OK.whatsallthisaboutthe GSL?

Been outta town w/out internet access for about a week.

When I left everyone was all warm & fuzzy cos the GSL had been announced, and blah blah blah.

I come back and now there's all this talk about particulars and restrictions and people getting "screwed" and I'm having a hard time finding out everything without digging through several threads of hundreds of posts over various forums. So if possible could someone answer the following for me please?

1) Publishers will not be allowed to produce 4E and 3.x compatible materials concurrently? One or the other?

2) publishers have to destroy all d20 logo'ed-3.X compatible product by X/X/2008 if they choose to support 4E?

3) if # 2 is "true" I'm assuming Necro (e.g.) can never reprint/produce these 3.x products again? even as PDFs?

4) Publishers can no longer produce any 3.X compatible products, period? Or just that they cannot produce 3.X if they are supporting 4E?

5) how does this affect OGL games, like C&C, M&M, Conan, etc? What about Pathfinder?

6) can old 3.X products be updated and produced for 4E? (e.g. a 4E version of "Of Sound Mind"?)

guess thats all for now.

1) We're not certain yet.

2) According to the Rouse, they're not expected to stop selling stock. They have some time yet to get the old merchandise out of the warehouse.

3) Uncertainty abounds.

4) People can still go their own way, I believe, much like Paizo is doing.

5) Pathfinder is fine. Paizo is going to do Pathfinder, Necro is going to do 4E. And the others...no clue yet.

6) Yes.

The uncertainty is really what's got people up in arms.

Also, someone better than I can link you the exact threads where the Rouse addressed some of these. I'm trying to paraphrase from memory, so forgive any errors.

For someone who actually understands these things, can anything that was published under the d20 System Trademark be published under the OGL? That is, is the d20 system trademark just a more restrictive subset of the OGL?

Kishin said:

1) We're not certain yet.

2) According to the Rouse, they're not expected to stop selling stock. They have some time yet to get the old merchandise out of the warehouse.

3) Uncertainty abounds.

4) People can still go their own way, I believe, much like Paizo is doing.

5) Pathfinder is fine. Paizo is going to do Pathfinder, Necro is going to do 4E. And the others...no clue yet.

6) Yes.

The uncertainty is really what's got people up in arms.

Also, someone better than I can link you the exact threads where the Rouse addressed some of these. I'm trying to paraphrase from memory, so forgive any errors.

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Thank You for your response. I guess most of it is up in the air.

malraux said:

For someone who actually understands these things, can anything that was published under the d20 System Trademark be published under the OGL? That is, is the d20 system trademark just a more restrictive subset of the OGL?

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This is correct.

Anyone who wants to can republish d20 licensed stuff under the OGL, AFAIK.

malraux said:

For someone who actually understands these things, can anything that was published under the d20 System Trademark be published under the OGL? That is, is the d20 system trademark just a more restrictive subset of the OGL?

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Yes.

Remove the logo and the "needs PHB" text, and the d20 STL no longer applies.

Edit: Apparently I type too slow.

JeffB said:

2) publishers have to destroy all d20 logo'ed-3.X compatible product by X/X/2008 if they choose to support 4E?

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Publishers will have to cease production of items with the d20 logo by June the 6th. Afterwards they will have six months to sell off the remaining stock. It won't be necessary to recall items from the distributors or the resellers.

All of this has nothing to do on whether a publisher chooses to support 4e.

malraux said:

For someone who actually understands these things, can anything that was published under the d20 System Trademark be published under the OGL? That is, is the d20 system trademark just a more restrictive subset of the OGL?

Click to expand...

No. Anything released under the old OGL is still bound by it and cannot be used with a different license than is not the OGL. Well, unless it's your own material.

pawsplay said:

No. Anything released under the old OGL is still bound by it and cannot be used with a different license than is not the OGL. Well, unless it's your own material.

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Ummm, that wasn't the question.

Oh, sorry.

The d20 is a separate license which requires you to also use the OGL. The open game content is specified by the OGL.