Mearls' Latest Thought on the Industry

Starglim · Dec 21, 2005

HalWhitewyrm said:
(Moderators, please feel free to move this if it should go somewhere else.)

I was checking my RSS feeds and came across Mike Mearls' latest post on the industry.

Discuss. I'll come back when I'm not falling asleep.

I don't agree. I buy many PDFs precisely for the purpose of taking ideas and improving on them.

I don't find the price or conditions of sale of PDFs to be a barrier, beyond the OGL requirements and PI designations themselves, which are equally or more restrictive in print or free documents. A PDF is far better for this purpose than a printed book, more durable and easier to find than someone's website. Some publishers actually used to include the OGC of the product in RTF format with a purchase, though this laudable effort to comply with their OGL obligations seems to have died out. The fact that the author gets paid for it greatly improves the quantity and quality of ideas being distributed.

Mustrum_Ridcully · Dec 21, 2005

Vigilance said:
So, half baked ideas offered for free would spur innovation?

Yes, because a lot of people could see them and finish the "baking" process.

I never bought a PDF so far - I will never pay 5 € for something I have no idea what's in it. But I might be willing to discuss a house rule or idea on a message board, and even incorporate it in my game.
Maybe if such ideas wold later be sold as a book (preferable as a greater package, maybe a "EN World Posters Digest"), I'd even consider buying it..

Sure there are people who have the money to buy the small PDFs and mine them for ideas, but I think they are not the majority. In my gaming group, I won't find a single one.

philreed · Dec 21, 2005

Starglim said:
Some publishers actually used to include the OGC of the product in RTF format with a purchase, though this laudable effort to comply with their OGL obligations seems to have died out.

101 Feats, released less than a week ago, includes an RTF version.

Vigilance · Dec 21, 2005

Mustrum_Ridcully said:
Yes, because a lot of people could see them and finish the "baking" process.

I never bought a PDF so far - I will never pay 5 € for something I have no idea what's in it. But I might be willing to discuss a house rule or idea on a message board, and even incorporate it in my game.
Maybe if such ideas wold later be sold as a book (preferable as a greater package, maybe a "EN World Posters Digest"), I'd even consider buying it..

Sure there are people who have the money to buy the small PDFs and mine them for ideas, but I think they are not the majority. In my gaming group, I won't find a single one.

Right and of course that's your perogative, but its a false dilemma.

There ARE house rules boards where people post and get feedback on new crunch *and* there are people who sell PDFs. In other words, PDF manufacturers have not curbed people using the internet to discuss ideas and foster "innovation" as near as I can tell.

The point is that no matter how many people do or do not pay for PDFs, they dont curb "innovation" which is what Mr. Mearls is saying.

John Q. Mayhem · Dec 21, 2005

Crothian said:
Vigilance said:

There's a very active forum on this very board where people post classes, races and feats for free. There's a similar forum at WOTC's boards.

Click to expand...

Correct, but I don't see publishers (who he's talking about) using them.

EN Publishing recently released a series of .pdfs containing Szatany's Ultimate classes, that had previously been posted in WotC's forums. I don't know how much that really happens, but it's happened at least once.

Reynard · Dec 21, 2005

At the risk of reigniting a conflagaration, I really think Mearls should -- rather than occassionally spouting off with comments that keep his name in the d20 consciousness -- put up or shut up. If he really believes in the Open Gaming Movement, if he really thinks that innovation and the sharing of ideas is The Way, he should do his OGC Wiki. That would, of couirse, mean alienating and irritating a good number of publishers, PDF and otherwise, but it would at least get the 'movement' where he wants it to be.

As it is, capitalism rules and open-source drools.

Vascant · Dec 21, 2005

Actually Mr Mearls shares the same opinion as a lot of people did back in the mid 90's, the problem is within yourself though and not the Internet or an industry. There are many people and companies that use the internet for innovative and create ideas but you have to find them. So the PDF Industry is not hurting anything, people are.. look to yourself even. The opinion is about as shallow as stating the Internet would be better off without Porn, yet without such little vices we would all probably be on 56k and ENWorld's server would be down a lot more.

If anything, the internet forces you to think several steps ahead and no longer can you have a good idea and sit on it, you must act upon it as well. If you do not, trust me someone else will. Then again, some people wouldn't know a good idea if it hit them.

Dragonhelm · Dec 21, 2005

Mustrum_Ridcully said:
I never bought a PDF so far - I will never pay 5 € for something I have no idea what's in it.

Many PDF's that are sold have quick little previews, and there's always reviews.

Psion · Dec 21, 2005

pogre said:
Mearls' point is everyone selling their ideas instead of sharing them is counter to an open source movement. He's absolutely on target.

Okay.

Hmmm. People have vetted the thought of a free OGL Wiki or similar collaboration, and it has been blasted as unethical. So if actually selling your ideas instead of giving them away is a hurdle, it's not one that many publishers are too willing to see breached.

I'm not sure I agree though. Part of the western mindset is value. If you give something away, people tend to think it is worthless and ignore it. Having things show up in PDFs instead of in random forum posts may actually improve the reception of the idea. And the motive to actually see your creation though and give it a worthwhile presentation is fostered by the idea you will be compensated. Mike doesn't back up his position with much reasoning, but in absence of a "why", I would have to venture that he's not considering all the factors.

Vigilance · Dec 21, 2005

Psion said:
Part of the western mindset is value. If you give something away, people tend to think it is worthless and ignore it.

I agree with this.

And again, if selling PDFs hurts "innovation" then you have to argue that 3rd party print publishers hurt it just as much.

That's my real problem with what he's saying. I would still disagree if he argued commercial Open Source stifled innovation (look at the commercial Linux products out there) but to lay the problem SPECIFICALLY at the feet of PDFs seems even more offbase to me.