Another Cease and Desist Letter: 4E Powercards

[CharlesRyan]

Seriously, Charles? You're really going with that?

180 degrees is somewhat different.

I would say a 180-degree change would be to not issue any open license, to actively fight anyone attempting to make D&D-compatible products, and perhaps even return to the sort of fan-hostile stance of TSR.

None of us have seen the final GSL, so I for one am not prepared to definitively characterize it. Certainly not with hyperbole. So, yes, I'm comfortable with "Clearly . . . a somewhat different direction."

 

[Brown Jenkin]

I would say a 180-degree change would be to not issue any open license, to actively fight anyone attempting to make D&D-compatible products, and perhaps even return to the sort of fan-hostile stance of TSR.

None of us have seen the final GSL, so I for one am not prepared to definitively characterize it. Certainly not with hyperbole. So, yes, I'm comfortable with "Clearly . . . a somewhat different direction."

There is a final GSL out there. It is official. Scott keeps saying they are revising it but no such revision has been released, therefore we have a GSL that is the way it is right now. If you want to say it isn't final, then it never will be because like the OGL and the d20STL they are still able to be changed.

My question now would be, which license do you prefer currently, the OGL or the GSL (as they both currently stand). I am not asking for your take on what is in WotC best interests or why they chose what they chose, just which license do you personally prefer.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

So, yes, I'm comfortable with "Clearly . . . a somewhat different direction."

Okay. I guess I'm somewhat bemused, then.


Jeff

 

[Scott_Rouse]

You guys should fork this conversation this is no longer about the OPs subject.

You'll have a lot more GSL stuff to talk about very soon.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

You guys should fork this conversation this is no longer about the OPs subject.

No need for a fork; it's done.


Jeff

 

[Brown Jenkin]

You guys should fork this conversation this is no longer about the OPs subject.

It does relate because it is about WotC's change in direction from the 3E OGL days back to seeming TSR days of C&Ds. The change in direction seems noticeable. By the way any desire to name who in particular is responsible for the GSL like Ryan Dancey took credit for the OGL. That way we can stop talking about nameless suits and instead focus on whoever is responsible for writing the GSL like Charles Ryan would prefer. From what you have said previously, you can make suggestions about changes, but you do not have the authority to actually approve changes.

You'll have a lot more GSL stuff to talk about very soon.

Wolf! Wolf! I'm sorry but the GSL revision has been 1-2 days away since Gen Con. Claims of soon are ringing hollow.

 

[xechnao]

My question now would be, which license do you prefer currently, the OGL or the GSL (as they both currently stand). I am not asking for your take on what is in WotC best interests or why they chose what they chose, just which license do you personally prefer.

You are asking Ryan here but I can still offer my opinion. My answer to your question would be that it depends on what effect it would have to the whole market. As it is I prefer the GSL than the OGL because the OGL drove the rpg market away from I wanted it to be -I wanted more innovative games and ideas to choose from -the fact that brand power restricted the development of game systems and mechanics has left me with a bitter taste.

Having said that let me hypothesize. If I wanted to make money out of the D&D brand -as a licensee- I would prefer the best deal that could help me achieve such a thing -if there were the viable conditions for myself as a 3pp to make money out of the D&D brand as it stands the moment of the deal. If I wanted to support the game I like I would support as a fan I am the game I like. If I wanted to make money doing this I would see how such a thing could be achieved -at its origins Rolemaster was an effort of sorts, but I could be wrong here as memory does not help-nevertheless you can see my point. If I wanted Wotc to make the best out of its brand I would prefer the license that Wotc knows that is the best for its current situation -certainly they would have more clues about it than I do.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

You'll have a lot more GSL stuff to talk about very soon.

I will be very surprised if there is anything in the NG version of the GSL that surprises me enough to talk about it.

 

[catsclaw227]

It does relate because it is about WotC's change in direction from the 3E OGL days back to seeming TSR days of C&Ds. The change in direction seems noticeable. By the way any desire to name who in particular is responsible for the GSL like Ryan Dancey took credit for the OGL. That way we can stop talking about nameless suits and instead focus on whoever is responsible for writing the GSL like Charles Ryan would prefer. From what you have said previously, you can make suggestions about changes, but you do not have the authority to actually approve changes.

I am curious why we should find "someone to blame" as if the decision to move from OGL to GSL was some kind of terrorist attack where we need to know who was responsible.

It was a corporate business decision, probably made in a room by, you know, real people trying to find a happy medium between the OGL and no open license. There might have been gamers and "suits" (who are people, too, you know) all trying to find out what would be good for the company and still allow 3PP to make products. I don't envy that group of people their task...

For whatever reason, the OGL was deemed not beneficial to WOTC. It's possible that you can blame Fast Forward Entertainment for that.... ugh... not a single decent book out of their whole library...

"ewwww, I got FFE on my OGL."

Bad medicine...

 

[DaveMage]

For whatever reason, the OGL was deemed not beneficial to WOTC. It's possible that you can blame Fast Forward Entertainment for that.... ugh... not a single decent book out of their whole library...

"ewwww, I got FFE on my OGL."

Bad medicine...

LOL!

Actually, I think they had two that were fairly well received: Orcfest (an introductory module for beginners) and Dangerous Creatures (a monster manual that was written, IIRC, by freelancers such as Bret Boyd). But 2 out of 40 or so is not exactly a high batting average.

(Edit - the name of the FF monster book is "Deadliest Creatures Tome".)