A Hard Question

[thecasualoblivion]

In all the threads talking about 4E and 3pp I've been reading over the last few times, a question occurred to me:

If the OGL is something people want, does it need D&D's participation? If it doesn't need D&D's participation, is it necessary to get angry with WotC for no longer participating?

 

[Drkfathr1]

I think it would certainly help. I'm not sure how successful OGL products can be from this point forward, but I do believe they will continue, even if only in very small quantities.

I also think its safe to say that if something happens with the D&D brand (Hasbro were to shelf it or radically change it) that the OGL would keep the game alive in some form.

I do think that one of the reasons the OGL and the products produced for it began to wane at the end of 3E's run was due to the fact that WotC stopped supporting it and stopped updating the SRD. It was only going to continue to be highly successful while WotC continued to allow others to use their latest goodies. As the game moved forward and the SRD remained rooted in the core material, there were fewer and fewer options for third parties, at least in order to support the newest concepts coming out of D&D.

 

[Nagol]

In all the threads talking about 4E and 3pp I've been reading over the last few times, a question occurred to me:

If the OGL is something people want, does it need D&D's participation? If it doesn't need D&D's participation, is it necessary to get angry with WotC for no longer participating?

It doesn't need D&D's participation, but it would be stronger with it.

I wasn't irked when WotC decided to no longer participate. It was when they tried to strong-arm others into not participating that got me irked. It's one thing to decide to go home. It's another when you tell others they have to leave the party too if they want to stay your friends. Thankfully, that clause was stricken from the revised GSL.

 

[Aeolius]

If the OGL is something people want, does it need D&D's participation? If it doesn't need D&D's participation, is it necessary to get angry with WotC for no longer participating?

By it's definition, the OGL distances itself from D&D. d20 could proclaim "Compatible with Dungeons & Dragons", but the OGL cannot. I am not angry at WotC for producing an edition of D&D that I find uninspiring, but I am disappointed.

 

[Cadfan]

In all the threads talking about 4E and 3pp I've been reading over the last few times, a question occurred to me:

If the OGL is something people want, does it need D&D's participation? If it doesn't need D&D's participation, is it necessary to get angry with WotC for no longer participating?

I guess it depends on what we want from the OGL.

 

[Umbran]

If the OGL is something people want, does it need D&D's participation?

To be clear - the OGL is a license. I don't know if many actually want the OGL in and of itself. They want a vibrant RPG industry with lots of good products, and they feel the OGL is a means to that end.

So, there are really two questions:

1)Does a vibrant RPG industry with lots of good products require D&D's participation?

2)Will the OGL help deliver such?

If the answer to both is yes, you have something like an answer to your original question. If you have "maybe" or "no" in there, you have a different answer.

 

[Mark]

(. . .) is it necessary to get angry with WotC for no longer participating?

I know of very few people who get angry over what they believe to be the missteps in a corporate policy. They might not like it, but broadbrushing them as angry is disingenuous. Please, don't do that.

 

[Hereticus]

Blah blah blah OGL blah blah blah.

Blah blah blah SRD blah blah blah.

It would be appreciated when some not so commonly used acronyms are defined at least once in a post, if not previously done earlier in a thread.

I believe that 3pp is "third party product".

 

[the Jester]

It would be appreciated when some not so commonly used acronyms are defined at least once in a post, if not previously done earlier in a thread.

I believe that 3pp is "third party product".

OGL is Opening Gaming License and SRD is System Reference Document.

I agree with the sentiment behind your post, but these topics are discussed all over gaming forums and are prolly as commonly used as YMMV or AFAIK around these parts, so I'm surprised you haven't seen them before. I suspect that most of the posters here have just gotten to the point where they assume that everyone is familiar with these acronyms- honestly, I kind of do too. So it's good to have a reminder that not everyone is, and that once in a while it's helpful to fully explain first.

 

[Hereticus]

OGL is Opening Gaming License.
SRD is System Reference Document.

Thank you!

I agree with the sentiment behind your post, but these topics are discussed all over gaming forums and are prolly as commonly used as YMMV or AFAIK around these parts, so I'm surprised you haven't seen them before. I suspect that most of the posters here have just gotten to the point where they assume that everyone is familiar with these acronyms- honestly, I kind of do too. So it's good to have a reminder that not everyone is, and that once in a while it's helpful to fully explain first.

I am relatively new to this forum, and do not participate in any other RPG on-line communities.

I am also not sure what YMMV means, as far as I know it could mean you mashed more vegetables (or other things that fail the grandmother rule).