d20 Macross 7, Rifts, Gamma World

[JEL]

I don't think HG's grasp of copyright/trade mark law is much better than Palladium's...

 

[Sir Elton]

Personally, I don't care of the people of Palladium books are bluffing or not. I think they're little more than a pack of paranoid control freaks, eminent poster children for the 14+14 copyright law reform movement. And like I said before, I suspect their IP lawyer is a figment of imagination induced by that paranoia. Why? I've seen enough copyright "discussions" personally involving the sembiedas with them making statements that are blatently wrong under even the most basic levels copyright and trademark law that if they are using a lawyer, he's obviously incompetent to be giving them such horrible advice. I won't even get started on the bad trademarks they list on various acronyms and abbreviations, like SDC, MDC, and PPE.

I think their wrongful assumption that Wizards of the Coast can take their Rifts IP if they convert to D20 is fueled by a Lawyer who doesn't understand the OGL. Either that, or their Paranoia is fueled by themselves.

Personally, I think it sucks. Mr. Sembieda can make a killing again on the RPG market if he converts Rifts to D20. Rifts has a great storyline, but the system it's based on is so dated it isn't even funny.

Their Attitude about the OGL makes me mad. It even makes me more angry is the fact that I can't effect change in their direction. Not even Kevin's pocket book won't change his mind.

 

[Ranger REG]

I dunno. Most Palladium fans are content with Palladium's Megaversal system, and would like nothing of their games to do with d20 or with D&D (still a common misconception, even among our own d20 gaming community).

 

[PosterBoy]

I dunno. Most Palladium fans are content with Palladium's Megaversal system, and would like nothing of their games to do with d20 or with D&D (still a common misconception, even among our own d20 gaming community).

I think I agree here. I bet most Rifts’ GMs have their own house rules that fix the system to their satisfaction. I don’t think they will ever vastly change the system with a new edition because they have way to many supplement books using that system. At least at this point people know what they are getting.

 

[Kanegrundar]

I feel Sir Elton's pain. I have a ton of covnerted Rifts/Phase World and Heroes Unlimited material that I can only showcase to my gaming group. KS's attitude to D20 seems silly, but I also look at it as being one of the last bastions of game companies that aren't buying into the D20 craze (even if it vastly superior to KS's system, IMO). I know several Palladium players that want nothing to do with D20. They take a sense of pride in knowing that they haven't converted over to D20 yet, and hope they never do. However, I also know more Rifts players that would like to see a balanced version of the game, not caring whether it's D20 or a new edition of Rifts.

Oh well, I'm playing the game I've always wanted to and having a great time of it. Too bad I'll never be able to share it with others that aren't in my group.

Kane

 

[Sir Elton]

I know several Palladium players that want nothing to do with D20. They take a sense of pride in knowing that they haven't converted over to D20 yet, and hope they never do. However, I also know more Rifts players that would like to see a balanced version of the game, not caring whether it's D20 or a new edition of Rifts.

Someone else said that she bought the Rifts core rules, hated them, and returned them to the Game Shop---demanding her money back. She says that the Megaversal system doesn't sell in her part of the country. I wonder why.

 

[Kanegrundar]

Someone else said that she bought the Rifts core rules, hated them, and returned them to the Game Shop---demanding her money back. She says that the Megaversal system doesn't sell in her part of the country. I wonder why.

A lot of this comes down to what the "popular" players in an area like. Most of the places I've played and the people I've played with have been firm D&D supporters. Vampire tried to get a hand hold in my college town, but due to the type of people playing, it never drew in more than a handful. I don't want this to sound like we all play the popular game, but in my experience a successful group that spawns other successful groups will lead the community to playing and purchasing certain games. Granted, the places where I have been, other than Columbia, Missouri have had relatively small gaming communities, so this theory may not hold true to larger areas.

Kane