AU OGL Disappointment

[Hardhead]

Reading the "obligatory Unearthed Arcana" thread, I was momentarily confused, and thought they meant Arcana Unearthed. I thought there had been some sort of announcement about Monte Cook making AU 100% OGL.

Anyway, that got me to thinking: was anyone else disappointed by the OGL content of AU? By making only tables, but not class/race/feat names OGL, it's essentially not OGL at all. And though he's not the only publisher to do this,[1] AU is a prominent example. It seems to me that if anyone and everyone could make AU supplements, AU would get more press, and thus would sell better. Imagine a world where 10-20% of store shelf space was AU. Basically, it's the same theory as making core D&D OGL. Which is why I was so disappointed that only the bare minimum was OGL.

And yeah, I know that all the Malhavoc stuff has only bare minimum OGL declarations, and that's true of many other publishers too, but this was a book that had so much potential if it'd been OGL. Now, I'm sure we'll see a few products for AU in the coming year, but not anything like what could have been. Or maybe I'm just over-estimating the impact an OGL AU would have made. What does everyone else think?

[1] Some have truely draconian OGL definitions that it's hard to figure out what is and isn't OGL, and I suspect that's done on purpose)

 

[Davelozzi]

It would certainly have been nice for anyone hoping to use the mechanics, but I don't think it would have made a big difference in the number of AU products on the shelves. Without working with Malhavoc to use the AU name/trademark, there would have been no way to signigiy that you third party was AU (as well as d20) compatible.

Frankly, I wouldn't want to see 10-20% of the product on my shelves as AU.

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

[hijack] Hardhead will you e-mail me? [/hijack]

 

[Buttercup]

Remember that Monte Cook has to earn a living, and the way he is doing that is by creating IP. If he were to then turn around and give it away, he'd have to get a day job.

Other companies can publish products compatible with AU, and in fact, some have. They just have to enter into some sort of agreement.

I think AU is really only a niche product, like pretty much all the other D20 stuff published these days. I don't think the sales potential is there to bring about your vision of 10%-20% d20 product on store shelves being AU. (And since I like variety, I think that's a good thing.)

 

[Monte At Home]

It seems to me that if anyone and everyone could make AU supplements, AU would get more press, and thus would sell better.

Anyone and everyone can make AU supplements. You just have to obtain and use the free license mentioned on page 254.

 

[Nightfall]

Yeah not to mention the fact Monte really IS a nice guy.

 

[Hardhead]

Anyone and everyone can make AU supplements. You just have to obtain and use the free license mentioned on page 254.

There's a free lisence? I didn't know. I have the pdfs, not the store-version.

Ray, I'll email you tonight.

 

[Dinkeldog]

[hijack] Hardhead will you e-mail me? [/hijack]

I am Isida Kep'Tukari on the WotC/Monte Cook boards. I am Isida on the EN World reviews page.

Ray, as an aside, if you want to change your login name on the boards to match what you use on the other boards, you could probably get PCat to change it with an e-mail.

[/hijack of hijack]

 

[Welverin]

Ray, as an aside, if you want to change your login name on the boards to match what you use on the other boards, you could probably get PCat to change it with an e-mail.

[/hijack of hijack]

Or morrus, or Eric.