Still no SRD for 3rd party companies

[Twowolves]

If by "poor" you mean "about average for the industry", then fine.

Let us please recall that only very rarely do major projects come out on time, within budget, and will all the desired features intact - in almost any industry. If you can do better, go out and do so - you will make so much money and be so incredibly busy that you'll probably find you've no longer got the desire to insult people over this issue.

If by "average for the industry" you mean the computer game industry, where they release a beta version of the game and then when it's really done they'll let you download a free patch, I don't think that's much of a defense of 4th ed. And that's pretty much the vibe I'm getting. PHB/MM/DMG I smells like it'll be "patched" with 2009's PHB/MM/DMG II, or maybe III the next year.

 

[DaveMage]

If by "poor" you mean "about average for the industry", then fine.

But this is not an "average" RPG industry player. This is THE industry player.

Expectations are higher because in the past WotC has shown through excellence why they are the leader. They're not showing that now (IMO-YMMV), so that's why there is criticism.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Good.

Maybe it'll keep 3rd-party companies from jumping the gun and releasing a "we got this 4e book out before WotC's similar core book" book that's full of innacuracies and errors.

**coughcoughCreatureCollectioncoughcough**

In fact, I hope they wait until after 4e is released to the general public to release the SRD m'self.

Never stopped WoTC from having similiar errors **Monster Manual III, IV, V*** cough cough cough....

 

[JoeGKushner]

Then perhaps they shouldn't rely on one license to make their living?

Yeah, like that Mongoose Games. Oh wait.... they really don't do d20 anymore...

Or that Green Ronin.... eh? Same thing?

Surely Atlas Games must be relying soley on d20? No?

Perhaps fans of the companies who've enjoyed their products and hope they'll see continued support for 4e should contain their enthusiasm? Okay, that one I can see but I don't see a lot of companies relying on the d20 license to make their living these days...

 

[JoeGKushner]

Ah, the classic "if you have more money and more people, things should go faster" argument. Too bad that's not how things really work in collaborative situations like game design.

Yeah cause it's crazy that different people would be repsonsible for the DI and getting things done there in a timely fashion than in other places. Just use all the same resources for everything. That's much better.

 

[Scribble]

A good conspiracy is an unprovable conspiracy.
-Mel Gibson, Conspiracy Theory

A better conpiracy is one that no one believes in.
-DMcCoy1693, On the Hasbro/WotC Conspiracy

Can I add my own quote? "A bad conspiracy is one that's just... dumb."

 

[BASHMAN]

I should note up-front that what I say below is not what I think WotC are doing. It's just a thought that occurred to my paranoid little brain.



If your intent was to put those companies out of business, it would make sense:

If you release the SRD, they can produce product.

If you tell them there's no SRD coming, they won't wait for the SRD, but go ahead and produce product, either 3.5e compatible or for a new game system entirely.

If you tell them that there's an SRD coming 'soon', though, they're likely to hold out for the SRD, and the more lucrative 4e-compatible business. Of course, all the time they're not producing product they're bleeding money...

True. I had posted that I suspected this could happen, but was branded a black-helecopter watchin' tinfoil-hat wearing conspiracy theorist for even mentioning the possibility.

As for wizard's right to do this, yes they have that right... but it would be suicide as third party publishers make an OSRIC for 4e that is free and supported by all the 3rd parties since there is no OGL in this case. They'd just use the 3rd ed OGL or none at all for it.

As is, however, they have said there will be an OGL.. just not when-- so I don't think that they will turn around later and say there will not be one. Otherwise there would be no point in their initial announcement that there'd be no d20 system liscence. Why lie and say you are going to have an OGL but not lie and tell people you are not having a d20 licsense. It they were going to lie, they'd lie for both...

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

* nt *