Important! Interview opportunity - what do you want to know about the GSL?

[Psion]

1) Many questions have been raised since the announcement last week. I think the one question everyone wants to know is: is the limitation the GSL places on publication of OGL based products limited on a "per company" basis or a "per product" basis? That is, is the effect merely to limit re-issuing the same product, or is a company that publishes a GSL product thereafter limited in their ability to publish any OGL products?

2) If so, how does this pertain to a company's catalog of existing OGL-based products? For example, if Necromancer Games publishers a Tome of Horrors 4e, would they have to stop selling their existing 3e OGL products via RPGnow?

3) Does any prohibition on publishing OGL products give any regard to whether the product is actually based on the D20 SRD or not? For example, if a company wishes to produce products based on non-d20 OGL games like FUDGE, FATE, Spirit of the Century, Traveller, MRQ, etc., would they be affected the same as if they were to consider publishing a D20 Fantasy OGL product?

 

[Flynn]

Traveller and a number of other gaming systems, not based on the D20 System at all, have been released (or are going to be released very soon) under the OGL. Can a publisher release products for a non-D20 System-based OGL game (such as Traveller or Runequest) under the OGL and release products for 4E under the GSL at the same time? (This assumes that the OGL products are not D20 System-based, nor are they OGL versions of the GSL products, of course.)

With Regards,
Flynn

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Do you believe that 4e is able to compete on its own merits against 3e/OGL products?

 

[ppaladin123]

1) Many questions have been raised since the announcement last week. I think the one question everyone wants to know is: is the limitation the GSL places on publication of OGL based products limited on a "per company" basis or a "per product" basis? That is, is the effect merely to limit re-issuing the same product, or is a company that publishes a GSL product thereafter limited in their ability to publish OGL products?

2) If so, how does this pertain to a company's catalog of existing OGL-based products? For example, if Necromancer Games publishers a Tome of Horrors 4e, would they have to stop selling their existing 3e OGL products via RPGnow?

3) Does any prohibition on publishing OGL products give any regard to whether the product is actually based on the D20 SRD or not? For example, if a company wishes to produce products based on non-d20 OGL games like FUDGE, FATE, Spirit of the Century, would they be affected the same as if they were to consider publishing a D20 Fantasy OGL product?

This is the most clear and concise presentation of this question I have seen on the boards yet. Nice.

 

[Scipio202]

Is the GSL a perpetual license, or is it revocable by WotC? If it is revocable, is it revocable case-by-case or globally (or both)?

 

[miscreationist]

I have a few questions:

1. With all the talk about how the GSL/OGL interaction affects third-party publishers, my concern as a gamer is about what I can do with OGL licensed material from existing products that I want to update to 4e and share with others on the web. Will this be possible, and if not, why is this good for me as a paying customer?

2. Why are you abandoning the OGL? Specifically, what about it is undesirable now that was desirable when it was adopted?

3. Will it still be possible to create stand-alone systems without branding as was possible previously under the OGL/STL? If not, why was this feature dropped?

4. How does the GSL make open gaming better than using the OGL?

5. Will I be able to share created 4e and 3e material (stats for new monsters, prestige classes, whatever) on my website or other websites without violating the GSL? If not, why?

 

[Piratecat]

Do you believe that 4e is able to compete on its own merits against 3e/OGL products?

I'm less likely to ask emotionally loaded questions we already know the answer to. I'm going to try to focus on functionality instead of philosophy. We'll get them answered faster that way.

Psion, excellent phrasing. I'll probably use that close to verbatim.

 

[GRIMJIM]

Does publishing anything in support of 4th Edition mean having to trash all old edition and non-d20 OGL support?

Can 'orphaned' products continue to be sold on PDF in the same way Wizards still sells their 2nd Edition support?

Can you simultaneously sell an OGL version of a game and a 4th Edition compliant version of a game at the same time, as separate products?

How did this end up so horribly mishandled?

 

[Flynn]

A personal request on the questions. Please stress the differences between OGL products and D20 STL products. I believe it has been stated that the D20 STL will be cancelled on June 6, and companies will have until the end of the year to remove the elements of their stock that are no longer legitimate or legal because of the removal of the privileges granted by the D20 STL. People may be confusing STL products with OGL products, and it may be worthwhile to determine if there is any difference in how the two products are treated by WOTC and how they are impacted by the GSL.

Or rather, to state this as questions:

How will the GSL impact D20 STL products going forward?

Is there a difference in the treatment of D20 STL products and OGL products during this transition period? If so, what are those differences?

What do you (WOTC) think are the greatest misconceptions in regards to D20 STL products versus OGL products in the GSL discussions that have occurred to date?

With Regards,
Flynn

 

[Cam Banks]

The fans posting 4e materials thing is also very important, especially for fan sites that hope to post 4e conversions of older materials. If I post a conversion of, say, Dwellers of the Forbidden City online at a Greyhawk fan site, or write some Spelljammer conversions for a SJ site, how is this treated by WotC? What if those sites also feature 3.5 or older conversions?

Cheers,
Cam