In defense of Open Gaming

[WSmith]

So, I am over at the Decipher Star Trek Boards. One poster says, "open gaming is the worst thing to happen to gaming ever." I ask Why, just out of curiosity, just to see what the guy's opinion is. Then some other dude responds by insulting me (at least in my eyes, but maybe I took it wrong.) I flew off the handle. I felt like I was in Nutkinland again and responded as such! (with expletives omitted of course)

So, any way, maybe I (we?) are wrong. Are WE destroying the hobby of tabletop role playing games buy buying only d20 stuff? Did WE kill CoC and Deadlands and FASA etc. etc. etc. by buying into the WOTC "scheme" to control the whole industry and kill off other game systems?

IMO, if it weren't for Ryan and the original WOTC team, this hobby might have gone the way of the dodo. I tend to bash Wizards over errata, but I say they did a good thing for gaming.

Of course, maybe I am wrong and I should have left that post alone.

 

[Crothian]

I'm curious the reasons, too. I've been to other boards where people have taken the stance, but never adequately defended it.

 

[Psion]

So, any way, maybe I (we?) are wrong. Are WE destroying the hobby of tabletop role playing games buy buying only d20 stuff?

Who's buying only d20 stuff?

 

[Mouseferatu]

Hmm. CoC and Deadlands are both doing quite well. They both still exist in their original incarnations, not just the new D20 versions.

FASA died long before D20 came out, and Shadowrun and Batletech are still be produced by other companies.

No game--again, no game--has died because of D20.

No game company has died because of D20. I challenge anyone to point me to one that has.

I still play many games--Vampire and other White Wolf games, as well as the original Cthulhu--that aren't D20. And I have no interest in seeing a D20 version of Vampire.

Tell them they're full of it.

 

[Crothian]

And even if people are just buying d20 stuff, that shouldn't matter. I've known gamers (and still do) for years that only buy a certain compaines products. They have everything by, say, whitewolf, but not a siungle book by any other company. At least by buying d20 we are purchasing from many comapnies. I'd think that would be better then supporting just one company.

 

[Randolpho]

You know what I'm reminded of? Microsoft.

WotC makes a superior product, and offers it to others essentially free of charge. Those who like to rebel against anything mainstream for the sheer sake of being "on the cutting edge" (as they erroneously see it), hate the fact that WotC and the d20 system is so popular. For much the same reasons that they hated AD&D and TSR back in 2e.

These are the same people who blindly attack Microsoft out of sheer ignorance. They're rebels literally without a clue. They rebel for the sake of rebellion to make themselves feel good about themselves.

d20 is the best thing that has ever happened to the gaming industry. It's putting the very concept of roleplaying into mainstream, to the point where it's neck-and-neck (IME) with computer/console gaming as the dominant form of entertainment.

Sorry to get a little off topic, but that's the way I feel. You get people who aren't going to look at things with an open mind, they prefer things a certain way (usually for the wrong reasons, IMO), and nothing you say/do will ever change their minds. On the contrary, anything you say/do will only more firmly cement their opinions in their minds.

 

[WSmith]

Re: Re: In defense of Open Gaming

Who's buying only d20 stuff?

Opps! Sorry Allen. I really didn't say what I ment. Maybe, I should have put "mostly" instead of "only" , cause I too have purchased other systems recently, most notably Hackmaster.

Thanks for the re-assurance, guys. And I couldn't agree with Randolpho more, that there are many alternatives that PnP is compeating with, that are far more detrimental to the hobby in a "what do I want to spend my time doing" persective than OGL. Console and computer gaming just to name a few.

 

[bondetamp]

I very much doubt that any gaming company has lost customers because of Open Gaming. Some companies have probably lost customers because D&D is suddenly a good game, though, and I suppose people are mixing these two.

 

[Eosin the Red]

In campaign mag #2 Don Perrin eludes to Soverign Stone being close to shutting the doors, until they jumped on the d20 bandwagon.

d20 has saved at least 1 company.

 

[WSmith]

I'm curious the reasons, too. I've been to other boards where people have taken the stance, but never adequately defended it.

I doubt it could be substaniated. Here is the thread, as it goes downhill.

http://calder.decipher.com/cgi-bin/msgbd?st-rpg-discuss$15426-28362$3