/Worldwide_WEB3 Webb3 project], saying that they are easy to work with, and constantly shipping. They didn't need hand-holding to integrate the Wizard walk-cycles into their game.
*Regarding the game. Dotta: The idea is to have three types of tokens. Land ownership will be represented by NFTs. Same goes for unique items, weapons, armor, etc. And resources will be ERC-20 tokens. This provides for a lot of gameplay options in terms of the in-game economy. The ERC-20 tokens will not be designed as governance or investment tokens - the model will have uncapped supply, with capital controls. So if there is too much of a certain resource in the economy, the team will be able to reduce the generation of that resource. And resources cannot be bought with real-life money - you need to play the game or create something in-game to get the resources.
*Elf shouted out the [https://twitter.com/hyaliko hyaliko] project again, saying that he loves their aesthetic and feels it is similar to the work he did, pre-FRWC.
*Will [[Warriors]] have familiars too? Elf: We are still deciding this. I'm leaning towards yes, but they won't be called familiars. More so, an animal companion. Dotta: My intuition is that Warriors won't drop until after the land sale. But of course, we'll let you know if this changes.
*MM is working with [[Ozzz]] to create an updated [[The Book of Lore|Book of Lore]] cover. MM said that they are thinking to regularly update the cover art, perhaps once per quarter.[[File:Bonzo Interviews Elf.png|thumb|Bonzo would later interview Elf in a future episode of his Youtube show (May 2022).]]
*How did the Great Burning event come to fruition? Dotta: We had noticed that many collections had such an emphasis on floors. We had a story to tell, but we also wanted to have a mechanism to "burn" the commonest Wizards, and make them more interesting. This was planned even before the initial mint. Dotta revealed that his dad came up with the idea of the "undesirable" results of the burn. Elf: The element of risk really spiced up the event.
*Will Ponies be in the Runiverse? Answer: Not in the alpha release, but yes the idea is to eventually get them in the game as mounts that allow you to travel faster in the game.
*Will there ever be a retrieval/resurrection of burned Wizards? I am sad that {{WizardLink|1986}} (eg. David Bowie) got burned. Elf: Not sure there will ever be anything, but never say never.
*[[Acryllic]] announced as archivist for MM. Eventually, one goal is to create a physical anthology book for the [[The Book of Lore|Book of Lore]]. [[Nalgene]] announced as someone helping to coordinate artists for commissions.


===Interview with Tim Smith===
===Elf Talks Pixel Art Aesthetics===
Tim came up to the Twitter Spaces; he wanted to talk after acquiring the Total Void of Absolute Nothingness. He felt that the piece was unique, with a great name and concept that he relates to. He said it reminded him of his screamo/emo/hardcore metal background in his past. He thinks that this "character" could be part of future Wizards' stories as they ponder the meaning of existence.
[[File:ZayLaSoul's Sick Burn of the Week.png|thumb|ZayLaSoul wanted to share the (accidental) burning of his car! (January 2022)]]
[[File:Highest-grossing franchises of all time.jpg|thumb|Although during this WW he mentioned that he didn't want to share the chart due to being too "monetarily focused," later Dotta did share the chart, which contains many household names with significant merchandising revenues. (August 2022)]]
Elf wanted to discuss why he chose the pixel art style for the Forgotten Runes collections. He gave a brief history of painting - at the beginning, painting was evaluated based on how closely it matched reality. Then in the 19th century, the camera came on the scene, which was able to create realistic images with the click of a button. The art world was rocked, and they went into an existential crisis, because portraying reality could be done better by the camera. But then, painters started using the paint in different ways, developing impressionism, cubism, surrealism, etc. Painting became more about respecting the medium of paint itself. It's not about hiding the paint, it's about celebrating the textures, colors, and brush strokes of the paint. Eventually you take it all the way to abstract expressionism.
Tim had previously managed hard rock bands, helping them with tours and collaborations. Later, he moved more into electronic genres of music and managing DJs, and he felt that the collaborative spirit blossomed. Collaborations, remixes, sharing samples - it was a very nice dynamic. And now, Tim loves the level collaboration happening between artists and collectors in the NFT space, and also within the FRWC community. Elf said he loved the DJ analogy - in FRWC the community is sharing ideas, remixing them, riffing off each other. [[Bearsnake]] mentioned that a FRWC band needs to be formed.


===Bonzo's Youtube Show===
When it comes to pixel art, Elf had a large exploratory phase to figure out with style of pixel art to use. He felt that the style used in FRWC had a certain "truth" to it. It is as low-res as possible, while still communicating the impression of the character. Every single pixel is crucial to the design (especially the small familiars). And the poses are somewhat stiff by design - he didn't want to give them to much personality in the image, because he wants the owners to give that to them. He views this as a "creative primitive".  
Elf shouted out [[Bonzo|Bonzo's]] [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEKGyohbUqOcHIvYf_bPQbg Youtube show] on Forgotten Runes. Elf has loved what has been produced so far, but he hopes that future shows feature members of the FRWC community.


