Green Ronin not signing GSL (Forked Thread: Doing the GSL. Who?)

[Delta]

Maybe I'm the spoilsport here, nitpicking away and meaningless things, but I used to write press releases for a living for a major Fortune 500 company, and it just seems unprofessional to go into detail about why the license doesn't work for you and explain to the public which aspects of WotC's deal you specifically can't support.

Why is that?

If the disagreeable terms were part of some private negotiation, that would be one thing. But with a public license that the entire industry is trying to make up their mind about, it seems like it would be distracting and unnecessary for GR to go cloak-and-dagger about their specific objections. (Which as I write this makes Goodman Games come to mind.)

 

[Grimstaff]

As in "Hey, I have no sensible answer for that, let's see if I can divert everybodys attention with some nonsense"

No, as in "hey I'll add some conspiracy theory BS, too!"

Unless maybe you have some secret internal WotC documents backing up your claim that WotC "got what they wanted"? If so, my deepest apologies.

 

[Razuur]

Its sad the GSL is so restrictive, but understandable. Its also sad that so few 3P companies are willing to go to bat for their fans and try to work something out, and this I have a harder time understanding.

You and I see things very differently Grimstaff.

You see them not going to bat for us, I see the opposite. The GSL is so restrictive, I don't blame them, and I am glad that they are looking after the things that are valuable to them (they are very valuable to me too).

Not everyone thinks 4e is all that awesome. Everything about it indicates it should be the coolest thing since sliced bread. But the more you hear, the more you look at it the less cool it gets. The more you play the more tedious it becomes. The best analogy i can come up wioth is that it is like the "Enterprise" of the Star Trek Universe. Highly anticipated, lots of viewers initially, and then what started off with an innovative and distinctive conceptual premise, it began to quickly lose its luster when it became reduced to shallow repetition and rigid exercise in conformity. I think it will end up paling next to its predessesors. Once can already see it when one looks at the polls of people who are planning on playing 4e - the brand has lost half its audience.

The GSL is but one more facet of "rigid conformity" except that it gives all of the power to WOTC and none of the guarantees and no protections or safeguards. If I had some valuable properties like GR, I to would be *very* hesitant about joining up. They are protecting their interests for their sakes and for ours.

There are plenty of 3rd party publishers who are going to join the fray (Goodman, Mongoose, Necromancer to name a few), so people not feel completely abandoned by third party pubs.

The reason that Green Ronin isn't antering the game is simple - WOTC and their GSL. It is simply unacceptable. They are probably feeling about the GSL the same way I feel about 4e - left behind by a system/contract that will not cater to them or be flexible to their wants/needs.

WOTC left them (and many of us) behind. Let us be clear - WOTC.

I of course am the lucky one, as I am going to keep purchasing Green Ronin Products for quite some time. Did you know that they just opened p their True20 license... for free? Anyone can make True20 products as long as they fulfil the OGL and the True20 license agreement (which leaves IP where it should be - in the hands of the publishers). Since then, True20 has bloomed with fresh product from new publishers. What a concept!

Razuur

 

[Darrin Drader]

Its also sad that so few 3P companies are willing to go to bat for their fans and try to work something out, and this I have a harder time understanding.

Wow. Just wow.

What you're saying is that you think it's sad that Green Ronin isn't willing to keep wagering the health of their company on the ever changing whims of WotC. Maybe you think that's sad, but as someone who likes Freeport and actually plays True20, I'm totally cool with their decision.

 

[CaptainChaos]

If WotC does make any outside deals, they'll be all but admitting that the GSL is a failure.

 

[Darrin Drader]

I actually doubt that we'll be seeing very many, if any, outside deals by WotC. WotC is trying to regain total control over the brand, and as long as there are other companies making material, they feel that they will be losing business to those other companies. It is essentially the exact opposite of the marketing philosophy that led to the OGL in the first place. The GSL is there as an appeasement in an effort to stem bad PR. That's it. And that is why most of the top OGL companies are happily going to be staying OGL.

 

[mangamuscle]

Unless maybe you have some secret internal WotC documents backing up your claim that WotC "got what they wanted"? If so, my deepest apologies.

I do not know if you are playing dumb or simply dense, I will assume the later. WotC at the present time is interested in having FULL control over 4th edition, they think the OGL was a mistake (otherwise they would be still using it). They could simply have stated one year ago that they would not be licensing 4th edition at all, but that would have gotten consumers against 4th edition from the start and all OGL companies would have prepared products that might compete directly with 4th edition. So they delayed the GSL and when they finally released it's so restrictive that no one will sign it unless they are dumb or have nothing to lose in the deal. In the end the Hasbro/WotC is the same as the TSR of old, they think the best way of doing businnes is by having all the business for themselves. I am not bashing WotC for that, they are a private company but thinking OGL companies are lazy and dumb for not subscribing to the GSL is like believing the whole weapons of mass destruction deal all over again.

 

[DandD]

They could simply have stated one year ago that they would not be licensing 4th edition at all, but that would have gotten consumers against 4th edition from the start and all OGL companies would have prepared products that might compete directly with 4th edition. So they delayed the GSL and when they finally released is so restrictive that no one will sign it unless they are dumb or have nothing to lose in the deal. In the end the Hasbro/WotC is the same as the TSR of oldl, they think the best way of doing businnes is by having all the business for themselves. I am not bashing WotC for that, they are a private company but thinking OGL companies are lazy and dumb for not subscribing to the GSL is like believing the whole weapons of mass destruction deal all over again.

Can you prove that with a quote from anybody, or do you have any insider-informatio?

 

[Grimstaff]

I do not know if you are playing dumb or simply dense, I will assume the later.

I gather from your postcount you're relatively new here, so maybe you're unaware that insults and name-calling are unacceptable.

Please come back when you've learned some manners.

 

[Twowolves]

I gather from his join date that he has been at least a lurker for over a year longer than you've been posting.

Got anymore useless deflections or are you willing to actually respond to his posts?