How does the GSL affect me?

[joela]

goodman

Personally I think if it results in 3rd parties like Necromancer, Paizo and Goodman not producing products for 4e (or cutting back on their planned releases) it is a bad thing.

Goodman is releasing a free supp on Free RPG Day this weekend. And the company had posted on its site cover art for three 4E DCC mods. For some reason, though, they've been taken down but all evidence, officially and otherwise, indicates Goodman be supporting 4E.

Mongoose and Green Ronin are still in their "wait and see" approach though there have been hints the companies are looking at creating 4E lines. I haven't heard anything from Adamant, Louis Porter Jr. Design, etc. on which direction they'll be going with 4E. Paizo seems to be the only 3PP openly not publishing 4E products though that could always change in the future. I do recall seeing at least a couple of smaller 3PPs responding in disgust at the GSL but can't recall them at the moment.

 

[TwinBahamut]

I agree with the OP's sentiment. The whole GSL thing just doesn't matter to me. I have always just bought WotC's supplements and never really looked into much else. I don't think it will ever happen, but if the entire third-party D&D industry was obliterated I would probably not notice and continue on enjoying the game as I have.

 

[Kristian Serrano]

I agree with the OP's sentiment. The whole GSL thing just doesn't matter to me. I have always just bought WotC's supplements and never really looked into much else. I don't think it will ever happen, but if the entire third-party D&D industry was obliterated I would probably not notice and continue on enjoying the game as I have.

I think that's the reality for most D&D players. I know for certain that most individuals I've played with barely knew much about WotCs own products let alone 3pp.

I know that's fairly anecdotal, but that is the general attitude of most long-time RPG players in the real world. They know about the staple games and their respective publishers (i.e. - D&D, Shadowrun, WoD, Mechwarrior, GURPS, etc.), but that's it. As popular as Paizo is among the online community, most players barely recognize the name. When I brought GameMastery Item Cards to the game, they asked where I got them, and Paizo was unfamiliar to them despite having read numerous issues of Dragon Magazine.

 

[wayne62682]

I second most of the opinions here.... the GSL doesn't affect me one bit because I've never used a 3rd party supplement nor have I ever played in a group that allowed the use of 3rd party supplements. Most of the time they wouldn't even allow stuff from Dragon magazine, which was supposed to be 100% Official content.

 

[DeusExMachina]

I have never used a 3pp product in my games, so it won't affect my game in the slightest bit.

I ordered a few things through Paizo like a battlemat, so I hope they can continue to make money and such as they are fairly useful that way, but it's not stuff I can't get elsewhere if needed...

 

[thundershot]

I just hope Necro can survive supporting a shrinking market. Does selling the TOH pdfs and Pathfinder books really outweigh the potential sales (and risk, if there really is one. It's possible people are reading way too much into this) of selling a new TOH 4E? Obviously, it's their risk to take, but that's one book that I was really looking forward to.




Chris

 

[Grazzt]

Does selling the TOH pdfs and Pathfinder books really outweigh the potential sales (and risk, if there really is one. It's possible people are reading way too much into this) of selling a new TOH 4E?
Chris

Not speaking for Clark, but in my opinion, until we get some clarification on some things in the GSL from WotC. Yes. Not worth the risk at all of doing a Tome 4e.

 

[Ydars]

Those of you who think GSL won't affect you; think again.

Most of the people in WoTC who designed 4E came from 3-party publishers and gained their skill sets from working in the OGL environment.

It has been stated many times how hard it is to be a full time designer in the RPG industy and open gaming made it so much easier for designers because they didn't have to keep relearning new rules sets all the time; they could produce content for 3.5E for many companies. This lead to a much closer professional relationship between the 3PPs as well.

That age appears to have now ended, and with it may also go many of the freelancers that this industry relies upon.

Heck; even the people who designed 4E will probably be out of WoTC soon themselves; it happened after 3.0E!

 

[thundershot]

Not speaking for Clark, but in my opinion, until we get some clarification on some things in the GSL from WotC. Yes. Not worth the risk at all of doing a Tome 4e.

Hopefully WotC gives some clarification, and it's good, because I really want a 4E ToH.

Those of you who think GSL won't affect you; think again.

Most of the people in WoTC who designed 4E came from 3-party publishers and gained their skill sets from working in the OGL environment.

It has been stated many times how hard it is to be a full time designer in the RPG industy and open gaming made it so much easier for designers because they didn't have to keep relearning new rules sets all the time; they could produce content for 3.5E for many companies. This lead to a much closer professional relationship between the 3PPs as well.

That age appears to have now ended, and with it may also go many of the freelancers that this industry relies upon.

Heck; even the people who designed 4E will probably be out of WoTC soon themselves; it happened after 3.0E!

I realize anything's possible, but I hope you're wrong on the last one. And if a bunch of people start sucking it up and making 4E products the way WotC wants them to, we'll get a new group of designers out there to help build the new empire.

I'm just trying to be as positive as possible... but at the same time, I've got to support what's right for me with my own wallet.



Chris

 

[0-hr]

I'm a tiny little OGL publisher and, as the GSL is WotC's attempt at squashing* me, I do not feel inclined to do anything which will result in them making money.



*either squashing me out of business as an OGL guy, or squashing me under their Hasbronian boot as a GSL vassal.