D&D 4E 4E: What we think we know

[Yair]

I'm sure the Fourth Edition would be great. I doubt I'll purchase it, though. I plan on continuing playing 3.5 till the end of my current campaign, which should end at about the time Fourth Edition would be released. Then I'll be playing other games, not D&D, for a while. I expect to return to D&D only after Fourth Edition would be more developed, which I'm sure will be a great game.

Who knows, though. Maybe they'll convince me to switch earlier than I think.

So what does this mean for the current OGL?

Edit: New information reveals that the OGL will be maintained. So the answer is - not very much

Support for 3rd-party OGL games like Conan or True20 (or the forthcoming Traveller system) will remain just as it is. Support for the 3.x Edition will dwindle; some will remain, but probably little. It will no longer bear the d20 System logo. New 3rd party support for Fourth Edition will appear towards the end of 2008, from a handful of select companies (probably Green Ronin, Mongoose Publishing, Goodman Games, Paizo, and a few others), but will not use the OGL. New amateurs will need to break into the market by publishing their works on Gleemax, whereupon they would either be approached by Wizards to allow the publishing of "Fan-work Collections" (probably online), or by any publisher intending to hire them (probably in answer to a their submission to said publisher). Only a rare few would be able to muster the resolve, money, and resources to acquire a license to become a publisher from Wizards. In other words, the prospects of another Expeditious Retreat Press or Phil Reeds appearing are slim.

Someone will try using the OGL to make a system compatible with Fourth Edition. Wizards will either ignore it or note its displeasure with some aspects of it, and possibly issue a cease and desist. Either way the product will not provide a high-volume outlet for Fourth Edition compatible materials, the bulk of consumers looking for Fourth Edition material won't even be aware of it.

In time, the OGL will see less and less use. It won't entirely disappear, but it will be limited to an old guard sticking true to house-rules versions of 3.5 Edition and to specific games (like True20, Conan, Traveller, Mutants & Masterminds...). Most of the new products will be for Fourth Edition, released under the auspices of a Wizards Licensed Publisher or Wizards themselves - and won't use the OGL.

 

[danir]

The poster posted just before midnight on the 15th and the TMP page is listed as the 16th.

Piestrio

Hmphh,
My post was made on the 16th, at 9AM, more or less (according to Israel time-zone )

Re; OGL/SRD/d20 I would like to know what will be the treatment to non-english publishers (although I assume WotC will not bother checking us up even if we use an OGL guised 4th edition)
I don't think they will make anybody publish on gleemax prior, it makes no sense... However, I can see gleemax as somekind of a new "rpgnow" haven for small pdf's (2 buck a piece) - of course, if it won't have an impact on wotc sales.

 

[root.tar]

Which campaign world will be represented in the core books ? what do you think?

Will there be a new world?

 

[Yair]

Which campaign world will be represented in the core books ? what do you think?

Will there be a new world?

I'm hoping for Birthright. If you remove all the domain rules, it makes for a very good D&D setting, that if done right explains why killing monsters makes you increase in power.

More realistically, I think Greyhawk is still probably the best setting. I don't expect yet another setting, it will fragment the market needlessly.

 

[Yair]

Re; OGL/SRD/d20 I would like to know what will be the treatment to non-english publishers (although I assume WotC will not bother checking us up even if we use an OGL guised 4th edition)

As you say, it's unlikely to matter. However, to publish in Hebrew you'll probably need to use Silver Stars' phrases and translation, which makes their policy more relevant. I believe Silver Stars won't mind too, and might even release the translations of the core books under the OGL, but that's their decision and I don't really know the company.

תשאל אותם

I don't think they will make anybody publish on gleemax prior, it makes no sense... However, I can see gleemax as somekind of a new "rpgnow" haven for small pdf's (2 buck a piece) - of course, if it won't have an impact on wotc sales.

I agree. Wizards will continue to ignore non-commercial content in other sites, although perhaps it will actually now have a clearer fan policy. Gleemax will be the only channel to publish commercially (using content beyond the OGL) outside of endorsement by "Wizard Licensed Partners", and will open a market for such products.

 

[Hatachorm]

Updated my first post with the new info.

Thanks Merric, it's nice to have information all in one place.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Edit: New information reveals that the OGL will be maintained. So the answer is - not very much

But otherwise I found your post well-informed, astute, and insightful. You may yet be more correct than not...

 

[jasin]

* Fans will be able to publish material on Gleemax under (free) license from Wizards. (This material will be available to Wizards to republish; see discussion on Gleemax TOS).

Can somebody explain this further? What happens if fans publish material on places like EN World?

 

[OrcTeeth]

Which campaign world will be represented in the core books ? what do you think?

Will there be a new world?

I'm not sure about the core books, but I vaguely recall someone from WotC mentioning recently that they still retained the rights for the finalists in the Setting Search which spawned Eberron. And that they reserved the option to develop them into full-fledged settings in future.

Could well be that they'll launch a new game world or two somewhere down the track...

 

[Bacris]

Can somebody explain this further? What happens if fans publish material on places like EN World?

Nothing - just like now Remember that the current Terms of Service for the WotC boards are that anything posted, WotC can use without paying any royalty or giving any credit.