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Request for a more open look at the Narrative and creative teams at Riot.

Shíny··9 votes·10,219 views

Perhaps as a suggestion for the next dev-blog or just as an answer to this thread :) I was wondering if Riot could talk a little about how their creative process is done and how their creative teams work? The way i understand it is you have a team dedicated to just the world and how it works called foundations, this team keeps others in line and makes sure that stories are consistent with each other right? Then we have the main Narrative team with Jaredan(Senior editor) and George Krstic(Senior writer) being leading forces there who focus on the legends creating compelling characters and the events that surround them? Is there more to it/am i off the mark on my speculation?

As a side-note related to this, would it be possible to credit which writers are the main contributors on each story? (I guess on the new webpages when they go up?) We know which designers did the major contributions on champions and items and finding our favorite artists and illustrators is easy enough, credit yourselves so lore fans can show their love ?

30 Comments

Motajo7 votes

In addition to Narrative, I'd love to know about Foundations. The only references to them I could find were brief mentions by either some article from a while back (sorry, can't remember the location; the article was decently large and only a couple sentences brought up Foundations) or the occasional Rioter comment--and by players talking about those mentions. It's possible I could have missed some recent info, but Riot isn't exactly clear on anything related to the lore department (Hell, is Foundations technically part of Riot at all?).

As far as I can remember/discern, Foundations is doing undefined world-building stuff in the background. I wonder if they were the driving force behind that dev blog.

RiotWhren6 votes

{quoted}Foundations is doing undefined world-building stuff in the background.

Pretty much. :) It's not just writers, but artists and rioters from other disciplines as well.

Siggó4 votes

[{quoted}](name=Riot Whren,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=AcpTcoEP,comment-id=00010000,timestamp=2015-01-07T10:12:09.861+0000)

Pretty much. :) It's not just writers, but artists and rioters from other disciplines as well.

A RED POST? Get 'im boys!

Jk baby. Can ya give us any details / hints about Foundations?

Motajo2 votes

{quoted}A RED POST? Get 'im boys!

popcorn.gif

Motajo1 votes

[{quoted}](name=Riot Whren,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=AcpTcoEP,comment-id=00010000,timestamp=2015-01-07T10:12:09.861+0000)Pretty much. :) It's not just writers, but artists and rioters from other disciplines as well.

Are you a part of Foundations, then?

RiotWhren7 votes

I am! I am working on the art side of things, primarily on Noxus (as my previous post history should tell you) but have helped on Ionia and some minor work for other factions. We have writers and designers and super awesome clever people discuss Runeterra, with inspiration from the art team on Foundations (which I'm part of). Our team had a hand in the artwork that was on the dev blog, and we help inform and inspire projects that have to do with the world (for example I helped out on the art design of the Rek'sai website -- the desk -- and Sion's promo -- the architecture/mood). It definitely isn't one person deciding or setting the tone for anything, more of a collaboration between many.

Solideus3 votes

I would've loved to ask questions about what you are working on, but I doubt you could give any meaningful answers considering most if it is likely top secret. Hush hush.

RiotWhren8 votes

Will a slightly generic answer help? We're aiming to have a more in-depth look at specific parts of Runeterra this year.

/runs away, dodging fruit

Solideus1 votes

[{quoted}](name=Riot Whren,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=AcpTcoEP,comment-id=000100000001000000000000,timestamp=2015-01-07T17:17:32.963+0000) dodging fruit

Kumungu, The Fruit Kingdom confirmed.

Thryale2 votes

how does the retcon of the IoW affect the ionian boots of lucidity? Considering their existance is owed due to the IoW (or at least in part)

TerraRising5 votes

[{quoted}](name=Riot Whren,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=AcpTcoEP,comment-id=000100000001000000000000,timestamp=2015-01-07T17:17:32.963+0000)

Will a slightly generic answer help? We're aiming to have a more in-depth look at specific parts of Runeterra this year.

/runs away, dodging fruit

So... we're going to see more events like Shurima? That's disappointing, especially given the slower than snail's pace these things have come out.

What parts of Runeterra are being looked at? Are they going to be hogtied to new champion releases? How stable is this new team given Riot's history with Narrative teams? Are they going to stick around and complete their work or will they run off to do other projects when the whim hits them?

