I've been thinking of trying to make a 3D ORPG, and of course, this is not something anyone can do alone without spending an enormous amount of time and talent.
Before posting in the 'Help Wanted' section about my project, I wanted to ask a few questions.
I'm sorry if this is the improper forum section, but I'm a new user and I couldn't really find a more suitable subforum.
Anyway, here I go:

First, I'm looking for a team to help me build a 3D ORPG. The only thing I have to offer for the game, though, is writing the: item information and stats, quests, story, dialog, the gameplay and equipment/item types, what things do, and so on. My point is, I'm more of an idea person. I don't really have talent in 3D art, programming, or any of the other necessary options. Does this mean I am in no place to start a project? I'd planned on writing most everything myself, which means the other team members would have to fill in the content and wouldn't have to think of the story, dialog, etc. much themselves.

Another thing I was wondering: To make a large-scale, 3D ORPG, how many people would you need to have as a part of your team? I suppose there would need to be game programmers, 3D artists, sound effects and in-game music creators, and someone to host the game online.
I was planning on maybe making the game an online P2P (pay to play) game with a monthly subscription fee. That fee, and any ad revenue or extra money earned from the game, would be split between the people who supported the game. Would this be a legitimate way of paying the team members?
I've not yet finished with every detail of the story, items, gameplay, and so on, but I'm not planning on making a Help Wanted topic until I've finished with at least 75% of my job.
But, before I want to go through the trouble of even bothering with a large-scale 3D ORPG, I wanted to get some answers from the members of this forum so I know exactly what I'm getting into before I invest time in it.
So, last question: In your opinion, would an 'idea person' such as myself be able to get the support I need from experienced people in this forum? Enough support to get the game made, published, and on the air?

I'm sorry for writing such a large topic, and thank you very much if you've put the time into reading it and replying!

Such an "idea person" (a designer, essentially) is a viable position in a professional company, but you're going to be hard pressed getting an indie team together with that qualification alone. Without the incentive of money, people want assurances that their work is going to be put to good use and that they'll have something tangible to show for it. Unfortunately, that very rarely happens when the leader is a designer.

Ideas are a dime a dozen, and everyone has a few that they'd like to work on, so someone with programming experience is going to work on his over yours unless you pay him to do otherwise. You might be able to join someone with an existing project and influence their ideas, but I'd say it's pretty unlikely that you could join and dictate the terms of the project to people who are doing all the heavy lifting.

I'm sure ideas are a dime a dozen, but what about good ideas?
I'm not saying mine are amazing, but I aim to write gameplay, story, quest, character and dialog for a more unique style of gaming.
If I could post my story and ideas to the community, do you think that would help? I was planning on making a website for a team, if I managed to get one, and put the story, quests, etc. there...but I was wondering one more thing before I did that: is that safe? Can people "internet rob" my ideas easily? Would I need a copyright for protection?

Thanks for your reply and any more help would be appreciated!

Not really, no. Without an implementation an idea means nothing. You can play a boring game without a good design, but you can't play an excellent engaging design without an implementation. In fact, there's really no way to know if an idea is even worth anything until you have a prototype to play it and test it. Your best bet if you want to see your ideas come to fruition is to learn some programming and get a basic demo built. A playable demo will attract artists and programmers alike, and then you can really get moving on producing a quality game.

I'm sure ideas are a dime a dozen, but what about good ideas?

Still a dime a dozen. We were assuming you were talking about a great idea.
Great ideas -- a dime a dozen.
Just okay ideas -- maybe eight cents a dozen.
"Eh" ideas -- maybe two cents a dozen.

<P>I suppose I could try to make a pixel-art 2D demo, but I'm not the best pixel artist and I'm not the best Game Maker programmer...and what will that really say for a 3D ORPG game (a 2D pixel art demo, that is). Do you think that would help attract team members? I guess it would give you a little feel for the item equipment and character customization, but the graphics would be totally different from a 3D, non-pixel-art game.<BR>Also, in your opinion, if you have one on the matter, how many people would I need to make this project without taking years of a small amount of people's hard work?<BR>I planned on having a website that was just for the members that could tell them all about how the game was meant to be and, if they were interested, they could work towards making it with me. In other words, it's everyone's interest that drives them forward, rather than everyone's desire for money. Plus, money would be involved if the game was good enough to attract players and ended up being hosted.<BR>I'm also curious: how do companies find their designers if they generally don't hire them? I've been told that you can't really become a gaming company's 'idea person' (or designer, if that's the proper way of putting it) very easily...do the designer people usually just pay money to get the help they need and end up with a company like Blizzard and such?<BR>I've also been thinking about the money it will require to host and maintain the game - I imagine there will be a necessity for servers and such, since there will be online accounts and character information to log. I suppose there would need to be a good deal of money dished out, at least when the time comes, to get the game MMO-compatable.<BR><BR>Thanks for the replies, once again, I appreciate your time and straightly-put opinions!</P>

Note: I tried posting this reply before I figured out this was moved, and the browser gave me a copy, but it has HTML tags in it. I'm sorry if they show up after I post. I suppose it's still OK to post after the topic was moved.

2. Can people "internet rob" my ideas easily?
3. Would I need a copyright for protection?

2. Of course.
3. Even better: don't tell anybody without having them sign an NDA first.

Read these:
http://www.sloperama.com/advice/idea.htm
http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson39.htm
http://www.igda.org/games-game-october-2009

So are you trying to say that I just need to give up and that my only latter option is "spend 10 years with strenous work doing it all yourself" or the DIY way, as you put it?
In your opinion, is there no way I can get this project going without getting a career in game developing and maybe, just maybe, in 5 years, I could make my way up to the point where I have the authority of making my 'dream game'?
Maybe I'm interpreting what you said wrong..

So are you trying to say that I just need to give up and that my only latter option is "spend 10 years with strenous work doing it all yourself" or the DIY way, as you put it?
In your opinion, is there no way I can get this project going without getting a career in game developing and maybe, just maybe, in 5 years, I could make my way up to the point where I have the authority of making my 'dream game'?
Maybe I'm interpreting what you said wrong..

You are not far away from the truth. But there's a way: get a lot of money somehow, so that you can pay your employees.

Maybe I misunderstood you, but the word "authority" signals that you are on the wrong track already.

I imagined I could get a team assembled and establish that we are all equally valuable to making a game. By the 'authority' I simply meant a high enough position in a gaming company where people will listen to what you say, not that I think I'm better than everyone.
Of course, my first choice would be to get a company to pick up my 'game', but that's just unrealistic. That's why I thought I could get a team of people here to help me.