Bonzo came up and mentioned that he plans to have [[Bambam (Community Member)|Bambam]] come up to read lore. And he'd like to interview Cult members, without killing the mystique around some of the personalities.
Dotta added that many people see the Wizards are "retro" or "nostalgic". But Dotta doesn't think it's defined as "retro" - pixel art is still relevant today, and will always be used. Elf agreed, as long as we have a digital world, it will be relevant.


===Wizard DAO Update===
===Sick Burn of Week===
Dotta wanted to discuss the concept of the DAO. The initial vision that he has, is to have an organization that enables even more lore and art building. The first version would have 10 multi-sig holders from the community. They would make decisions around the wallet. And eventually, FRWC-holders would vote on larger matters.
[[File:Rune Caster Gee of the Citadel-1.png|thumb|An illustration of Runecaster Gee of the Citadel, released by Dotta in the Forgotten Runes Discord during his son's lore reading during Wizard Wednesday. (January 2022)]]
[[ZayLaSoul]] had a "special burn" when he ignored his car's "check engine" light for a while. He eventually went to a gas station to buy oil, but when he came out, it was burning next to the gas pump! Luckily, the fire got put out before the situation could escalate.


It would be good for the DAO to have funds available to help new Cult members afford commissions to tell the story of their Wizard. Dotta stressed that this was NOT a "transfer ownership of the project to the DAO" situation. Magic Machine is still fully committed to the project. This is more about helping the community develop their characters.
When asked, ZayLaSoul said is mainly observing {{WizardLink|5775}}'s special event. There is a Discord server that needs a certain number of people to join before the mystery can proceed.


Dotta also talked about the role of a "loremaster" who would enable things like reviewing new submissions, ensuring NSFW guidelines are followed, and even striking lore from the Book of Lore, if necessary. This doesn't have to be connected to the DAO, but it could be.
===Lore Reading===
 
We had a very special lore reading this week - Dotta's son Gee came up to read his lore about {{WizardLink|74}}.
How does the DAO get money? At first, Dotta imagines it would use donations at first. After that, an auction house format could be used, where NFTs are auctioned, and the proceeds go to the DAO. A Wizard marketplace could also be created, with royalties from the marketplace going to the DAO. Finally, in the long term, the DAO could be the recipient for Wizard commercial royalties from the show, and from other holders after they exceed the royalty-free cap (imagined to be around $5 million at the time of this WW).
 
Dotta invited anyone with interest to contact him. Dotta expected to be on the multi-sig wallet at the beginning, but hopes to move off of it by this time next year.
 
===2022 Roadmap Discussion===
Elf said that there were 3 pillars for their 2022 strategy:
 
#IP/Franchise/Traditional Media
#NFTs
#On-chain tokenomics
 
Elf focused on item #1 for now. The official animated show trailer is in production, the comic book's production is well underway, and Bearsnake has been working on sourcing more merch opportunities.
 
Bearsnake talked about how merchandising has been a key component of the revenue for many of the largest media franchises, citing Hello Kitty as one example. He feels there is so much opportunity for Forgotten Runes to go beyond an "NFT project", and Magic Machine is thinking about how anybody can be a member of the community, regardless of whether they own a crypto wallet. Magic Machine sees this as a potentially multi-generational franchise, where the children of holders and the founding team would also be fans.


[[Ryan Zurrer]] from [[Dialectic]] came up and talked about his views on the value proposition of Forgotten Runes. Elf mentioned that there is a funny story behind how Dialectic (which owns a sizable stake in FRWC tokens as well as multiple rare tokens) got involved with Forgotten Runes, but said they'd need to get permission before elaborating.
=== Cult Content Shoutouts ===


===Lore Reading===
* [https://twitter.com/eterps/status/1480973405205717007 Hunters gotta Hunt] -  by Terp and DieCrypto
This week, [[Dr. Slurp]] read lore about his Soul, {{SoulLink|7387}}.
* Henboyd's [https://twitter.com/Henry_Boyd/status/1480964828957065217 Druid Merlon of Dreams and Bun-Bun commissions].
* Kumo53 - [https://twitter.com/kumo_353/status/1480552704506494976 Animation showing the wonders of Reflections in the Runiverse]
* Adept Jackdaw - [https://twitter.com/AdeptDaw/status/1480376622284947461 Crypts and Caverns map interpretation]
* Joe Flaherty - [https://twitter.com/josephflaherty/status/1480335764911235080 Battlemage Robert of the Mount commission]
* [https://twitter.com/MagusWazir/status/1479844800228696071 PSA from Dr. Wagmi] - made by [[TheOneWhoRings]]. Elf mentioned giving them a production budget and letting them run with it.
[[Category:Wizard Wednesday]]
[[Category:Wizard Wednesday]]

Latest revision as of 14:49, 21 May 2023

Forgotten Runes appeared in the mainstream publication Business Insider, as part of an article on Wave Financial, an accredited investment fund that has purchased Wizards and other prominent NFT projects. (January 2022)

Elf kicked off the Wizard Wednesday by thanking all the Cult members who stuck with the project and participated during the launch year (2021). After six months, all the activity and conviction is starting to pay off - Forgotten Runes appeared in Business Insider, as part of the first fully regulated NFT investment fund.

