GSL: Am I wrong to be concerned?

[Scribble]

The problem though is that they're making it difficult to do things as easy as adventures by taking away the ability to do stat blocks. WotC can do them, but 3pp can't. If you're a harried GM, whose products are you going to pick up?

Yeah... Big selling point for Dungeon, and official adventures that one. But still, could someone even make an adventure and sell it for soemthing like Vampire? Or GURPS? (I don't know for sure, but I don't think so.)

Didn't Dungeon go with the whole monster name, hit points but nothing else route for a while?

I'm hoping the Compendium is up and running sooner then later though. it will make using third party adventures easier.. Ok I need x, y, and z monsters... click... print... go...

And don't get me started on the idea that if another brand team comes on board 2 years down the road and decides they don't want new classes anymore, they can update the license, not tell you, and then find you in breach and terminate your license or worse.

I don't think, honestly, that this is the intention, or would actually happen.

For one thing, I don't think WoTC is that evil. They'd notify people that things were changing, and most likely allow all back stock to be sold, etc...

Plus if you're not keeping up on the license and making money off of said license... your business sense needs to be checked!

Don't get me wrong... I can see why some aren't as happy with the GSL as they were with the OGL/d20. It's just I think they're overblowing some of the wording that's designed to say:

Support the game, don't leach off of it. if you do leach, we havea way to deal with it. If you don't leach.. right on you rock.

 

[Obryn]

Technically, HeroForge is illegal, even under the OGL. It uses closed content in non-approved ways, alongside the open content.

-O

 

[I'm A Banana]

Support the game, don't leach off of it. if you do leach, we havea way to deal with it. If you don't leach.. right on you rock.

Well, what do you mean by "leach"?

Because I don't see re-printing the stats of kobolds in an adventure so that the DM doesn't have to drag his MM around, too, to be leeching. Or even "leaching."

Furthermore, I don't see modifying the eladrin's stats and using them in a campaign setting as "eladrin" to be leeching.

Nor do I consider re-printing the information in a new format or layout to be leeching.

Nor do I consider making a character generator that has complete information leeching.

Nor do I consider printable powers-cards with their mechanics on them to be leeching.

The GSL does seem to negate all of those things.

And I'm pretty sure it has less to do with leeching, and more to do with IP and brand identity (because it's not like True 20 or the PPH or Iron Heroes could ever cut into WotC's sales to any significant degree).

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

It's even going to be able to use the in-built GPS to locate other nearby players!

Just focus on that feature. It sounds awesome.

 

[philreed]

You can make pdfs of DM screens and power cards and such.

Until a point at which the license is updated and specifically disallows those types of products.

That's one of my big issues with the license. You agree not only to this license, but any future version of the license.

 

[Farland]

Or DM Genie. Or Twin Rose. Or a host of other companies. That's rather depressing...especially since WotC's track record of electronic utilities, web site integration and development speed indicate that they aren't going to deliver (and quite possibly aren't capable of delivering) the products they are specifically killing off. Equally troubling is that it sounds like they're killing off hobbyist work, as well.

I couldn't agree more, and it makes me boiling mad.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

They want people to help support the game... They don't want leaches.

If this is really what they want, and I do not believe it is (it may be what The Rouse or other individuals want, but not WotC leadership), then they are going about it completely incorrectly. The restrictions on the GSL make creating 3pp adventures very problematic, to say the least.

Also, you're out of your mind if you think things like character management software for the BlackBerry don't "support the game". Yet WotC can't even manage Mac support for their DDI, so I'm fairly certain I'll never see anything useful in that department from WotC, whilst they simultaneously ensure that any such product is illegal.

This is what really demonstrates that they're not just trying to "avoid leeching", but rather to extremely carefully and selectively limit what products can be produced. From a business perspective, this is fine. I don't think it's smart, because I think it will bite them in arse in the long-term. From the perspective of this player, I think it's horrible.

 

[Scribble]

Well, what do you mean by "leach"?

Because I don't see re-printing the stats of kobolds in an adventure so that the DM doesn't have to drag his MM around, too, to be leeching. Or even "leaching."

Yes, my spelling is horrible. I am aware of this. I read that einstein was a terrible speller as well. He invented space/time. Did YOU invent space time?

Yeah, the thing with no monsters in adventures is annoying, but I think it's a by product of the intent.

To prevent people from just reprinting the monsters and selling them.

Furthermore, I don't see modifying the eladrin's stats and using them in a campaign setting as "eladrin" to be leeching.

Not sure what you mean by this?

Nor do I consider re-printing the information in a new format or layout to be leeching.

Why not? Should I be allowed to sell a video copy I made of a DVD? Unless you mean somethign else? Seems like the want to prevent things like just taking all the info from the core books and putting them in a difefrent book you can sell for less.

Nor do I consider making a character generator that has complete information leeching.

Yeah... looks like they got mashed in the cross fire.

Nor do I consider printable powers-cards with their mechanics on them to be leeching.

Cross fire? But again, WoTC wants you to support D&D with your own stuff. Not just taking their stuff and reselling it. Yeah, it hurts some cool ideas, but at least they aren't completely closed.

And I'm pretty sure it has less to do with leeching, and more to do with IP and brand identity (because it's not like True 20 or the PPH or Iron Heroes could ever cut into WotC's sales to any significant degree).

Yeah, they can.

You can make the argument all day long about people who buy those games not buying D&D stuff anyway... But apparently WoTC feels it hurt the product.

 

[redcard]

Until a point at which the license is updated and specifically disallows those types of products.

That's one of my big issues with the license. You agree not only to this license, but any future version of the license.

That's somewhat of a misnomer, though, because the terms "In Perpetuity" are very regulated in the US, especially in California, where the jurisdiction under the old license would have been regulated.

I imagine, if you get the clever lawyer, and if WOTC is as evil as you contend, they could have easily have revoked the OGL for that cause.

That said, what I'm going to do in my adventures is simply leave an open area next to each monster and allow people to "fill in the blanks."

I won't be duplicating statblocks, and I really doubt they can dictate where GMs take notes. Yes, it requires a little extra work on behalf of the GM, but it also scoots around this requirement.

 

[HyrumOWC]

I don't think, honestly, that this is the intention, or would actually happen.

For one thing, I don't think WoTC is that evil. They'd notify people that things were changing, and most likely allow all back stock to be sold, etc...

Plus if you're not keeping up on the license and making money off of said license... your business sense needs to be checked!

Who said anything about evil?

All it takes is for a new brand team (the managers of D&D) to not like the idea of the GSL and way it goes. You're then stuck with either dead product at best or a lawsuit at worst.

They might let you sell stuff off, but they don't have to. That's the sticking point.

As for the license, in a worst case situation, they update it at 6:00 am with some provision that invalidates your products and at 7:00 am they revert back. You're in breach, they send a letter, you're in termination land. If you fight it in court, whether or not you win or lose, you still pay WotC's court costs.

Is that evil? You betcha. Do I think WotC would do it? No, I respect most of the people there and don't think they'd pull a stunt like that.

The problem is, there's nothing in the license to protect me from something like that though. That's where the concern lies. For me at least.

Hyrum.