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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Orcus" data-source="post: 3801067" data-attributes="member: 1254">They dont need a SRD for third party publishers to make products. They just need to give us permission to use content. That doesnt have to be in the form of releasing the content through a new SRD. So it isnt necessarily a lock that the process of allowing 3rd parties to make content means that you get a fully typed out SRD like the 3E one. I think the SRD, while it had many great aspects to it, was too much work for WotC last time. In fact, the work required to update and create additional SRD content is likely one of the biggest reasons that content from subsequent books was not included in the SRD--it simply wasnt worth WotC's time to dedicate an editor or staffer to stripping the content and posting it. And that sucked. It meant that 3rd party publishers couldnt help WotC sell those books becuase we couldnt refer to them. I think WotC this time knows that that was a mistake and that they want our help selling those books. So I see them coming up with a system that doesnt hinder that. What that means, I dont know. But I have a guess--see below. What I, as a publisher, want is access to as much content as possible. If that means a less "pre-written" SRD that is fine with me. Because as it is people were able to just take the SRD, no retyping required, and hypertext it and voila there are the rules online. Here is the guess I mentioned above: I would not be surprised if the "new SRD" is simply a book by book listing of what you can use and what you cant use under the OGL. I'm not sure we should expect WotC to type it all out for us again. If they do, that would be great, of course. By the way, this is exactly how it was done in the early days of the OGL. It was called the "gentleperson's agreement" and was done by email from Ryan Dancey to me and to others saying what we could and couldnt use from the core books. It was a number of months before the OGL and SRD were finalized and online. So I wouldnt be surprised if, at least at first, you see content distributed to publishers in that fashion.I also have another guess: clearly, WotC is trying to have a big presence in the digital realm of D&D. One of the best current online things are the many killer hypertext SRDs. WotC knows that. They see those products. Heck, I've talked to WotC guys who tell me they use them in their game. I do to. So if WotC sees them, and uses them, and are trying to really make a splash in the digital arena for D&D it makes sense to me that THEY would want to be the ones providing the online rules reference rather than letting others do it by typing it all out for them.Of course, these are just my thoughts. I have no inside info on this. But again, dont presume that "content out to publishers for support" means "I get the rules all typed out and online for me at launch." That isnt how it happened last time. Clark</blockquote>

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