GSL, Published Worlds and your game

[rvalle]

Not sure if this has been brought up yet or not. I thought of it Friday night but had to travel out of town.

With WoTC's 'publish a new PHB every year' plan and, to my understanding, 3rd partys having to not exclude core things from their works... does this mean companies that create campaign worlds will have to update them every year to bring them in line with WoTC's new books?

Will DM's feel more pressure to say 'yes' to a player that wants to bring in a new race/class since this is one of the ideas in 4.0 ("Say yes!") and they are now coming out in 'core' books vs splat books?

rv

 

[Tao]

As someone working towards publishing a campaign setting of my own (Aerith: Dark Renaissance- http://tao-simulations.com/?p=3), I can say that I fully expect to release updates shortly after new classes, races, etc. are added to the SRD to keep my setting as accessible as possible without completely ruining the verisimilitude and style of the setting (I've had to do major workarounds to make things like Dragonborn, for example, fit into the setting).

 

[Scribble]

Where is the idea that the GSL says you can't exclude things?

You can't redefine, but I never saw anything that said you can't say X does not exist?

Am I missing something?

 

[xechnao]

Where is the idea that the GSL says you can't exclude things?

You can't redefine, but I never saw anything that said you can't say X does not exist?

Am I missing something?

Things exist by definition. So logically you can't exclude them.
Aside from that I think Wizards intention is that the core is core. If something exists in the core it is there by default -if not, buying their core may start to not make sense in a while. So, what they say is you can add stuff to their PoL in a way that does not alienate what it is already there (and obviously PoL has to remain PoL).

 

[Scribble]

Things exist by definition. So logically you can't exclude them.
Aside from that I think Wizards intention is that the core is core. If something exists in the core it is there by default -if not, buying their core may start to not make sense in a while. So, what they say is you can add stuff to their PoL in a way that does not alienate what it is already there (and obviously PoL has to remain PoL).

Another reason a lawyer is needed I guess? Things exist by definition seems somewhat more int he realm of philosophy then law to me...

You're not redefining a term or rule by saying it does not exist in such and such world.

 

[xechnao]

You're not redefining a term or rule by saying it does not exist in such and such world.

I think that logically you do. You do redefine the term because you redefine the context and thus you end up redefining the term itself.

 

[Filcher]

Things exist by definition. So logically you can't exclude them.
Aside from that I think Wizards intention is that the core is core. If something exists in the core it is there by default -if not, buying their core may start to not make sense in a while.

If this were true, then the SRD wouldn't be missing key monsters. Omission is built into the design. I could write a world without warborn and beholders --- in fact I would have to because they aren't open content under the SRD.

 

[wayne62682]

If this were true, then the SRD wouldn't be missing key monsters. Omission is built into the design. I could write a world without warborn and beholders --- in fact I would have to because they are open content under the SRD.

True, but WotC isn't bound by its own rules - they're free to define and redefine to their heart's content. Technically speaking excluding a race is redefinition, but it depends on what WotC wants from third-party publishers that will ultimately determine if it constituted redefinition or not.

 

[xechnao]

If this were true, then the SRD wouldn't be missing key monsters. Omission is built into the design. I could write a world without warborn and beholders --- in fact I would have to because they are open content under the SRD.

You are wrong. That they are not in the SRD means that you simply can't add to or build something on these monsters. This does not mean that they do not exist.

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

I'm failing to see where one is required to devote design space to something. If I were to publish my Imperial Republic of Ulunsuti setting under the GSL and made no mention of halfings at all, how would I be in violation? I'm not saying the don't exist, but if a DM wants to include the little buggers, they're on their own.