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Originally Posted by DiasExMachina That assumes some nefarious evildoers rubbing their palms in giddy delight about how their wicked plans have been so perfectly set. 
So on that, I believe you are jumping the gun. In the end, they don't own your setting, so the worst they can do is terminate your license. Nowhere did I get the impression they would chase a company down for abandoning 4ED and going to another system. I am fairly certain WOTC did not create a "no take backsees" rule, lest we have all fallen into tall grade school |
Actually, it presumes that there will, eventually, be changes in staff at
WotC. Past history indicates that such changes can significantly change the outlook on licensing/open gaming and that a license could be be withdrawn.
Frankly, if not for Scott Rouse and Linae Foster, I don't think there would even be a
GSL. Take them away, and who knows how long the license lasts. There are certain high level individuals at
WotC that do NOT want any sort of open license.
Remember, and this is KEY to the publishers looking at this right now, there is no
OGL to fall back on here. Everyone knew that the d20 STL could be changed or eliminated, BUT you could still publish product X under the
OGL doing nothing more than removing the d20 trademark symbol. If the
GSL is pulled, the publisher is well and truly screwed.
Looking at the license as is, I have a hard time imagining Green Ronin, Mongoose, AEG, or Paizo jumping in with both feet. Even Necromancer Games is hesitating now. It is completely clear that all they want you to make is adventures. If you make anything else you are completely locked into this license with that product or product line. The above are the major publishers that have supported 3.X with a variety of products that were out in distribution to be seen in game stores and even in major bookstores. These are the publishers you want supporting your game system. The smaller .pdf publishers really aren't going to help (and really, I don't see how they can hurt) your products.
I'd say more, but I should shut-up now...
Patrick