Amethyst - New campaign setting

[Dias Ex Machina]

Turanil, Turanil. You still haven't read the book, have you? The Amethyst book at 393 pages and is probably 80% fluff. It is not rule heavy. If we pulled the rules out, it would still be close to a 300 page book, which would be more than enough for some people for the initial book in a campaign setting. The largest Freeport book is not even close to 300 pages, so I think Amethyst has the fluff portion covered.

The 3.5 edition will remain on sale until a 4ED is released OR until we switch over to a 3.5 OGL OR until the deadline of January 1st 2009 (whichever comes first).

Our opinion on 4ED is that it is making us actually be more original. For those that have read the current edition book, we hardly refer to elves as elves (mostly in the framing fiction). They are called Damaskans, Tenenbri, etc. Dwarves are Narros and Halflings are Gimfen. So we were already halfway there already. Since we are able to "remove" entries outright from the GSL, it allows us to delete classes and races that don't work and replace them with those that do, as long as we rename them as something wholly unique. We plan on doing the same to our "Demons" and "Fey" races as well, referring to them by "their" names rather than "our" names.

Have you also really read the 4ED? Their Ranger is close to what we were did with OUR ranger prestige class and our Paladin prestige class and their Warlord are near photocopies in premise. Reading through, we realized we would have to make fewer compromises with the setting than we did with the 3.5 and the GSL is making us stay original and distinct.

I will admit some people will claim we are really bending the GSL or taking a liberty with the interpretation but we believe the GSL is made protect WOTC more than to lay a trap for blossoming 3P publishers.

I had a post on Gleemax dealing with that.

Like I said, we'll go into more details on the podcast we're recording for Tuesday.

 

[Dias Ex Machina]

Oh....and our sales were really positive for the first month but with the onslaught of 4ED, our sales (as well as many others with the 3.5 STL) faded real fast. So unless there are a 1000 people planning on buying our 3.5 book in the next two months, we really have no other option. You have 500 friends?

 

[xechnao]

Since we are able to "remove" entries outright from the GSL, it allows us to delete classes and races that don't work and replace them with those that do,

I am not sure you can do this.

I will admit some people will claim we are really bending the GSL or taking a liberty with the interpretation but we believe the GSL is made protect WOTC more than to lay a trap for blossoming 3P publishers.

Wotc wants you to make products compatible with the core books. Since the core books are about races and classes I think you are not protecting Wotc here.

 

[xechnao]

Oh....and our sales were really positive for the first month but with the onslaught of 4ED, our sales (as well as many others with the 3.5 STL) faded real fast. So unless there are a 1000 people planning on buying our 3.5 book in the next two months, we really have no other option. You have 500 friends?

Why don't you go systemless and offer guides for various systems? I think that this is the best option for your case.
You can do stuff like equipment and spells and whatever without difficulty cross platform.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Why don't you go systemless and offer guides for various systems? I think that this is the best option for your case.
You can do stuff like equipment and spells and whatever without difficulty cross platform.

Still doesn't seem to help with 4E, I think, at least if they want to use the OGL at some point.

And I am also not convinced that they could pull of recreating rules for several game systems. That takes a lot of time (=money), and the payoff might be too low.

I am not sure you can do this.

There is no real way to "remove" anything, I guess, but saying in your campaign setting "Oh, you could also use the statistics for Dwarv, but as is, we don't have a place for them here, so he'd be an oddball guy, unless your DM makes something up". What people do with the campaign setting as home is probably no concern for anyone but them.

 

[xechnao]

Still doesn't seem to help with 4E, I think, at least if they want to use the OGL at some point.

And I am also not convinced that they could pull of recreating rules for several game systems. That takes a lot of time (=money), and the payoff might be too low.

Why? What is D20 mechanically all about? HPs, damage dice and modifiers, and squares right? Is there a problem to list modifiers, squares and HPs?

 

[Dias Ex Machina]

I am not sure you can do this.

Wotc wants you to make products compatible with the core books. Since the core books are about races and classes I think you are not protecting Wotc here.

Actually, that's not exactly true.

They want products compatible with their core books, not their setting books. Since Amethyst 4ED will require the purchase of the three core books, we will still help their sales with the release of ours.

The GSL entry refers to "defining", "redefining," and "altering" the entry of a reference, not removing it entirely. Therefore, we can completely legally remove the WOTC defined "ELF" and replace it with tilen...

or Laudenian...

Experienced members on the gleemax post agreed with our interpretation. Trust me, if the word "remove" was in the SRD, there would be no option. We would go OGL...and take a severe risk.

 

[xechnao]

They want products compatible with their core books, not their setting books.

Reread my post. The races and classes are in the core books. They are called core races and classes since people start playing D&D.

Since Amethyst 4ED will require the purchase of the three core books, we will still help their sales with the release of ours.

Requirement must be logical. Having just a link to justify a requirement is not perceived as a requirement, especially if you could make it without this link. If your product asks 10-20% of the core books but demands that the rest of the core book is useless, it's bad business IMO. Brand name is important but what you are doing here it is kind of odd for the customer. Btw, from Wotc's POV you are still are not helping. Core is PoL with a series of PHBs. You are not supporting this plan here.

The GSL entry refers to "defining", "redefining," and "altering" the entry of a reference, not removing it entirely. Therefore, we can completely legally remove the WOTC defined "ELF" and replace it with tilen...

or Laudenian...

Experiences posters on the gleemax post agreed with our interpretation. Trust me, if the word "remove" was in the SRD, there would be no option. We would go OGL...and take a severe risk.

It depends what you mean by "remove". If you mean to literally exclude them, I think you are legally off -this counts as a redefinition. If you just omit them (not reference them at all), I believe you are legally covered regarding the legal articles of the license dealing with this matter.

 

[Dias Ex Machina]

It depends what you mean by "remove". If you mean to literally exclude them, I think you are legally off -this counts as a redefinition. If you just omit them (not reference them at all), I believe you are legally covered by the legal articles of the license dealing with this matter.

Well, I won't go into the details to the legal advice we were offered, but we believe we are on solid ground. I see your point but I believe it to be a little too...well paranoid feels a little harsh wording--I just can't think of another word.

Suffice to say, we are taking the risk. If we are burned...you'll be the first to know.

 

[xechnao]

Well, I won't go into the details to the legal advice we were offered, but we believe we are on solid ground. I see your point but I believe it to be a little too...well paranoid feels a little harsh wording--I just can't think of another word.

Suffice to say, we are taking the risk. If we are burned...you'll be the first to know.

Well since you claim you have researched the situation around this case there is little to be said here. But I was under the impression you were testing waters around the various forums somehow. Perhaps now you are more sure about what you are doing. Yet it seems people will need professional legal advice regarding various situations with GSL. I still hope things get more clear the soft way than the hard way for people that are attracted to it and succumb to it.