How do you feel about WOTC, the 3PP and the intent of the GSL

[Hand of Evil]

My view, it is all good for the hobby, OGL allowed companies to be formed and establish themselves, they gained a foot hold. Now they have options and time to see where the industry is going and make better business choices.

Now that these companies have a following and a market share they may be able to provide new systems. (would love to see Freeport under WFRP system )

 

[Nyarlathotep]

Let's see...

I'm disapointed with the GSL and WotC (although I understand where they are coming from). I'll continue playing D&D but I'm not switching to 4E. We've tried about 6 sessions so far and it's just not our cup of tea.

 

[Inferno!]

I've supported TSR / WOTC since I was 14 (I've been playing since I was 13) ...4E is the 1st Edition where I actively plan NOT to support beyond the core books. It's a sad parting of ways but this time where WOTC goes I cannot follow.

I started about the same age, and feel the same about 4e. Looking at the WotC release schedule there is not a single D&D release I plan to buy. I may disagree with the route they've taken, but I don't fault WotC for making the business decisions they think are best for them - its not their job to may 3PP life easier. Having said that, with the exception of Star Wars titles, I haven't bought a WotC/D&D book at cover price in years (I love Half Price Books). I fully support Green Ronin, Paizo, et al. for their choice to reject the GSL both rhetorically and with my $$$.


Savage Worlds is my current system of choice, and I am looking forward to Pathfinder.

 

[Banshee16]

I can't wrap my head around the fact that at the time of this posting, 39 people are willing to STOP PLAYING D&D over something like this. Back in my day, I didn't have 3rd parties to fall back on (that I knew of, at least). I bought all my D&D books at the book stores, and we were happy.
Chris

Well, saying that they'll stop playing D&D does seem a little over the top. But it could mean different things. Maybe it means they won't be a consumer of D&D-related products....

I could see that....personally, I really don't care for the direction 4E has gone, and don't plan to switch. *IF* no 3rd party companies produced products for 3.5/OGL/Pafthfinder, then likely 4E would be the time that I'd stop being a consumer of D&D products. Of course, as long as I could find players willing to play the editions I like, I wouldn't stop playing. But maybe some of those respondents were just getting at the fact that they won't buy the products anymore.

Alternatively, if one wants to say that something like Pathfinder is a different game, and not just D&D by another name, then if you're going to go to Pathfinder (using the best example I can think of), then you're "not playing D&D"....even though it basically is the same game, with a different name.

Banshee

 

[ShinHakkaider]

Alternatively, if one wants to say that something like Pathfinder is a different game, and not just D&D by another name, then if you're going to go to Pathfinder (using the best example I can think of), then you're "not playing D&D"....even though it basically is the same game, with a different name.

Banshee

Yeah and IMHO I think at this point (at least to WOTC & Hasbro) the Brand is more important than the actual game. Meaning that if another company had released this exact same system would it grab the same amount of the fanbase and accolades that it's grabbed now? I dont know. I tend to think not, but I dont claim to know every bloody thing.

So to me, technically Pathfinder isnt D&D, but if anyone asks I'll pretty much tell them that's what we're playing.

 

[Agamon]

Personally, it's not a big deal. I don't really plan on buying 4E splats from WotC or anyone else. Be nice if WotC and 3PPs could find a happy medium, but it's not something to stop playing the game over.

Again, the weight of a poll like this here doesn't mean anything in the grand scheme. Even though we just sepnt 2 years playing Age of Worms, if I mentioned the name Paizo to any of my players, their reaction would be either, "What's that?" or "Bless you." Not to mention any of the lesser known 3PPs....

 

[mechascorpio]

As someone who just recently came back to the hobby (and D&D) after 20+ years, I have to wonder how many current D&D players (regardless of edition) even know, let alone understand, these concepts of GSL, OGL, 3PP and so on. It took me weeks to "get up to date" on the debate, time I feel was totally wasted in hindsight. 4E arguably has brought a number of totally new people into the game, has brought a number of former players such as myself back to the game, and I would think a number of people who played a previous edition have "upgraded" to 4E without ever knowing any of this extraneous industry stuff.

In other words, there must be a pretty healthy percentage of D&D players who do not use the Internet as a large part of their hobby, don't use the WOTC boards (or ENWorld, or RPG.net, or any other place where this debate is going on), and may not even know the difference between a WOTC supplement and a 3PP supplement when the time comes. I know nobody has said that the opinions here are the end-all be-all of the D&D marketplace, but I really wonder how much this is all just a debate between a few hundred people on all of these boards, with little or no impact either way on the market?

FWIW, I voted I like D&D and WOTC and do not care about the GSL. I certainly see and understand the potential value to players and publishers alike in having 3PP products, and I empathize with players and publishers who feel they're being damaged by this. But, I simply can't imagine that there's enough real volume at stake to effect WOTC or, specifically, the success/failure of 4E. There are plenty of games out there (yes, with a much smaller marketshare) that have zero 3PP product support, and I don't think the lack of it is what has kept them from rivaling TSR or WOTC. At the end of the day, what they have still doesn't have the name Dungeons & Dragons on it.

 

[Draksila]

Frankly, I always kept my chocolate and peanut butter seperated. Meaning that before I gave up trying to DM 3.x (in part due to real life taking over and stealing all my players, granted, but in part due to burnout), I had to bring the hammer down on the rules lawyers in my group. I loved Arcana Unearthed, and think Monte Cook did wonders with it, but I frankly got very tired very quickly of the variable quality of other third party publishers. When we were playing D&D, the only books allowed in play were official WotC D&D books; the fact that noone challenged this outside of our rules lawyer and most offered words of relief implied that I wasn't the only one sick of the power creep inherent to trying to keep up with all the crap on the market. When we played Arcana Unearthed, in a similar vein, we only used the books for that setting.

I'm comfortable with this philosophy and the generally levelled playing field it brings me. So, frankly, I don't care what the 3PPs do with themselves at this point. I wish them luck, sure, because they help the RPG industry to grow... but it doesn't hurt my feelings if I can't buy stuff they make for 4E. I wouldn't be buying it, anyway.

 

[Ander00]

I don't particularly like the GSL, but I don't think WotC is 'wrong' about it. It may or may work for them, but either way it does not directly affect me in an appreciable manner so I won't go passing judgement. The only third party material that has actually seen use in our group were adventure modules, and those don't have to be done under the GSL in order for me to mine them for ideas.


cheers

 

[Wyrmshadows]

Your poll is missing the option to keep playing D&D via Pathfinder and other OGL systems.

Exactly.


Wyrmshadows