D&D 4E 4e OGL and SRD?

[Firebeetle]

Will 4E have an Open Game License and System Reference Document? I really feel this has been a major strength of 3e and has every company out there publishing product with d20 stats at least. Further, it allows all kinds of support products to be created that could not otherwise.

The OGL and SRD have been a tremendous success, will it continue?

 

[(contact)]

Scott Rouse confirmed that 4e will still have an SRD at the Ennies, and Bill Slavacek confirmed this as well at the D&D Q&A forum.

We don't have specifics yet (as they don't exist yet), but D&D will remain open-source enough for 3rd party publishing to continue, and one of the core aspects of the 4e rollout (community) involves user-participation and user-generated content shared via the dndinsider.com site.

Slavacek mentioned that Rouse had been meeting with 3rd party publishers throughout the con, so there is an active dialogue happening, and my sense is that WotC very much wants to figure out the best way to enable community support for their new game -- including 3rd party publishers.

It's all so web 2.0.

 

[Yair]

I'd add that while we are assured there would be an OGL and SRD, what will happen to the d20STL is far from clear. To me, anyways. If I'm reading the entrails correctly, Wizards will withdraw the d20 system trademark license (which, apparently, 3rd party publishers don't really want to use now) and instead provide a select few hand-picked publishers with greater benefits. Perhaps using the D&D logo itself, or even referring to WotC's products and using their content. This means that 3rd party publishers would have to be content with using the OGL itself, however.