Forked Thread: What is WOTC's Goal with the GSL?

[Ranger REG]

Granted. Allow me to clarify what I mean by "speculative". I mean that there are no sufficient grounds for the speculation. I could use the word "specious" instead, but I figure that would be offensive.

Oh, gee. How kind of you to be polite.

Nice sig. Still don't believe the OGL didn't give WotC latitude. They have enjoyed watching from their high perch while small print presses were making supplements for D&D via d20STL (in conjunction with the OGL: Covered Product need minimum 5% OGC), like Seafarer's Handbook and Seas of Blood until they come out with their own, Stormwrack.

So, can I safely assume you will buy/support GSL products, even more than WotC's own, as I have supported d20 products in the 3e Era?

 

[Corjay]

Please stop making inferences from my words that I never even implied. My choices are not a part of this discussion. This discussion is about WOTC, not me. If you have a point to make, I suggest you do it without directing it at me personally.

 

[Ranger REG]

Please stop making inferences from my words that I never even implied. My choices are not a part of this discussion. This discussion is about WOTC, not me. If you have a point to make, I suggest you do it without directing it at me personally.

Just asking a question.

 

[Corjay]

Just asking a question.

Your "question" is c0cked and loaded. I thought I might try to pull the point out from between the lines of your "question", but I can't be certain about the point to why you asked the question. So what I'm going to do is just clarify the difference between the OGL and the GSL regarding people's general buying preferences.

First, allow me to point out that most people don't buy a product to spite a particular company or to support a particular kind of business. Sometimes they'll buy a product to support a particular company they like, but usually it's dependent on the product itself.

The OGL did indeed allow a greater support for 3pp's to multiply. It allowed plenty of room for companies to compete and come up with unique ideas that distinguish them from their competitors. If someone wanted to support D&D, they could, but mostly they were free to do what they wanted.

With the GSL, it limits the pool of publishers, because it's not a generally good idea to support a competitor's product, which is exactly what the GSL encourages: supporting the D&D system. If you, as a publisher, support the game, it typically means you're willing to take a smaller cut of the pie to ensure that you have a steady market to dip into. WOTC's success becomes your success. If you want your game to survive, then you have to do everything in your power to help the D&D system to grow. The GSL ensures that your game system has little variance from D&D, because you're not allowed to redefine the definitions. If there is any mechanic in the system at all that you want to use, it must direct the reader to the D&D core rulebook where it is found. You can't even have humans without referencing the D&D core rulebooks. (Though you can get around that particular snaffu by declaring them "Baratas Humans" or something like that.) Essentially, every single product produced must be nothing more than a supplement. So, then, if you buy that product, or better yet, if you make your own little world using the GSL, you are supporting D&D, period. Even if you never buy another D&D product, but use a GSL product, you are supporting D&D because you had to buy the D&D core rulebooks to use that GSL product.

So, then, as a customer, my preferences are virtually irrelevant. Either I support D&D 4e, or I don't. If I buy GSL, then I am supporting 4e. No if's, and's, or but's.

 

[CapnZapp]

Please stop making inferences from my words that I never even implied. My choices are not a part of this discussion. This discussion is about WOTC, not me. If you have a point to make, I suggest you do it without directing it at me personally.

Yours is a mission impossible. You say this thread should only discuss WotC. However, we have absolutely no insight in the workings of that company. The only thing we can do is speculate, and there one man's speculation isn't any better than the next's.

I fully understand why the thread comes back to you, because, frankly, there isn't much else to discuss, and what there was, has been regurgitated several times over already.

I think it is time for me to leave this thread. If something interesting comes up, be sure to post it in a new thread will you? Thanks muchly.

 

[Corjay]

LOL. You're so silly.

Who can top that?

Adios. I shall shed a tear ...

 

[Angellis_ater]

Some things to add. The "True20 romantic" srd is actually illegal and Green Ronin has asked that guy to take it down. He hasn't. GR never released an SRD for the True20 system because the entire core book is the "SRD" (with a few minor exceptions).

No. Blatantly wrong, incorrect and misunderstood. The True20 SRD as hosted by a fan, is NOT illegal in ANY way. True20 is and was published under the OGL and part and parcel of that is the possibility of someone making a functional SRD site out of it. Whether or not Green Roning approves of it or likes it is another thing alltogether.

Fact is - just as with D&D, someone can take the entirety of the True20 system as released and republish it, even sell it. That is part of the "viral" nature of the OGL and what makes it both so widely accepted but also widely spread.

So, can we PLEASE not perpetuate this "misunderstanding" about the True SRD?

 

[Ranger REG]

No. Blatantly wrong, incorrect and misunderstood. The True20 SRD as hosted by a fan, is NOT illegal in ANY way. True20 is and was published under the OGL and part and parcel of that is the possibility of someone making a functional SRD site out of it. Whether or not Green Roning approves of it or likes it is another thing alltogether.

Fact is - just as with D&D, someone can take the entirety of the True20 system as released and republish it, even sell it. That is part of the "viral" nature of the OGL and what makes it both so widely accepted but also widely spread.

So, can we PLEASE not perpetuate this "misunderstanding" about the True SRD?

Well, I haven't seen the True SRD, but as long as the SRD contains all OGC, and not one PI, then it is okay.

Just because the product is under OGL, doesn't necessarily means it is 100% OGC. The OGL specifically defines what is OGC and PI, and which content you can use under the license, and what you cannot use under the license (without the OGL, it's considered copyrighted material enforced under copyright law).

 

[Corjay]

No. Blatantly wrong, incorrect and misunderstood. The True20 SRD as hosted by a fan, is NOT illegal in ANY way. True20 is and was published under the OGL and part and parcel of that is the possibility of someone making a functional SRD site out of it. Whether or not Green Roning approves of it or likes it is another thing alltogether.

Fact is - just as with D&D, someone can take the entirety of the True20 system as released and republish it, even sell it. That is part of the "viral" nature of the OGL and what makes it both so widely accepted but also widely spread.

So, can we PLEASE not perpetuate this "misunderstanding" about the True SRD?

Well, I haven't seen the True SRD, but as long as the SRD contains all OGC, and not one PI, then it is okay.

Just because the product is under OGL, doesn't necessarily means it is 100% OGC. The OGL specifically defines what is OGC and PI, and which content you can use under the license, and what you cannot use under the license (without the OGL, it's considered copyrighted material enforced under copyright law).

The correct term in the U.S. is 'IP' for 'Intellectual Property', not 'PI' for 'Product Identity' or 'Propriedade Intelectual'[/nitpick]

RangerREG is correct. Angellis ater may also be correct, so long as no IP is involved. If there is no IP involved, then there's nothing the True20 staff can do about it. Mechanics are not covered under copyright. And unless the whole True20 system is covered under a patent, there's nothing they can do about the mechanics at all. Now, if the True20 logo is used, then there may be trademark issues. But that's a discussion for another thread.

 

[dmccoy1693]

No. Blatantly wrong, incorrect and misunderstood. ...Whether or not Green Roning approves of it or likes it is another thing alltogether.

Link.

If we wanted there to be a True20 SRD, we would do one ourselves. Also, a third party doing one would probably defeat the purpose, since you couldn't actually call it the True20 SRD, as that's our Trademark and you couldn't use it without our permission.

The contents of the True20SRD isn't illegal. Calling it the TrueSRD or True20SRD or whatever is the illegal part.

"Product Identity" means product and product line names,

emphasis mine.