Forgotten Runes got a lot of press attention during the beginning of 2022, including an article from the Bankless publication (January 2022).

Q&A Session

  • Is the map that Elf made for all 7 Realms, or just one? Elf: The map I made, is a very small portion of the overall Runiverse world, maybe 25% of what will eventually be released. Dotta: We will reveal more of the map as more of the story is released.
  • Can you share more about Magic Machine and the team? Dotta: MM is myself, Elf, and Bearsnake, and we are equal partners. We also have people collaborating with us, such as the lawyers. No employees yet, but we think that will change this year. Elf and I used to collaborate on a mobile game, and Elf and Bearsnake have previously worked together as well. Elf: All of us are very experienced in our respective fields. I've been in entertainment development for 10 years, and my partners have been involved in their industries for at least that long. Contrast that to a lot of the inexperienced teams you often see in the NFT space.
  • Any more details about the land sale and the Runiverse game? Dotta: Details TBD, but we will take care of Wizard-holders. Lore-writers will be favored, but not those with "airdrop lore". Overall, participating members don't need to worry about getting whitelisted. Originally we were trying to target Feb. 22nd for the sale, but we no longer think that will happen, because we want land-owners to be able to "walk around" in their plots. And that won't be ready until maybe March.
  • Regarding the game. Dotta: The idea is to have three types of tokens. Land ownership will be represented by NFTs. Same goes for unique items, weapons, armor, etc. And resources will be ERC-20 tokens. This provides for a lot of gameplay options in terms of the in-game economy. The ERC-20 tokens will not be designed as governance or investment tokens - the model will have uncapped supply, with capital controls. So if there is too much of a certain resource in the economy, the team will be able to reduce the generation of that resource. And resources cannot be bought with real-life money - you need to play the game or create something in-game to get the resources.
  • Will Warriors have familiars too? Elf: We are still deciding this. I'm leaning towards yes, but they won't be called familiars. More so, an animal companion. Dotta: My intuition is that Warriors won't drop until after the land sale. But of course, we'll let you know if this changes.
  • How did the Great Burning event come to fruition? Dotta: We had noticed that many collections had such an emphasis on floors. We had a story to tell, but we also wanted to have a mechanism to "burn" the commonest Wizards, and make them more interesting. This was planned even before the initial mint. Dotta revealed that his dad came up with the idea of the "undesirable" results of the burn. Elf: The element of risk really spiced up the event.
  • Will Ponies be in the Runiverse? Answer: Not in the alpha release, but yes the idea is to eventually get them in the game as mounts that allow you to travel faster in the game.
  • Will there ever be a retrieval/resurrection of burned Wizards? I am sad that The Goblin King (1986) (eg. David Bowie) got burned. Elf: Not sure there will ever be anything, but never say never.
  • Acryllic announced as archivist for MM. Eventually, one goal is to create a physical anthology book for the Book of Lore. Nalgene announced as someone helping to coordinate artists for commissions.

Elf Talks Pixel Art Aesthetics

ZayLaSoul wanted to share the (accidental) burning of his car! (January 2022)

Elf wanted to discuss why he chose the pixel art style for the Forgotten Runes collections. He gave a brief history of painting - at the beginning, painting was evaluated based on how closely it matched reality. Then in the 19th century, the camera came on the scene, which was able to create realistic images with the click of a button. The art world was rocked, and they went into an existential crisis, because portraying reality could be done better by the camera. But then, painters started using the paint in different ways, developing impressionism, cubism, surrealism, etc. Painting became more about respecting the medium of paint itself. It's not about hiding the paint, it's about celebrating the textures, colors, and brush strokes of the paint. Eventually you take it all the way to abstract expressionism.

When it comes to pixel art, Elf had a large exploratory phase to figure out with style of pixel art to use. He felt that the style used in FRWC had a certain "truth" to it. It is as low-res as possible, while still communicating the impression of the character. Every single pixel is crucial to the design (especially the small familiars). And the poses are somewhat stiff by design - he didn't want to give them to much personality in the image, because he wants the owners to give that to them. He views this as a "creative primitive".

Dotta added that many people see the Wizards are "retro" or "nostalgic". But Dotta doesn't think it's defined as "retro" - pixel art is still relevant today, and will always be used. Elf agreed, as long as we have a digital world, it will be relevant.

Sick Burn of Week

An illustration of Runecaster Gee of the Citadel, released by Dotta in the Forgotten Runes Discord during his son's lore reading during Wizard Wednesday. (January 2022)

ZayLaSoul had a "special burn" when he ignored his car's "check engine" light for a while. He eventually went to a gas station to buy oil, but when he came out, it was burning next to the gas pump! Luckily, the fire got put out before the situation could escalate.

When asked, ZayLaSoul said is mainly observing Hedge Wizard Ixar of the Villa (5775)'s special event. There is a Discord server that needs a certain number of people to join before the mystery can proceed.

Lore Reading

We had a very special lore reading this week - Dotta's son Gee came up to read his lore about Runecaster Gee of the Citadel (74).

Cult Content Shoutouts