D&D 4E Does the OGL/D20 liscense hurt 4e? Should 4e be open?

[SavageRobby]

I think it will be OGL compatible simply because it won't be difference enough from 3x to not be. Look at all of the various systems that have been released under the OGL. Now, is 4e's mechanics and rules and text going to be so different that other publishers won't be able to use the OGL to publish products that are compatible with it?

WotC would be cutting their own throat if they had 4E be a bigger change from 3E than 3E was from 2E, which they'd have to do to even come close to making it incompatible.

Exactly.

 

[Najo]

Najo, please don't take my above post as dismissive. I know it sounds that way. Your poll/post is relevant for others.

Thanks,
Rich

No worries Rich, I appreicate you clarifying. I am not speculating about 4e is release date or game mechnics, just wondering about the OGL and D20 liscense aspect.

 

[Ranger REG]

Originally I thought that WOTC might close up D&D with 4e, but the more I think about it seems like that would only cause more competition in the long run and possibly make WOTC look like the badguy. Here is my reasons why:

* Open content is not hurting any says of WOTC product.
* Having an OGL liscense allows for WOTC to use the 3rd party publishers to develop mechanical ideas for D&D and then let them gleen the best from that for their own official products if they wish.
* Open liscense allows fans and freelance designers to release support material
* all OGL roads and a new D20 liscense lead back to D&D
* 4e having good support material and being a nice clean restart like 3.0 could benefit from additional launch materials like 3.0 did. 3.5 was less of a jump in rules and too early and therefore it sputtered at launch.

What does everyone else think? Should 4e be open or closed? Is it being open going to do anything to WOTC or only help D&D as a whole?

As a fan, I want 4e to be open (i.e., added to the SRD). But there aren't many supporters of the OGL movement working in the WotC's office building now.

Personally, we already have the SRD. We can improve upon that -- making second- or third-generation SRD rules -- without WotC's help.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

But I hate when I see threads about an OGL or D20 system book and fans are complaining about the lack of OGC in the book etc. If you are a gamer what the heck does it matter if a book has OGC? Can you use it? Back when the D20STL was new I knew people who were OGC snobs... they weren't publishers etc. JUst fans.

What the hell has this got to do with anything?

So basically, at this point who CARES if 4e is OGL?

Everyone else posting here? Green Ronin, whose game is being plugged in your (broken) sig? Anyone who wants to continue to see better-than-WotC adventures coming out of Necromancer and Goodman Games?

The OGL's time is essentially over

Laughably untrue, especially given that M&M recently was the #2 best selling RPG for the month.

It was much like Image comics, right time, right place but now that time and place are in the past.

This will be a complete shock to the folks at Image, who are still very much in business.

 

[Alnag]

Actually reading the thread, I more and more try to find out who is acutually interested in 4e not being OGL. Or at least create impression, that 4e will not be OGL. I guess some of WotC/d20 competitors might be the ones, who would profit out of this. But otherwise?

 

[teitan]

Laughably untrue, especially given that M&M recently was the #2 best selling RPG for the month..

Myth. M&M is not the no. 2 selling game according to the retailer's guide I get and read every month. It didn't even rank in the top twenty. The no. 2 was World of Darkness followed by D20 Modern, Rifts and Shadowrun. M&M is a great game and a great seller and I did comment as such in my post. Maybe I should have said the D20stl is done. D20 products do not sell like they used to and I don't see that trend changing any time soon based on customer feedback.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

If you are a gamer what the heck does it matter if a book has OGC?

It matters to me in the sense that I know it'll be at least somewhat compatible with baseline D&D. Also, it bears the promise of seeing material I really like get used in other games, making them all compatible with each other. That's a big draw for me.

So basically, at this point who CARES if 4e is OGL? The OGL's time is essentially over, the D20 license time is essentially over.

I don't know why you'd say that. There are plenty of OGL games out there with vigorous fan bases - Conan, Mutants & Masterminds, Iron Heroes, Castles & Crusades, Arcana Unearthed, and I know there are a couple obvious ones I'm forgetting. Sure, OGL and d20 games aren't being released in the large numbers that they were at the height of the glut, but that's a good thing. Now, the games that are being released are of much higher quality - quality trumps quantity, in my strong opinion. If anything, rather than having its time already past, the OGL is just now coming into its own.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Maybe I should have said the D20stl is done. D20 products do not sell like they used to and I don't see that trend changing any time soon based on customer feedback.

Now that I'll agree with. The d20 license has seen its time come and go.

 

[Alnag]

M&M is not the no. 2 selling game according to the retailer's guide I get and read every month.

Well... that myth comes from ICv2 webpage and retailes magazine they publish. Nevertheless if you have access to some numbers or at least order of success I would wellcome if you could give us at least top10 for last month or so. Might be a different thread but still... pretty please.

 

[teitan]

From Comics & Games Retailer

1. D&D
2. WOD
3. D20 Moder
4. Rifts
5. Shadowrun
6. GURPS
7. Warhammer FRP
8. Iron Kingdoms
9. Star Wars (bumped up for Saga release)
10. Serenity