While finishing a final tour of the exhibit hall today, I ran into Keith Baker, winner of WotC's D&D setting search contest with his land of Eberron. Apparently, there's considerable online buzz already about what little information WotC has released, particularly the lightning train image, and the "strong presence of lost-world creatures such as dinosaurs." According to Baker, the press release could've used some rewording, as dinosaurs exist on Eberron but hardly in an all-pervasive manner. Also, there's the issue of the "diverse cultures" which site the examples of Dwarves, Drow, and Orcs. Umm... I think we've heard of those before. Not the best examples of what WotC wanted to convey.

As for how it was to work on the project, Baker was upbeat. "It's been a lot of fun, very exciting. There have been compromises, of course. Out of all the [entries] I submitted, I never would've guessed that WotC would choose that one. However, it's been toned down in some ways since reaching the 125-page draft." Baker grimaced. "I just wish it wasn't a whole year away."