Revised GSL TODAY!
thundershot
Adventurer
The only thing about this that affects me is that you still can't put the monsters IN the adventures. I'm sorry, but I'm spoiled by the WOTC adventures, and it's VERY nice not haivng to get out my Monster Manual during combat. I don't even need much prep work. Unless publishers use their own monsters, I'll probably pass on buying any 3rd party adventures.
Lord Xtheth
First Post
Being interested in publishing material, and having read through the new GSL and SRD I can say that it is definately better than the first version.
HOWEVER, for me the parts that scared me away are still looming there.
Section 6a, (Excesive violence or gore) What exactly do you consider excessive? Will my product be forced off the shelves because an npc got a paper-cut? My plan was to write a horror/survival peice... but I don't think I can set the right mood with a (for instance) PG-13 restriction on it.
Section 17 scares the hell out of me. Wizards has full rights to make somthing that looks similar or even exactly like what I wrote, and I can't do anything about it. Especially when you look at
Section 18 Waiving my rights to a jury trial of despute. If wizards does take my stuff, and I think its not right, I have to ask them politely to fix it and hope for the best.
However, Section 9.2 seems to say that wizards agrees that what you wright is your IP. But it doesn't go on to say that if they wright the same thing if it stays your IP or not.
The FAQ does state that wizards does not want to kill me and take my stuff... but if they so happen to accidently kill me and my stuff just so happens to fall into their pockets... there's nothing I can do about it.
Despite all of this negativity, however, I am still considering signing the agreement (Where as before I didn't even think twice as to saying "no") and that is a vast improvement.
At least this time, if they change somthing that I can no longer agree to, I'm not forced to retroactively have already agreed to it.
HOWEVER, for me the parts that scared me away are still looming there.
Section 6a, (Excesive violence or gore) What exactly do you consider excessive? Will my product be forced off the shelves because an npc got a paper-cut? My plan was to write a horror/survival peice... but I don't think I can set the right mood with a (for instance) PG-13 restriction on it.
Section 17 scares the hell out of me. Wizards has full rights to make somthing that looks similar or even exactly like what I wrote, and I can't do anything about it. Especially when you look at
Section 18 Waiving my rights to a jury trial of despute. If wizards does take my stuff, and I think its not right, I have to ask them politely to fix it and hope for the best.
However, Section 9.2 seems to say that wizards agrees that what you wright is your IP. But it doesn't go on to say that if they wright the same thing if it stays your IP or not.
The FAQ does state that wizards does not want to kill me and take my stuff... but if they so happen to accidently kill me and my stuff just so happens to fall into their pockets... there's nothing I can do about it.
Despite all of this negativity, however, I am still considering signing the agreement (Where as before I didn't even think twice as to saying "no") and that is a vast improvement.
At least this time, if they change somthing that I can no longer agree to, I'm not forced to retroactively have already agreed to it.
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kenmarable
Hero
Gnome and half orc are in the new SRD.
Edit: Ninja'ed by Drkfathr1. Gotta remember to refresh a thread before I reply.
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mxyzplk
Explorer
He's not the only one.
They are not letting people use their IP out of the goodness of their hearts. They are doing it because they see (correctly) that it is in their best business interest to do so. Having a vibrant partner community increases overall interest in gaming and D&D in particular, and it gives people product to use with these corebooks that Wizards would never get around to publishing themselves. None of this is charity.
In the commission of setting up an allegedly free, community-wide license to promote this business goal, they decided to issue one that was totally and, yes, unfairly stacked in Wizards' direction, and that allowed for little benefit/high risk to those partners. It *didn't* adequately let partners profit while doing work to promote Wizards. So it got a big vote of no confidence. Whether that's a "kick in the teeth" is based on your own private metaphor engine. But its terms were so unacceptable few would uptake it. And I think it's fair to be insulted when anyone hands you a contract that is ridiculously stacked in one party's favor. It shows a fundamental lack of respect for your stake in the partnership.
They have revised it - it is still a deck strongly stacked in their favor, but it's at least able to be considered by a smart company. Will it be enough? It still has a lot of clauses of concern. Again, whether it's a "kick in the shins" is between you and your bard. It's certainly not as friendly to a licensee as licenses some other companies are using - the OGL, especially.
Anyway, taking the position that either version of the GSL is an outpouring of Wizards' love and charity upon us and that no one should criticize them is silly. It establishes a business relationship; in this case a relationship between them and potentially most of us, in one way or another. So everyone has standing to complain about the terms in it that are unfair, not competitive with what is found otherwise in the marketplace, etc.
Jack99
Adventurer
Sure you can. You just need to call your gnome something else, like Earth Gnomes. At least that's how I understand the example in the GSL.
Alzrius
The EN World kitten
Aren't you?
The GSL can still be changed at will, without notification; I don't see anything in there stating that should such a change occur, you're exempt from the new terms. Yes, you have the right to opt out of the GSL now (with six months to sell off your GSL materials), but they can change whatever they want, including the opt out option - unless you can divine beforehand any forthcoming changes and cancel your entry with the GSL prior to their release, it seems like you'll be subject to whatever changes they make (which could include killing the opt out option).
Jack99
Adventurer
It is charity. How many 3PP's have been making good money since Wotc went to 4e, aside from Pathfinder and GR?
For all but a few, the money is where WotC goes.
At least that's the impression I get - I could be totally wrong of course and the 3PP marked for OGL products has been booming since last summer.
mxyzplk
Explorer
In any corporate partner relationship, you *want* your partners to profit. Mutual profit is indeed what all such relationships are built upon. People who think that a partner profiting is charity, or worse, that it diminishes the other partner, should never be let closer to real business than working the counter of something in a strip mall.
