4th Edition is Looming - Here is More Evidence

[Vigilance]

I think it was hinted at by other people that have no way of knowing. It might be correct, but I doubt anyone who knows is saying anything. So, we just get guesswork.

And eventually, since we get one of these inane threads EVERY MONTH someone is bound to be right.

Then we'll have to put up with that person till the end of time going "see, I told ya, I saw the signs".

It'll be like Jeanne Dixon with the Kennedy assassination all over again (read into that choice of metaphor what you will).

Chuck

 

[Knight Otu]

A single sneeze, and everyone thinks you've got the flu, when it just might be a reaction to the pepper.

Hasbro have an exclusive agreement with <someone> to produce the only licensed D&D computer games. It's entirely possible that someone in Legal spotted the Code Monkey agreement, worried about a potential conflict, and ordered the cancellation of that license.

Wasn't that license (or a similar one) the death knell for the original version of Master Tools/E-Tools?

 

[Crothian]

And eventually, since we get one of these inane threads EVERY MONTH someone is bound to be right.

Then we'll have to put up with that person till the end of time going "see, I told ya, I saw the signs".

As long as they sign Ace of Base's "I saw the Sign" While they do it we'll be okay. But if they sing Five Man Electrical Band "Signs" we'll have proplems!!

 

[Umbran]

Nothings been anounced yet, but in many of hte previous 4e threads its been hinted that there won't be an ogl with fourth edition.

As others have already noted: "it has been hinted" - by whom? Really, weight of collected hints is not meaningful. Only hints from those with actual information are useful. And nobody here's got that...

 

[DonTadow]

As others have already noted: "it has been hinted" - by whom? Really, weight of collected hints is not meaningful. Only hints from those with actual information are useful. And nobody here's got that...

You got to pour through the 4e threads but it has been my industry notables, not just random people on here (though there are some random people on here who are industry notables). I know MR. Cook and Mearls have hinted at it in rantings. It's also widely known that wotc has had problems with the legality of the OGL.

 

[Sejs]

As others have already noted: "it has been hinted" - by whom? Really, weight of collected hints is not meaningful. Only hints from those with actual information are useful. And nobody here's got that...

"It's been hinted" is really another way of saying "it's been speculated based on vague happenstance and assumption".


Frankly the only thing the Code Monkey move means is that either WotC's looking to make similar products themselves, or give another company the lisence to do so.

 

[Knight Otu]

I know MR. Cook and Mearls have hinted at it in rantings. It's also widely known that wotc has had problems with the legality of the OGL.

Monte Cook has no longer any influence on how 4th Edition will look (and he has said that the OGL has been good for the game, as far as I recall). Mike Mearls is just a single person, and a (relatively) new hire, and a developer rather than a designer. His influence will naturally be limited, as 4E will be a team effort.
And sure, it might be that Wizards has problems with the OGL, but that cat is out of the back for 3E. They have another option though - They can pull the d20STL, which allows/forces publishers to put the d20 Symbol and the "Requires PHB, etc" texts on books. They haven't done that yet, to the best of my knowledge.

Yes, it is an educated guess that 4E will not have an OGL. But it is nothing more. Those who speak do not know. Those who know do not speak.

 

[Vigilance]

WOTC has said several times that there would be a year's notice. That's why these threads always (thankfully) die down for a little while after a Gen Con, because if there's no announcement there, that means we have a year to go.

Until WOTC goes back on that, I will take them at their word.

In short, I'll expect 4e when I hear something about it, either "here it comes in a year" or "psych! it's coming out next month".

Faster edition cycles do seem to be the way, so 2008 would be a slightly shorter cycle.

 

[The_Gneech]

4e beat me up when I was a child. I'll never forgive it for that!

-The Gneech

 

[Umbran]

You got to pour through the 4e threads but it has been my industry notables....

"Industry notables" and "people with actual information" are not the same thing. Being notable does not imply you're in on the business decisions of WotC. A notable may have perspective that makes predictions more likely, but we should not confuse predictions with facts.