GSL FAQ up

[phloog]

I dont think either your position or the one you are responding to is correct. From my perspective (and this is just my perspective), the person who made the mistake (or misspoke or I misunderstood or whatever, or maybe was correct and that view has now been changed) was not just one person. It seems clear there was a (small) camp at Wizards that shared that interpretation.(SNIP1)
I do agree with you that there is nothing nefarious going on at Wizards. Far from it, in fact.

(SNIP2) .

I don't think we disagree all that much, but perhaps - - I don't read evil intent, I simply believe that the end result of actions, taken for legitimate business purposes and without ill intent, can lead to bad things for 3pps....and of course even that is likely moot when I think about it, because only a particularly dim 3pp would enter the GSL without full understanding that it could be revoked and damage them.

 

[phloog]

Boy, I hope not. I also don't care for calls by some posters, here and elsewhere, that the guy should be fired. He didn't accidentally slip rat poison into food that got served to preschoolers. He didn't leave a live power line unattended in the middle of a playground. He made a mistake on a gaming license which, as far as I know, didn't cost anybody any money, and did nothing except get a bunch of people on the intranets up in arms. Firing the guy, or calling for his firing, seems to me like a pretty big overreaction.

To keep this interesting civil discourse going, I need to point out that I am NOT calling for his or her firing. But that is only because I am one of those people who believes that they HAD discussions, that the GSL was ambiguous, and that there were disputes at WOTC about what it meant.

I only think that person's job should be in jeopardy if YOUR opinion about what happened is correct - if the document was clear, and this person was spouting nonsense.

I say that because it DID potentially cost WOTC money. I know of quite a few gamers who - though this might be an overreaction, cancelled their pre-orders when they heard that there might be a poison pill.

Now that it seems there is no pill, I also know that some of those people may recreate their orders, but at least two that I personally know of used this time to reflect on what is known of 4E, and decided to stay with 3.5 or PRPG. It might only be a boxed set here or there, or it might be a flood of cancelled orders....but the potential for damage is there.

No one was killed - it's a silly little game we all love...but if your scenario is correct you had an employee of a company handing out incorrect information about a legal document pertaining to a major moneymaker, and which resulted in an internet....poostorm. If not fired, there should definitely be a stern talking-to.

If I'm correct, and there were internal 'camps' and some degree of uncertainty...or even a CHANGE to the GSL, then this person did no wrong. But if it was a clear document, was never changed, and never had the content that this person relayed to Clark, then they were (for this event at least) incompetent in a manner that lead to non-trivial issues.

 

[Voadam]

Exactly. Yet it seems like there're people who're intent on casting every single bit of news in the most negative light possible. I'm sure there are people at WotC who would've preferred there be no GSL, but you'd think that the complete absence of a "poison pill" clause would make people happy. And yet here and elsewhere we've got people dreaming up scenarios in which WotC may yet institute it.

"Complete absence"? It is the same contractual agreement not to publish/sell 3e products, it is just on a product line basis instead of a company-wide basis.

Product line basis is definitely better than company-wide for both 3rd party publishers and consumers who want OGL products, but it still is a detriment to both groups to have less products available for sale/purchasing.

I bought Tome of Horrors Revised 3.5 and I am interested in buying the Tome II and III at some point (along with many other existing products), however if they are the same product line and this clause applies to pdfs I will not be able to purchase the pdfs after Necromancer makes the 4e Tome.

I own about 10 or so of the 50+ Dungeon Crawl Classics. If Goodman makes a 4e DCC and is no longer able to sell the 50+ OGL DCCs they currently sell then I won't be able to pick up any of those 40 others I keep eyeing.

This is better, but I still see downsides to this product line conversion clause.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

To keep this interesting civil discourse going, I need to point out that I am NOT calling for his or her firing.

Me neither, I just asked for his head on a plate, and his corpse animated by Orcus. He can continue working for WotC after that.

Okay, I am okay if that doesn't happen. We're living in the real world, after all. (At least that's what THEY tell us)

On a more serious note:
Past evidence (D20 License) suggests that WotC will eventually also revoke the GSL.
The evidence also suggests they will do that on context of an edition change, and will give people a "phase-out"-time where they can sell their stock, before they adapt to a different license, or not at all.
This sounds fair. It still has some risks involved, but it's certainly not the end of the world or even just the end of a business.

 

[Piratecat]

I own about 10 or so of the 50+ Dungeon Crawl Classics. If Goodman makes a 4e DCC and is no longer able to sell the 50+ OGL DCCs they currently sell then I won't be able to pick up any of those 40 others I keep eyeing.

I think doing this would be a bad idea for them, incidentally, when they can create a new 4e product line named "Dungeon Dive Classics" and keep their old 3e catalog intact for any remaining 3e sales. Later, when sales volume trickles to a halt, they always have the right to concert the DCC line to 4e and sell it anew.

 

[lurkinglidda]

The person who reported that to Clark just got it flat out wrong.

I have a LOT of respect for Clark's "informant." They had a different interpretation of the license. It happens. I wouldn't say they got it flat out wrong, rather had a different take. We've since cleared things up.

 

[Orcus]

[snip]...but you'd think that the complete absence of a "poison pill" clause would make people happy... [snip]

You and I are going to have to disagree on that one--"complete absence of a poison pill." I dont see it that way. I dont begrudge WotC spinning it and using marketing speak and not calling it a poison pill. I mean, who in the world would want to call it that. And I agree that it was not the poison pill that we thought it would be. But thats still a poison pill, in my parlance. Just a smaller one. And one that is much easier to swallow But I'll let Wizards spin it how they want. They deserve that much at least.

Clark

 

[lurkinglidda]

The GSL could be used as a sort of "bait and switch" to get companies away from 3x, then close out the 4e GSL and offer nothing to replace it.

The day that happens is the day I turn in my notice.

 

[Orcus]

I have a LOT of respect for Clark's "informant." They had a different interpretation of the license. It happens. I wouldn't say they got it flat out wrong, rather had a different take. We've since cleared things up.

You just cant say it any better than Lidda Perfect summary. Different take, now its cleared up, no one is evil, everyone is working hard to make third party support happen.

Thanks again, Lidda, for listening and for caring. You guys have been teriffic.

Clark

 

[keterys]

I'm going to quote Rodney Thompson's blog because I can almost feel the sentiment here, and I think it's important for people to see that:

'In other news, clarifications were issued regarding the GSL which mollify me. As someone who owes much of his career to the ability to write for some awesome third party publishers, I've been rooting for the ability for 3PPs to have some freedom when it comes to publishing 4E compatible products. And, frankly, I'm jazzed to see what my favorite publishers do with it. I may yet be proven wrong, but I think once some of my fellow designers get their hands on 4E they're going to quickly find themselves addicted to how easy it is to design for.

The one GSL thing I want now? For the love of God, when can I start playing D&D with my friends from other companies again?!'