D&D 4E 4e Srd

[kenmarable]

I dunno. The material for the PHB may be edited by then (three months before the launch), but to extract content for the SRD would take at least a month and then be approved by WotC's legal team.

Maybe a missing piece of information here is that for 3e, they didn't have the SRD ahead of time, just like Clark said. Instead, Ryan Dancey sent out an electronic copy of the PHB to those who signed an agreement and planned on publishing. I forget how much of the DMG and MM were available at that point. Then Ryan gave a list of what to avoid and the publishers were off and running with no SRD, just a "Gentleman's Agreement." And the final SRD was different than what was allowed initially (which is why early 3.0 products include things like mind flayers and beholders, but none after that).

So there doesn't *need* to be an SRD for publishers to get going with 4e if WotC does another "Gentlemen's Agreement" sort of approach. I'm thinking that might exactly be what they do again, but this time they know most of the major players ahead of time (whereas with 3e, most publishers were new start ups), and will send them electronic copies of the core rules with a list of what to use and avoid. I also think this "laundry list" approach is how they should do it perpetually rather than posting a set of SRD documents. Least amount of effort on their part which makes it more likely for continual updates.

 

[Ilium]

Maybe the easiest thing for Wizards to do would be to just mark the OGC right in the books like other publishers do. Everything that's OGC has a certain background or font or whatever (or maybe everything that's NOT would have a certain background if it's less material). Might make the book kind of ugly, though.

 

[tensen]

I dunno. The material for the PHB may be edited by then (three months before the launch), but to extract content for the SRD would take at least a month and then be approved by WotC's legal team.

I know that the PHB has the bulk of the core rules, but is that enough for third-party publishers? Shouldn't they would want to wait for the MM material?

At least a month?!?
I distinctly recall that fact that 3rd edition publishers will still operating under the gentleman's agreement for years after 3rd edition was released before the official SRD was out.

 

[JVisgaitis]

Well, I'm sure the SRD will be coming out in the next couple months for the 3rd party publishers.

They told us around the new year. I hope its soon, as I'm dying to get started on our 4e product line.

I think that this version of the OGL will be more restrictive and may limit who can and cannot publish compatible stuff, in some way.

What gives you this idea? All indications point to it actually being the opposite.

 

[see]

I think that this version of the OGL will be more restrictive and may limit who can and cannot publish compatible stuff, in some way.

Anything released under any version of the Open Game License can be used by anyone under any version of the Open Game License, provided the person in question has been granted a license to any material whatsoever under the OGL 1.0a.

9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version of this License.

Now, there's a fairly obvious way to get around that, I grant -- you call the license something other than the OGL. But the biggest reason for Wizards not to muck with licensing restrictions is the ability of third parties to build their own game on top of 3.5. They don't want a mess of minor publishers around still pumping out 3.5 material, stitching together 3.5 core alternatives, and so on. (Oh, a few probably will, anyway . . . but you want to minimize it.)

 

[Ranger REG]

Maybe the easiest thing for Wizards to do would be to just mark the OGC right in the books like other publishers do. Everything that's OGC has a certain background or font or whatever (or maybe everything that's NOT would have a certain background if it's less material). Might make the book kind of ugly, though.

Nah. It would be inconvenient to publishers and designers, especially when introducing the fundamental core ruleset. Better to put out a "Developer's Toolkit" version, that is the SRD.

 

[Ranger REG]

At least a month?!?
I distinctly recall that fact that 3rd edition publishers will still operating under the gentleman's agreement for years after 3rd edition was released before the official SRD was out.

The Gentleman's Agreement was supposed to apply toward the use of the Beta version of the SRD that Ryan Dancey puts out on his Open Gaming Foundation web site. When WotC officially release their SRD, both Beta SRD and the GA becomes void.

 

[WhatGravitas]

Maybe the easiest thing for Wizards to do would be to just mark the OGC right in the books like other publishers do. Everything that's OGC has a certain background or font or whatever (or maybe everything that's NOT would have a certain background if it's less material). Might make the book kind of ugly, though.

Nah, too ugly, too much hassle. They'll probably keep it as it is: Nothing is OGC, but they release a fully OGC-SRD. Just as now. That's the easiest way to avoid errors and doesn't involve ugly books. And keeps the OGL out of the books.

Cheers, LT.