Additionally, where's the expanded story content? What happened to the multiple promises for better communication to fans about these changes and new stories? Why are we still waiting for the expanded bio/lore months after promises were made that they would be ready?

From my perspective, you guys have a huge amount of work to do fixing your problems, but you're more worried about the next coffee break than delivering anything promised.

RiotWhren3 votes

{quoted}

So... we're going to see more events like Shurima? That's disappointing, especially given the slower than snail's pace these things have come out.

Not just like Shurima, hopefully.

What parts of Runeterra are being looked at? Are they going to be hogtied to new champion releases? How stable is this new team given Riot's history with Narrative teams? Are they going to stick around and complete their work or will they run off to do other projects when the whim hits them?

The team's actually been around for a while, just that it's been in the background up until now. (Building out a faction takes quite a bit, depending on the faction, it's about several months for one). Most of the major factions are being covered and I doubt anyone would want to see any portions of Runeterra left hanging.

Why are we still waiting for the expanded bio/lore months after promises were made that they would be ready?

I actually don't have much insight on this! My guess is a writer/tech person would be better equipped to answer these questions. :) As far as Foundations is concerned, we're focused on building the backbone of stories and generating content, but choosing what to release and how/when to release it isn't always a singular decision.

TerraRising5 votes

[{quoted}](name=Riot Whren,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=AcpTcoEP,comment-id=00010000000100000000000000020000,timestamp=2015-01-07T18:35:15.302+0000)

I actually don't have much insight on this! My guess is a writer/tech person would be better equipped to answer these questions. :)

I'm not going to hold my breath on getting an answer. Except for one response to a joke about Urf, they've been completely silent for the past two months.

ULTRAF0RCE1 votes

so will the people who want to know about voodoo lands be quieted

Terra Booma1 votes

Hello Riot person :D

Here's something I'm curious about, will there be a possibility to create a whole new faction? I think it'd be cool to see more then what we know about Runeterra/Valroan.

PS: Another Mirai or Atlantean champ maybe? Wink wink nudge nudge HINT HINT :P

Impetual2 votes

Wow....so professional.../(sarcasm)

Why doesn't Riot get people who actually know what they are talking about to respond to topics?

It just feel like an elaborate way to dodge criticism.

RiotWhren6 votes

Nothing quite so complicated. Someone had a question about Foundations and I simply wanted to answer it.

Legacy of Xion3 votes

Then, on behalf of the entire Lore Fanbase.

Can we get someone here who can answer our questions? Preferably someone who knows we absolutely hate shock reveals?

Pythagorean Thm1 votes

[{quoted}](name=Riot Whren,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=AcpTcoEP,comment-id=00010000000100000000000000040000,timestamp=2015-01-08T17:24:02.555+0000)

Nothing quite so complicated. Someone had a question about Foundations and I simply wanted to answer it.

I initially misread your name as "Riot When"

TerraRising2 votes

I have a question about the Foundations team.

Does the Foundations team actually want player input on champions and regions or do you not?

If yes, why haven't you asked for any? Would be an awesome thing to get opinions on, to tell the truth.

If not, what role do we have with this part of the story other than yelling about it on the boards and on Reddit?

RiotWhren3 votes

I can't speak for other members of the team, but personally, I love having opinions as far as the regions are concerned (which is what I'm directly working on). I do take time out to read through the forums and note down all the things that crop up, and see where we can implement them. (eg. the roman noxian thing, and more recently the thing about void colors).

Of course, designing solely by committee is always a hard road to tread, so not all opinions gathered from here get parsed through.

Another important thing is, changes take a while to go through the pipeline. We're talking things that may be months away, so it may seem like nothing's happening right this second.

Chromatic Eagle1 votes

Well, could you talk about things already implemented? Like what each nation is influenced off of, or their color guidelines? People like LeBlanc, Swain, and Vladimir seem to conflict with either the Roman theme or the Black and red color scheme.

