Another Cease and Desist Letter: 4E Powercards

[Brown Jenkin]

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...

If you read my post I did not assign the knowledge as blame. I asked Scott who was responsible for the GSL, like Ryan was for the OGL. I asked because Charles Ryan wanted us to stop talking about nameless suits. The point I was getting at, in addition to actually wanting to know the info, was to give WotC the opportunity to name someone in charge of the GSL so that we can stop referring to nameless suits as Charles wants. Unless WotC answers this then we have no other option but to continue to refer to the GSL as being the creation of nameless suits. If WotC believes the GSL is as great as they say and even better than the OGL surely someone is willing to take credit like Ryan Dancey did for the OGL.

 

[Scott_Rouse]

If you read my post I did not assign the knowledge as blame. I asked Scott who was responsible for the GSL, like Ryan was for the OGL. I asked because Charles Ryan wanted us to stop talking about nameless suits. The point I was getting at, in addition to actually wanting to know the info, was to give WotC the opportunity to name someone in charge of the GSL so that we can stop referring to nameless suits as Charles wants. Unless WotC answers this then we have no other option but to continue to refer to the GSL as being the creation of nameless suits. If WotC believes the GSL is as great as they say and even better than the OGL surely someone is willing to take credit like Ryan Dancey did for the OGL.

Assign responsibility to me.

 

[Brown Jenkin]

Thank you Scott.

 

[Scribble]

Scott- I don't know if you've answered this before, but are you able to give us any background on the how/whys of the GSL?

What went into brainstorming the GSL? (What were the reasons behind it?)

What caused you to determine the OGL was no longer viable in the end?

Was the option to still release the game under OGL, but with a stronger STL document (like maybe tying the IP stuff to the STL but leaving the mechanics OGL) an option at all?

 

[Ourph]

What caused you to determine the OGL was no longer viable in the end?

I'm not Scott, but I believe Linae gave a fairly succinct answer to this here on ENWorld a few months before she was let go. She said (paraphrasing) "We want people to support the new game".

If WotC had simply continued to use the OGL, they couldn't have encouraged publishers in that direction as strongly as they can with a new license.

 

[Dire Bare]

Assign responsibility to me.

Morrus would make a killing by selling pitchforks and torches on this site.

I wonder if Scott's compensation includes hazard pay!!! I can picture The Rouse suiting up in his protection suit +5 vs flame and hyperbole before visting ENWorld!!

 

[catsclaw227]

If you read my post I did not assign the knowledge as blame. I asked Scott who was responsible for the GSL, like Ryan was for the OGL. I asked because Charles Ryan wanted us to stop talking about nameless suits. The point I was getting at, in addition to actually wanting to know the info, was to give WotC the opportunity to name someone in charge of the GSL so that we can stop referring to nameless suits as Charles wants. Unless WotC answers this then we have no other option but to continue to refer to the GSL as being the creation of nameless suits. If WotC believes the GSL is as great as they say and even better than the OGL surely someone is willing to take credit like Ryan Dancey did for the OGL.

Fair enough, though I disagree that finding out who the specific individual responsible has value. In my previous post, I may have been projecting my concern for the resulting nerd-rage fueled witch hunt that may occur if we named names.

I prefer to just say it was WOTC that made the change and leave it at that. Not because it's safer to blame an entity and not single out an individual (that may or may not be a fellow gamer and member of our community), but more because decisions like this usually come after much disagreement and haggling and conference room arguments. And the final decision has an unknown hidden backstory, much like the ocean exposes only the tip of an iceberg.

 

[Scott_Rouse]

I wonder if Scott's compensation includes hazard pay!!! I can picture The Rouse suiting up in his protection suit +5 vs flame and hyperbole before visting ENWorld!!

Don't need it when there is an ignore function

 

[Scott_Rouse]

Scott- I don't know if you've answered this before, but are you able to give us any background on the how/whys of the GSL?

What went into brainstorming the GSL? (What were the reasons behind it?)

What caused you to determine the OGL was no longer viable in the end?

Was the option to still release the game under OGL, but with a stronger STL document (like maybe tying the IP stuff to the STL but leaving the mechanics OGL) an option at all?

I'll put these answers in my memoirs but for now I am not gonna talk about it

 

[Jack99]

Don't need it when there is an ignore function