Preserving IP (part 5)

I don't like being the one to shut down anyone's creativity, but in a few instances I've had to ask someone to redesign something because it didn't follow with already established Solar Echoes material. For instance, there is a very powerful race of villains in Solar Echoes (specific information about this race is only available to GM's in the Mission Controller's Guide (MCG), since players shouldn't know this information outright.) One mission writer wanted to use these villains in his mission, but when I read his work, he had them making deals with and cooperating with some of the character races. In the MCG, it describes this race as believing themselves to be so superior to all other life that they seek only to conquer other beings--they would never deign to even speak with another alien race. I had to ask the author to rewrite some of his mission based on this. Thankfully, he agreed to rewrite those parts, and he was still very happy with how his mission turned out in the end. In that instance, I imagine he was frustrated with me and felt like his creativity was being hindered, but some things that are already established in the Solar Echoes universe are integral to its overall identity and storyline. If there aren't any standards to follow and parameters to keep in mind when developing creatively for an IP, the overall vision may very well suffer as a result. If you have a vision for something, hold to it, and if others are working with you on it, make sure that you can all agree on that vision. Don't be afraid to protect your IP, because your vision will be preserved and a clear identity will be established.