TerraRising2 votes

[{quoted}](name=Riot Whren,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=AcpTcoEP,comment-id=0001000000010000000000000004000000020000,timestamp=2015-01-16T19:10:26.271+0000)

I can't speak for other members of the team, but personally, I love having opinions as far as the regions are concerned (which is what I'm directly working on). I do take time out to read through the forums and note down all the things that crop up, and see where we can implement them. (eg. the roman noxian thing, and more recently the thing about void colors).

Of course, designing solely by committee is always a hard road to tread, so not all opinions gathered from here get parsed through.

Another important thing is, changes take a while to go through the pipeline. We're talking things that may be months away, so it may seem like nothing's happening right this second.

I'll give you an example of what I mean by player feedback:

About two months ago, I wrote a reworked Yorick lore that was received well around here, for what it was.

In essence, it turns makes the Grave Digger the one Shadow Isles champion that relates to humanity more then the others since he deals with dead bodies. He's the one champion the Black Mist recruited from death (to clean up the messes of the other residents) rather than change the people who want that dark power.

Is this the sort of content that Foundations wants to see, even if the Yorick concept is already approved?

Solideus1 votes

Always asking about specific things would influence our expectations *and *could often lead to bad outcomes; specific ideas build on different opinions about a direction and don't always sync up well or complement the overall story/aesthetic/etc.

A better approach is for them to look for perceptions and genuine discussions, for them to explore those ideas and incorporate the fruits of that into a unified direction.

Just because Rioters aren't commenting doesn't mean they aren't reading. Creating and participating in discussions about the parts of the game experience we care about is the most beneficial thing we can do, there doesn't always have to be a Rioter participating.

DrCyanide1 votes

Congrats on the promos, lately I feel like those have been the most significant contribution to the lore.

Does foundations help with the background stuff going on in the written lore too? I remember Xerath's lore standing out to me because it have great insight into the ceremony of Shurima, but also bring disappointed after a few rereads because it felt like he was no longer a mage, just a deceiver. I consequently love and hate that piece at the same time.

Motajo1 votes

Hmm, never thought I'd actually get some replies about Foundations. Thanks for the info; it helps to clear a few of those "tinfoil hat" thoughts.

Dotintheparadox3 votes

Can we please get a list of your writers and their credits?

Gentleman Gaston4 votes

These are all people I know are either a part of Narrative or Writers of various sorts (being a "Writer" doesn't necessitate that they're a part of Narrative):

  • Riot Jaredan is Senior Editor for Narrative
  • Riot Harrow is a Creative Designer
  • Riot Runaan is a Writer
  • George Krstic (unsure of Riot tag?) is a Senior Writer
  • Riot Whiski is a Senior Writer
  • Riot Ransom is a Writer
  • Riot Paradox is a Writer
  • fizzNchips is a Writer
  • Ant in Oz is a Writer
  • Ryan Verniere (unsure of Riot tag?) is a Senior Writer

There are probably others I've missed, but those are the ones I could find immediately or already knew about.

Notable figures that used to work in Narrative:

  • Riot Entropy no longer works at Riot as of last November.
  • Riot Opeli no longer works in Narrative, although she is still a part of Riot in their Publishing team (this was also around late November/early December).
  • Tom Abernathy (aka Tommy Gnox) left Riot back in September.
  • Kitae no longer works in Narrative, although she is still a part of Riot.
  • Riot Babaganoosh was in charge of laying most of the foundations surrounding the IoW, Summoners, and the lore up until his departure back in 2011.
TerraRising3 votes

I'll add to your list:

Riot NaKayle is a writer, but of tool tips and "player education."

George Krstic is probably called "Glorft" (the same one mentioned in the Dev Blog). He's never posted on the forums, however. Krstic is also the co-creator of the Cartoon Network show Megas XLR.

LordHippoman2 votes

I think the issue isn't that "Lore fans want to show their love" and Riot's like "ew gross". The threats made towards Entropy and Opeli are probably still fresh in their minds, and disclosing any public information on the boards could be dangerous, now that doxxing has become more and more popular as a form of cyber terrorism. While I doubt most of us would ever stoop that low, it's the internet. Trolls and crazies are lurking all the time behind a handy veil of anonymity.

I think pseudonyms or pen names like Jaredan or Runaan would be fine, but people have been identified on less.

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