Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ariosto" data-source="post: 4852270" data-attributes="member: 80487">For some publishers, that some very key sections of OSRIC (e.g., monsters and magic items) are not Open Game Content is a barrier -- one that seems to me odd to have erected in the first place (but I am not an expert on any of the issues involved).Then, there's the question of OSRIC's value as a brand. If one uses it, then one is bound by the Open Game License, which prohibits use of trademarks without explicit permission. That means there's a choice between referring to OSRIC or indicating compatibility with AD&D (which could be "fair use" without WotC's permission). This may be a bit muddied if the AD&D trademark has lapsed.The notion that OSRIC's legality must be notably questionable until there's a lawsuit over it (which could be never) seems to me bizarre -- especially as I see no reason it should not apply likewise to every OGL product.Having a frivolous case need be no bar to bringing suit in the U.S.A. -- but I think that in the case of OSRIC it would have to be pursued in the UK (which is quite another ballgame).Meanwhile, WotC apparently can withdraw at whim the GSL. It would probably be encouraging to retailers if they could sell the rule book. I suspect that would not be profitable enough under the current arrangement. I'm not sure, though, as I think Barnes & Noble gets Labyrinth Lord via Lulu (and saves customers the shipping fees).Labyrinth Lord seems to be ahead of the game in dealing with the distribution "middle man" and establishing a retail presence, as Castles & Crusades already has done.Still, I understand that some game stores routinely stock Expeditious Retreat Press modules. If there's demand that's profitable to fill, then some shopkeepers are likely to recognize it. Whether that demand is coming from people using OSRIC or from people using old AD&D books, or C&C, or some other rules set is immaterial.The whole "publishing tool" aspect has been from the start hard for me to grasp, perhaps in part because I am no great fan of "stat blocks" in modules (but maybe a bit eccentric in that regard). WotC (or anyone else) can hardly claim ownership of dragons, dwarfs and rings of invisibility!The ready availability of the classic rules in a more accessible presentation, though, is something I can easily understand! Having spell descriptions ordered alphabetically is just one example of the utility OSRIC offers. Whatever the case for module publishers (and I'm not all that big on modules in the first place), the book is a boon for players.</blockquote>

Verification