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[+] Future of The SRD Speculation Thread
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<blockquote data-quote="Lupin" data-source="post: 9271488" data-attributes="member: 7042758"><p>Simple as that. They announced the CC-BY change for the 5e SRD and (almost) everybody was thrilled. The web was loaded with posts saying things like "we won!" Sounds more like Wizards "won" a corporate PR battle to me as opposed to truly protecting the game's legacy.</p><p></p><p>The sentiment from many 5e players re:the older SRDs seems to be general indifference, or at least apathy. "Why would I care about the older ones? I'm not playing that game." Or perhaps for some it's only ignorance: "Wait, they didn't make everything CC-BY after all? The OGL is still needed for something?"</p><p></p><p>On the first point, I expect you're right on the money. As for the bolded, I 100% agree.</p><p>Especially after the DnD'24-5 books are out, they really don't have an excuse, unless there are hundreds more job cuts in the interim. And there's literally no reason for the 3.x SRDs to not be CC by now, like Reynard said, it's an afternoon's worth of labor to proof that content.</p><p></p><p>Fact is, if WotC never releases the older editions into CC-BY, it's a marketplace win for them.</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Keep people nervous about using OGL 1.0a to create vintage-D&D-clones? Check.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Retain 4th Edition mechanics to themselves reintroduce under new guises in 5e revisions.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Most importantly, the focus of the public remains squarely on their 5th Edition books and products.</li> </ul><p>(Yes, I know game mechanics are so far considered uncopyrightable, or so it is until a court decides otherwise, but the potential for legal action is a thing that people worry about. Otherwise, everyone would just rewrite 4e from scratch and publish it.)</p><p></p><p>Speaking of 4e, while it's true that making a 4e SRD would be time-consuming (as would both a 1e/2e, and BX/RC SRD) it would not be <em>quite</em> as hard as Kyle Brink made it out to be. The existing 84-page 4e SRD from 2009 already makes copious references to which mechanics and powers in the rulebooks were allowed to be referenced by GSL-licensed third parties. All WotC would have to do is populate (by that, I mean copy-paste and lay out) the actual texts from those rulebook sections, and snip out any setting/lore references. Could probably be done by one person in a week or so, then checked for IP mentions by another couple people before sending it out. No, it wouldn't be Essentials nor would it have the corrected Monster Manual 3 encounter math, but it would be a whole lot better than nothing, would rejuvenate interest in 4e (which would result in digital PDF and POD sales for Wizards!) and wouldn't be nearly as time-consuming as crafting an AD&D/2e/RC SRD from the raw rulebooks.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lupin, post: 9271488, member: 7042758"] Simple as that. They announced the CC-BY change for the 5e SRD and (almost) everybody was thrilled. The web was loaded with posts saying things like "we won!" Sounds more like Wizards "won" a corporate PR battle to me as opposed to truly protecting the game's legacy. The sentiment from many 5e players re:the older SRDs seems to be general indifference, or at least apathy. "Why would I care about the older ones? I'm not playing that game." Or perhaps for some it's only ignorance: "Wait, they didn't make everything CC-BY after all? The OGL is still needed for something?" On the first point, I expect you're right on the money. As for the bolded, I 100% agree. Especially after the DnD'24-5 books are out, they really don't have an excuse, unless there are hundreds more job cuts in the interim. And there's literally no reason for the 3.x SRDs to not be CC by now, like Reynard said, it's an afternoon's worth of labor to proof that content. Fact is, if WotC never releases the older editions into CC-BY, it's a marketplace win for them. [LIST] [*]Keep people nervous about using OGL 1.0a to create vintage-D&D-clones? Check. [*]Retain 4th Edition mechanics to themselves reintroduce under new guises in 5e revisions. [*]Most importantly, the focus of the public remains squarely on their 5th Edition books and products. [/LIST] (Yes, I know game mechanics are so far considered uncopyrightable, or so it is until a court decides otherwise, but the potential for legal action is a thing that people worry about. Otherwise, everyone would just rewrite 4e from scratch and publish it.) Speaking of 4e, while it's true that making a 4e SRD would be time-consuming (as would both a 1e/2e, and BX/RC SRD) it would not be [I]quite[/I] as hard as Kyle Brink made it out to be. The existing 84-page 4e SRD from 2009 already makes copious references to which mechanics and powers in the rulebooks were allowed to be referenced by GSL-licensed third parties. All WotC would have to do is populate (by that, I mean copy-paste and lay out) the actual texts from those rulebook sections, and snip out any setting/lore references. Could probably be done by one person in a week or so, then checked for IP mentions by another couple people before sending it out. No, it wouldn't be Essentials nor would it have the corrected Monster Manual 3 encounter math, but it would be a whole lot better than nothing, would rejuvenate interest in 4e (which would result in digital PDF and POD sales for Wizards!) and wouldn't be nearly as time-consuming as crafting an AD&D/2e/RC SRD from the raw rulebooks. [/QUOTE]
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