GSL news.

[TheLordWinter]

Hey all! Just saw this on Wizard's main page:

http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/4news/20080417a

Wizards of the Coast is pleased to announce that third-party publishers will be allowed to publish products compatible with the Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition game system under the new Dungeons & Dragons 4E Game System License (D&D 4E GSL). This royalty-free license will replace the former d20 System Trademark License (STL), and will have a System Reference Document (SRD) available for referencing permissible content.

The D&D 4E GSL will allow third-party publishers to create roleplaying game products in fantasy settings with the D&D 4th Edition rules, and publishers who register with WotC will be granted the right to use a version of the D&D logo that denotes the product as compatible with the D&D 4th Edition Roleplaying Game, in accordance with WotC’s terms and conditions. The effective start date for sales of D&D 4E GSL publications will be October 1, 2008.

The license associated SRD will be available on June 6, 2008, at no cost. A small group of publishers received advanced notice and will receive these documents prior to June 6, at no cost, in order to prepare for publication of compatible materials by the effective start date. If you haven’t already been contact by WotC, you will be able to access the documents on the Wizards website beginning on June 6, 2008.

Wizards is also working on the details of a second royalty-free license, the d20 Game System License (d20 GSL). This license will allow third-party publishers to create roleplaying game products in non-fantasy settings with the 4E rules. The exact details for the d20 GSL will be released as they become available.

 

[Stormtalon]

Wizards is also working on the details of a second royalty-free license, the d20 Game System License (d20 GSL). This license will allow third-party publishers to create roleplaying game products in non-fantasy settings with the 4E rules. The exact details for the d20 GSL will be released as they become available.

This part is interesting, for sure. Sounds like 4E Spycraft and other such things might be feasable after all....

Hmmm, on further reading it sure looks like the $5000 early buy-in fee has been dispensed with. Iiiiinteresting.

 

[Wystan]

This might be why Orcus has gone quiet as of late...

 

[DanChops]

Hmmm, on further reading it sure looks like the $5000 early buy-in fee has been dispensed with. Iiiiinteresting.

Indeed - kudos to WotC for realizing that the $5000 fee was not really feasible this late in the game.

I wonder which companies got contacted?

 

[breschau]

Those that bought into the 5 grand damn well better get something for that chunk o' change.

 

[BSF]

There was never an opportunity for anybody to pay anything. So, nobody is out any money at this point.

 

[DanChops]

Those that bought into the 5 grand damn well better get something for that chunk o' change.

Hopefully someone who knows will correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm under the impression that no one bought into the 5 grand - that wasn't going to be available until the new license was ready, and since the new license took so long, they seem to have dispensed with the 5 grand fee.

Instead, they appear to have identified a select group of companies, presumably those with good reputations, and given them early access to the license for free so that they can have products ready on October 1st.

 

[Dragonblade]

Those that bought into the 5 grand damn well better get something for that chunk o' change.

No one paid anything.

 

[Saitou]

Incoming Necromancer Games announcement in five.... four.....

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

Great news!

We'll have to get a cleaning crew to mop up the mess from the conspiracy theorists - their heads just 'sploded all over the place.