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Monte Cook Leaves WotC - No Longer working on D&D Next [updated]
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<blockquote data-quote="Balesir" data-source="post: 5904240" data-attributes="member: 27160"><p>I see your point, but there are three reasons I don't think it nullifies what I was trying to say:</p><p></p><p>1) The main thing I was railing against (and will continue to rail against) is not the creation of new material but the availability of old material. This is less akin to saying to JKR "Well, if *you* aren't going to write any more Harry Potter, you are being anti-competitive if you don't sell the rights to someone who will!" and more like saying to Bloomsbury "Well, if *you* aren't going to <strong><em>publish</em></strong> any more Harry Potter <strong>or keep the previous books in print</strong>, you are being anti-competitive if you won't sell the rights to someone who will!"</p><p></p><p>2) A corporation does not create IP - people (the designers and developers, in this case) do. Where a corporation decides not to pursue the further development or even maintenance of a piece of IP, the actual IP creators are seldom prime movers in the decision, and they are often losers because of it. As a result, my sympathies are really not engaged by corporate "owners" of IP.</p><p></p><p>3) A roleplaying game is not really at all like a novel or similar work of fiction (well, some might be, but I don't account them good roleplaying games on that account!). A roleplaying game is meant to be used, modified, expanded and developed by its customer base. The developers and designers do not hold a monopoly on extending or modifying the game system or support materials. As a result, I don't think the "game" (as opposed to specific expressions of game systems and expansions) can be held up as "IP" in the same sense that a novel or written story can. To tie back to the analogy, JKR may have rights to the stories she has written and to certain of the characters and settings she uses, but writing a book about a "school for wizards" is not illegal for anyone.</p><p></p><p>No problems for me - I can do that too (unintentionally), but what you said didn't strike me that way.</p><p></p><p>Yes - I would include all of that in the same basket as "legal but anti-competitive".</p><p></p><p>Not all corporations work this way - a few do consider deeper business ethics, if only as a means to build and maintain good will.</p><p></p><p>Right - and this is the nub, I think. The fanbase is the "invisible stakeholder" that stands to get shafted if Hasbro take the "legal but anti-competitive" road.</p><p></p><p>I don't so much find that with D&D, but with roleplaying games in general, sure! I do think some are better than others, but even so there are several "best" ones because they cater to different styles of play, and after playing one style for a while I often feel the need for a hit of a different one!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Balesir, post: 5904240, member: 27160"] I see your point, but there are three reasons I don't think it nullifies what I was trying to say: 1) The main thing I was railing against (and will continue to rail against) is not the creation of new material but the availability of old material. This is less akin to saying to JKR "Well, if *you* aren't going to write any more Harry Potter, you are being anti-competitive if you don't sell the rights to someone who will!" and more like saying to Bloomsbury "Well, if *you* aren't going to [B][I]publish[/I][/B] any more Harry Potter [B]or keep the previous books in print[/B], you are being anti-competitive if you won't sell the rights to someone who will!" 2) A corporation does not create IP - people (the designers and developers, in this case) do. Where a corporation decides not to pursue the further development or even maintenance of a piece of IP, the actual IP creators are seldom prime movers in the decision, and they are often losers because of it. As a result, my sympathies are really not engaged by corporate "owners" of IP. 3) A roleplaying game is not really at all like a novel or similar work of fiction (well, some might be, but I don't account them good roleplaying games on that account!). A roleplaying game is meant to be used, modified, expanded and developed by its customer base. The developers and designers do not hold a monopoly on extending or modifying the game system or support materials. As a result, I don't think the "game" (as opposed to specific expressions of game systems and expansions) can be held up as "IP" in the same sense that a novel or written story can. To tie back to the analogy, JKR may have rights to the stories she has written and to certain of the characters and settings she uses, but writing a book about a "school for wizards" is not illegal for anyone. No problems for me - I can do that too (unintentionally), but what you said didn't strike me that way. Yes - I would include all of that in the same basket as "legal but anti-competitive". Not all corporations work this way - a few do consider deeper business ethics, if only as a means to build and maintain good will. Right - and this is the nub, I think. The fanbase is the "invisible stakeholder" that stands to get shafted if Hasbro take the "legal but anti-competitive" road. I don't so much find that with D&D, but with roleplaying games in general, sure! I do think some are better than others, but even so there are several "best" ones because they cater to different styles of play, and after playing one style for a while I often feel the need for a hit of a different one! [/QUOTE]
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Monte Cook Leaves WotC - No Longer working on D&D Next [updated]
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