I've just had a crazy idea...

There are a couple of online versions of the SRD around. And some of them are very nice, with multiple cross-references and everything.

But... why not take the SRD and OGL to the next level?

Why not make an SRD Wiki? Where everyone could easily add his own additions, and all the additions would automatically be considered OGL?

This could be a huge repository of OGL material, easily becoming much bigger than the original SRD...

What do you think of this idea? Is it great, dumb, or both?

Jürgen Hubert said:

Why not make an SRD Wiki? Where everyone could easily add his own additions, and all the additions would automatically be considered OGL?

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It's great, as long as the Wiki itself can abide by the terms of the OGL; and given anyone's ability to alter said Wiki, policing it will be a very diligent job to avoid violating the OGL. Whoever runs the thing will be liable for it.

Definition of wiki from wikipedia:

A Wiki or wiki (pronounced [wɪkiː], [wiːkiː] or [viːkiː]; see Pronunciation below) is a web application that allows users to add content, as on an Internet forum, but also allows anyone to edit the content.

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An important point of a wiki is that anyone can edit the contents so anyone can change the SRD. If everybody can edit the srd only you have to wait to see the srd violating the OGL.

You can make a hypertext srd like here which can not be edited.

Henry said:

It's great, as long as the Wiki itself can abide by the terms of the OGL; and given anyone's ability to alter said Wiki, policing it will be a very diligent job to avoid violating the OGL. Whoever runs the thing will be liable for it.

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Being the person who is responsible for running the thing is a tough job if everybody can edit the srd.

yennico said:

Being the person who is responsible for running the thing is a tough job if everybody can edit the srd.

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Which is why you don't see me volunteering.

JH, good idea, but it would need to be something besides a Wiki specifically, with an advisory board to oversee all additions, and that board would need to be VERY familiar with the OGL to avoid breaking the license, if not having at least one lawyer on board.

If it had a "moderator" staff of volunteers of the number and caliber you see around here, you might be able to keep the thing under control and legal - anything less than that (unless it's horrifically unpopular, and then what's the point?) and it will spiral out of control quickly.

But, if you think you can get that kind of "community responsibility" going, I say go for it. I'd use it, and post to it as I thought necessary.

I understand the difficulty of policing new material for OGL compatability, but couldn't you just lock the SRD portion of it to eliminate that part of the headache? (the whole point is to get the extra content nayway, right?)

azmodean said:

I understand the difficulty of policing new material for OGL compatability, but couldn't you just lock the SRD portion of it to eliminate that part of the headache? (the whole point is to get the extra content nayway, right?)

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Right, but somebody could easily add non-OGL material to it, even as an honest mistake. Say I create a new critter: a Half-Illithid goblin (ick, BTW) and post it. Now you and I know that the Illithid is not OGL, but I could see someone making the assumption that it must be OK because Mind Flayers are such "core" critters.

And that's just one example. There are a lot more subtle situations (like posting an NPC who has a "Heward's Handy Haversack.").

azmodean said:

I understand the difficulty of policing new material for OGL compatability, but couldn't you just lock the SRD portion of it to eliminate that part of the headache? (the whole point is to get the extra content nayway, right?)

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That's not the part I'd be most worried about.

The extra content, worst case scenario, could be swiped from other people's books, including Intellectual Property, it could be rules that someone didn't release in their books to OGC, it could be someone just copying straight out of a WotC book - hence the need for Universe's diligent moderators, or my "advisory staff" (same thing basically).

Example:

Someone copies one of Monte Cook's spells, whole cloth. They've just violated the OGL, because his spell mechanics are open content, BUT his Spell names are not. Someone needs to edit it to avoid lawsuit.

A more complicated example? Someone copies part of the Unearthed Arcana - the portion on Vitality Points. There are so many Star Wars and other IP references in that section, that it would almost need to be rewritten to be used. Cergorach (poster here) ran into this same deal with his OGL projects, and had to go slower to take this into account.

A more close-to-home example? Someone starts posting (legally) all of Phil Reed's Ronin Arts stuff to the OGL Wiki. Phil gets out of the business, or changes his practices such that ALL future material is non-OGL.

We've had the discussion on re-posting all OGL as SRD's in PDF format in the past, and the discussion never ends well.

A site where people could VOLUNTEER their own OGL rules would be great (the "spirit" of Wiki), but in practice there are a lot of people who don't consider the ramifications of ripping off someone else's material, legally or not, and do it "just to screw The Man."

NOTE: Not saying anyone is actively doing this that I know (Cergorach included) - most people wanting to reuse OGL are at the least trying to act as ethically circumspectly as they come. But we ALL know that there are some rather crass people in the world who don't consider it.

i don't agree with half the stuff they put in wiki already concerning D&D. to me it is factually wrong.

Why bother to make it OGL compliant? Just make a Wiki netbook? Everyone can just put their favorite stuff in there then.