Fate of WotC Closed Content?

[GuardianLurker]

I'm sure this was brought up way back when 4e first poked its head over the horizon, but I don't remember the answer. For that matter with the release of the GSL and 4e, the answer may have changed.

Given that the mechanics of 4e and 3e are so radically different, and that the old 3e *mechanics* as presented in the WotC supplements are now officially "abandonware", has there been any thought given to releasing those supplements as OGC?

I imagine a single "Product Identity/OGL" document per product would suffice. For instance, WRT to Complete Scoundrel: "The following items are considered product identity and closed content under the OGL: names, portraits, and descriptions of all NPCs, all proper names whereever they may occur, the entireties of Chapters 1 and 6, and all parts of classes except for Entry Requirements, Class Table (though not the Class Name), and Class Features section. You may refer to this product as CScd(WotC), base classes from this product as CScd(WotC) BaseClassX (where X is a number), and prestige classes from this product as CScd(WotC) PrC X (where X is a number)." And then the OGL portion would have in its s15" "CScd(WotC), Wizards of the Coast, (c)2007".

Honestly, in the WotC supplements the only things that could possibly be "upgraded" are the Feats. Spells and PrCs have gone away, and their equivalents function very differently, making them essentially unupgradeable.
So maybe the feats might need to be made product identity, or have their names stripped, or something.

What do you all think? Doable? Possible? Or Just-a-Dream?

 

[Lizard]

Well, first, there's no such thing as "abandonware".

Second, given how hard WOTC is working to kill the OGL, why on Earth would they ever release more source material for it? Short of, say, Peter Adkison buying WOTC back from Hasbro, you can be damn sure nothing from WOTC will be coming out as Open Game Content, ever again. WOTC wants people to move to 4e; they have no motive to extend the "life" of 3e, and if it was in any way possible for them to recall the SRD and shut down the OGL, you can be certain they would. Fortunately, the people who created the OGL knew this would happen and made sure it was permanent and irrevocable; this is why the GSL is very explicitly *neither* (and why companies are a bit reluctant to base their business plans on WOTC whims).

 

[Ranger REG]

What do you all think? Doable? Possible? Or Just-a-Dream?

Well, I'm still waiting for 3.0e material to be released as OGC -- Oriental Adventures come to mind -- when 3.5e came out.

 

[jmucchiello]

Well, I'm still waiting for 3.0e material to be released as OGC -- Oriental Adventures come to mind -- when 3.5e came out.

I wouldn't hold my breath for that.

 

[Ranger REG]

I wouldn't hold my breath for that.

Then the same statement should apply to 3.5e closed content as well.

 

[CapnZapp]

I agree Wizards will want to bury all of 3.0/3.5/d20/OGL as soon as possible, creating as few options as possible to their 4E upgrade offer.

 

[CapnZapp]

Well, first, there's no such thing as "abandonware".

Sure there is.

Well, speaking as a big-corp lawyer, you're right.

But that completely ignores that fact that if enough customers want to keep 3E alive as a free community project, Wizards and their cadre of lawyers can't do a thing about it.

There's plenty of examples how people are making old software available despite the publisher's wishes, so I'd say your view is very narrow and misleading. There's a world outside US courts you know!

 

[Lizard]

Sure there is.

Well, speaking as a big-corp lawyer, you're right.

But that completely ignores that fact that if enough customers want to keep 3E alive as a free community project, Wizards and their cadre of lawyers can't do a thing about it.

There's plenty of examples how people are making old software available despite the publisher's wishes, so I'd say your view is very narrow and misleading. There's a world outside US courts you know!

Yes, but pretty much all of that world is a signatory to the Berne Convention.

 

[Xyxox]

I agree Wizards will want to bury all of 3.0/3.5/d20/OGL as soon as possible, creating as few options as possible to their 4E upgrade offer.

d20 is officially D-E-A-D dead.

3.0 and 3.5 are officially OOP.

The OGL lives on.

 

[Ranger REG]

d20 is officially D-E-A-D dead.

3.0 and 3.5 are officially OOP.

The OGL lives on.

The logo is dead.

The system will live through OGL.