Can the GNU be applied to an RPG system?

[Umbran]

It is actually a very damning and rather sad.

I don't think it is damning, unless you think that it is damning that they treat this like business, rather than like an activity between best buddies. There's considerable money involved, and it is not "damning" that they don't take that lightly.

IMHO, anyway.

 

[AeroDm]

I don't think it is damning, unless you think that it is damning that they treat this like business, rather than like an activity between best buddies. There's considerable money involved, and it is not "damning" that they don't take that lightly.

IMHO, anyway.

I think you misunderstand. What I said is that it is rather damning that so few people in the RPG industry trust Wizards enough to invest money in products for fear that Wizards would unilaterally force them to destroy all their product, resulting in massive losses to the publisher. If you feel that type of behavior in a small industry is just takin' business seriously then I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

I think you misunderstand. What I said is that it is rather damning that so few people in the RPG industry trust Wizards enough to invest money in products for fear that Wizards would unilaterally force them to destroy all their product, resulting in massive losses to the publisher. If you feel that type of behavior in a small industry is just takin' business seriously then I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.

Perhaps because WotC already did exactly that? You do remember what was required after WotC ended the D20 STL, yes? (Not the OGL, the D20 STL, that handy little red, white, and black logo.)

'Fool me once, shame on you Fool me twice, shame on me' is a good foundation to build on.... I would not trust WotC either.

The Auld Grump

 

[Umbran]

If you feel that type of behavior in a small industry is just takin' business seriously then I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.

As I understand it, what you seem to blithely call "small industry" is still millions of dollars in gross revenue. But, from what I've gathered from the business types around here, RPGs are not a high-profit margin business, even for WotC. The end result is that we are talking about a significant chunk of change, but WotC is probably not in the position of a really large company, that can afford to be magnanimous.

It is easy to paint WotC as "damned", but I am not convinced things are all that black and white. Sure, WotC doesn't let other companies play in their yard easily and freely. But, as I understand it (and someone can correct me if I'm wrong), there's a flip side - WotC pays better, and to more people, than any other RPG company.

Which is not to say that WotC is sweetness and light, but simply that the ethical position here isn't so clear cut.

 

[AeroDm]

As I understand it, what you seem to blithely call "small industry" is still millions of dollars in gross revenue. But, from what I've gathered from the business types around here, RPGs are not a high-profit margin business, even for WotC. The end result is that we are talking about a significant chunk of change, but WotC is probably not in the position of a really large company, that can afford to be magnanimous.

It is easy to paint WotC as "damned", but I am not convinced things are all that black and white. Sure, WotC doesn't let other companies play in their yard easily and freely. But, as I understand it (and someone can correct me if I'm wrong), there's a flip side - WotC pays better, and to more people, than any other RPG company.

Which is not to say that WotC is sweetness and light, but simply that the ethical position here isn't so clear cut.

Small industry doesn't have to mean small revenue. This is a small enough industry that people get to know each other, that brings relationships into it, and respecting relationships is an important part of business. I also did not paint Wizards as "damned," I said the actions of others is "damning" of Wizards (i.e. indicia that Wizards did something bad/wrong/whatever).