Skarn Rapajya
First Post
Having just now DLed & read the new GSL, I was quite dismayed by the OGL Conversion clause.
Stefan, have you had a chance to read this yet, and if so, do you still intend to update DB for 4E?
For those who haven't yet read the new 4E GSL, Section 6 requires that any product converted from 3.x OGL to 4E GSL may no longer be offered under the OGL, nor may any other title in the same product line be released as OGL. Conversion is all-or-nothing by product line, and a company may not offer products under GSL that are similar to any of their other existing OGL offerings (GSL paragraph 6.2).
Considering this clause, I for one, as a satisfied DB customer, gladly release you from your earlier promise to update DB. Combine this with the fact that it looks much easier to adapt 4E for solo play (note the random dungeon generator in DMG Chapter 10), even a return to true single character solo play, I'd much rather see DB remain an OGL product line.
----------------------------
Besides, there's nothing to prevent me, as a consumer, from using DB with 4E characters, monsters, and treasure tables, leaving everything else as is. (Or maybe changing the room sizes from 4x6 & 6x8 to 6x8 & 8x10.) I haven't tried using it this way yet . . . and even though I haven't seen anything from DBWorld yet, I'd guess it'll be even easier to use for 4E without having to do anything but work up my own encounter tables & tie in the treasure tables from the DMG, which are much closer in structure to what DB already uses.
The only problem I see with this is that such 4E player-made conversions would probably not be allowed to be centralized on the TOGC website along with the existing house rules section. I do think, however, that user postings to the message boards with self-created conversions should fall under fair-use. (DISCLAIMER: I am NOT an attorney. These are just my own unfounded speculations.)
As for commercial concerns, I'm pretty sure that the way the OGL was worded will keep 3.x alive in the third-party market.
----------------------------
Addendum (07-15-2008):
I realize that most people around here are lurkers, and I have to admit that I usually am too. However, with the amount of . . . debate . . . regarding 4E in general and it's mixed reviews, I find it quite interesting that with the number of people who have read this message (83 so far) that nobody else has an opinion about DB (or any other TOGC product) and 4E.
Stefan originally stated, for example, that his various 'Complete . . . Card' products would be updated to 4E, but that the 3.5 OGL versions would still be available. Now that the 4E GSL has been released, anybody who reads it (and can make a modicum of sense out of the legalese) will realize that WotC has prevented him from making good on this promise.
This topic, therefore, will strike at the heart of Stefan's wallet. I'm trying to stir up some conversation from his customer base to give him an idea of where opinions lie, and thereby help him make a better informed decision on this issue. (In other words, I'm volunteering this forum to conduct a little bit of market research on his behalf.)
Stefan, have you had a chance to read this yet, and if so, do you still intend to update DB for 4E?
For those who haven't yet read the new 4E GSL, Section 6 requires that any product converted from 3.x OGL to 4E GSL may no longer be offered under the OGL, nor may any other title in the same product line be released as OGL. Conversion is all-or-nothing by product line, and a company may not offer products under GSL that are similar to any of their other existing OGL offerings (GSL paragraph 6.2).
Considering this clause, I for one, as a satisfied DB customer, gladly release you from your earlier promise to update DB. Combine this with the fact that it looks much easier to adapt 4E for solo play (note the random dungeon generator in DMG Chapter 10), even a return to true single character solo play, I'd much rather see DB remain an OGL product line.
----------------------------
Besides, there's nothing to prevent me, as a consumer, from using DB with 4E characters, monsters, and treasure tables, leaving everything else as is. (Or maybe changing the room sizes from 4x6 & 6x8 to 6x8 & 8x10.) I haven't tried using it this way yet . . . and even though I haven't seen anything from DBWorld yet, I'd guess it'll be even easier to use for 4E without having to do anything but work up my own encounter tables & tie in the treasure tables from the DMG, which are much closer in structure to what DB already uses.
The only problem I see with this is that such 4E player-made conversions would probably not be allowed to be centralized on the TOGC website along with the existing house rules section. I do think, however, that user postings to the message boards with self-created conversions should fall under fair-use. (DISCLAIMER: I am NOT an attorney. These are just my own unfounded speculations.)
As for commercial concerns, I'm pretty sure that the way the OGL was worded will keep 3.x alive in the third-party market.
----------------------------
Addendum (07-15-2008):
I realize that most people around here are lurkers, and I have to admit that I usually am too. However, with the amount of . . . debate . . . regarding 4E in general and it's mixed reviews, I find it quite interesting that with the number of people who have read this message (83 so far) that nobody else has an opinion about DB (or any other TOGC product) and 4E.
Stefan originally stated, for example, that his various 'Complete . . . Card' products would be updated to 4E, but that the 3.5 OGL versions would still be available. Now that the 4E GSL has been released, anybody who reads it (and can make a modicum of sense out of the legalese) will realize that WotC has prevented him from making good on this promise.
This topic, therefore, will strike at the heart of Stefan's wallet. I'm trying to stir up some conversation from his customer base to give him an idea of where opinions lie, and thereby help him make a better informed decision on this issue. (In other words, I'm volunteering this forum to conduct a little bit of market research on his behalf.)
Last edited: