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Message: <blockquote data-quote="robconley" data-source="post: 6429949" data-attributes="member: 5636">I agree that the OGL is what enabled a choice in the first place. What you fail to realize that 1999 WoTC implemented the OGL precisely to prevent a repeat of what happen to D&D under TSR. A lesson that the 2008 WoTC team failed to learn. The fate of D&D is no longer in the hands of the IP holder Wizards of the Coast. What insane is that WoTC as the IP Holder thinking that it was still 1990 and that can do whatever they want to do with D&D without consquences. They may had the right to do whatever they want with the IP, thanks to the OGL the fanbase had the right to continue to support what they like not what Wizards think what they ought to like.An edition war born by the fact they published a game that was completely different than any previous editions of D&D. Runequest is a roleplaying game, that has a fantasy setting, GURPS is roleplaying game that has fantasy setting, Fantasy Hero, Rolemaster, Harnmaster, Chivalry & Sorcery, Tunnels & Trolls, Palladium Fantasy, etc. Renaming any of these games D&D doesn't make it D&D. And to compound the issue their marketing mocked the prior editions of D&D insulting every past customer of the game they had.In my opinion Wizards was damn lucky that the game itself was pretty fun to play and well put together. Otherwise they would had an immediate meltdown of their new edition. Well I am sure that John Adams would share your opinion in regards to Thomas Jefferson. It just sucks to have the freedom of choice. You are right except what happened is that 4.0 reused the NEW elements that 3.X introduced. 3.X at least can be looked at as a heavily houseruled classic D&D set of rules. 4.0 has no more in common with classic D&D than Palladium Fantasy does. Up until 6th level 3.X played pretty much the same as classic D&D, both in what you could do are your character and how long things took like combat. Beyond as the options multiplied the changes in 3.X made for a different came than high level classic D&D.  However with 4e it was immediately evident that combat and how long it took to do things was very different. You can see this in combat where you were lucky to be able to complete two combat session in four hours.I been playing RPGs for 35 years using a wide variety of system. WHen I ran 4e I had to manage things like I did my GURPS campaign not like how I ran classic D&D due to the length of combat. And this is just one example of how 4e was different than the classic games I ran. I am NOT saying this make 4e a bad game. What I am saying it does make it own game very different than previous editions of D&D. It is those difference that fueled the negative reaction to 4e. And now we have a example of what happen when the reverse is true in 5e. 5e is a D&D game although it has it own unique mix of mechanic compared to previous editions. It was playtested from the onset using older modules. And by and large the same thing I was doing in AD&D 1st I could do in 5e using about the same amount of time. 5e has a much more positive reception among fans of older editions. Exactly I am glad for it. Sorry but there is a limit to what IP holder have a right too. D&D exploded in popularity the authors and company profited enormously from it. And in the process of doing so became part of our shared culture. At some point in time it should be up to us to decide how something is treated and supported. Now under the law we don't have that right for several decades unless the IP Holder is generous and does something about it. Well in 1999 Wizard did do something about it and that was the OGL. Now the fate of D&D is in our hands regardless what Wizards or anybody thinks of the situation. Everybody free to plunder Shakespeare for whatever reason they see fit, people are also free to present Shakespeare in its original form. We would had to wait until the last 21st century for that right in regards to D&D. But we have it now today under the conditions of the OGL.Now what sucks is that you don't those rights in regards to 4e. Any fan of 4e is utterly dependent on the good graces of Wizards to maintain availability and/or support of its products. No wonder they are upset. But that is the consequence when you latch onto something that somebody else has control over. If you were not aware of that then, you are certainly aware of it now.I support the right of companies and individuals to profit exclusively from their creative works for a limited time. But understand everybody stands on the shoulders of those before them. At some point it is the right thing to return the work back to the common pool for other to use as they see fit. Nobody, I repeat nobody as the right to dictate to other what they may or may not do with something that belongs to all of us. If you don't like it tough, if you don't like the din and clamour, tough that what freedom sounds like.Oh god forbid people have to think for themselves and do a little work before purchasing something. Moreso that argument is especially irrelevant today when anybody reputation only a few google searches away.I am sure Ian Mckellan, Patrick Stewart, Lawerence Oliver, Kenneth Baugh are just lame for just rehashing what some dead english guy did 500 years ago.Well if Wizard wasn't so snarky in the initial 4e marketing perhaps people would have less inclined to snark back.Tribalism is part of the landscape, the right for people to associate with each other and not to associate with others and have something to say about it without fear of reprisal. Yup freedom is the worst thing to have happen except for all the other things that been tried from time to time.</blockquote>

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