GSL for Dummies?

[Mercurius]

Is there a link to some kind of GSL for Dummies document? And/or could someone explain it in a simple and easy way (without all the legalspeak)? Specifically--and hypothetically speaking of course --let's say that I and a friend or two want to start a game company and we want to publish and sell either of the following:

1. "4ed compatible" Dungeon and Dragons game products.
2. New games akin to a 4ed version of Pathfinder, Fantasy Craft or True20.

What would we have to do to make WotC be nice to us?

Thanks!

 

[fba827]

What would we have to do to make WotC be nice to us?

Edit: Never mind. My reply was a joke, and even then, it wasn't grandma friendly (though grandpa might have laughed )
But I would be interested in such an answer too, if only for information, not that I could ever get off my rear and do anything with it.

 

[pawsplay]

Is there a link to some kind of GSL for Dummies document? And/or could someone explain it in a simple and easy way (without all the legalspeak)? Specifically--and hypothetically speaking of course --let's say that I and a friend or two want to start a game company and we want to publish and sell either of the following:

1. "4ed compatible" Dungeon and Dragons game products.
2. New games akin to a 4ed version of Pathfinder, Fantasy Craft or True20.

What would we have to do to make WotC be nice to us?

Thanks!

In the case of #1, read the license carefully. Basically, you can use the common names of stats, spells, and the likes in your product. You can define new monsters, powers, etc. You can describe new rules but not change anything existing.

In the case of #2, WotC will not be nice to you. They have stated that the GSL is not at all intended to help you make standalone games. You will need to explore options other than the GSL.

 

[Roger]

Most of the serious GSL discussion goes on in the dedicated subforum.


Cheers,
Roger

 

[frankthedm]

GSL for Dummies?

The GSL's detractors tend to make comments along those lines.

What would we have to do to make WotC be nice to us?

Buy them from Hasbro.

 

[Mercurius]

Thanks pawsplay, that is very helpful. Another question (for anyone): Would it be "legal" to basically make a 4ed clone under the OGL? In other words, could you use the OGL (which is still valid, I believe) to make a 4ed-derivative but independent game in the same way that Pathfinder is 3ed-derivative but independent (or True 20, Spycraft, Mutants and Masterminds, etc)? It would still be d20, but it wouldn't require the PHB et al. And it would customize the basic d20 rules into something closer to 4ed. Is that possible?

In other words, I am wondering how far you could stray from the core 4ed rules and still make "4ed compatible" products. Given what pawsplay said in the above, I assume that you could (for example) add a 7th ability score but you couldn't take away any of the existing six. At what point does an added rule become overly modifying of the core 4ed rules and thus break the GSL?

 

[pawsplay]

Last answers... anything more involved than this needs to go the publishing forums linked above, so we can IANAL and IAAL and debate and so forth.

Thanks pawsplay, that is very helpful. Another question (for anyone): Would it be "legal" to basically make a 4ed clone under the OGL? In other words, could you use the OGL (which is still valid, I believe) to make a 4ed-derivative but independent game in the same way that Pathfinder is 3ed-derivative but independent (or True 20, Spycraft, Mutants and Masterminds, etc)? It would still be d20, but it wouldn't require the PHB et al. And it would customize the basic d20 rules into something closer to 4ed. Is that possible?

IANAL, but I don't see anything stopping you from taking existing OGC (like the 3e rules) and modifying it until it closely resembles 4e. You would just have to come up with your own names for every one of those nifty 4e powers unless you wanted to test the limits of fair use.

In other words, I am wondering how far you could stray from the core 4ed rules and still make "4ed compatible" products. Given what pawsplay said in the above, I assume that you could (for example) add a 7th ability score but you couldn't take away any of the existing six. At what point does an added rule become overly modifying of the core 4ed rules and thus break the GSL?

That's a very interesting philosophical question. If you want a practical answer, you could ask the WotC lawyers, but of course it's not in their best interests to say.