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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jan van Leyden" data-source="post: 6190030" data-attributes="member: 20307">This would be the economics effect cited in the discussion about the OGL all those years ago: if you build a network around a core product aou're selling, the network feeds back to you increasing the sales of your core product. This effect might have been working with the D&D Trademark License, which required the producers to print something like "D&D PHB is required to use this product". But the OGL, where you don't have to give any reference to the producers of the core product?This might be an advantage if your strategy is to gain market share due to (percieved) higher quality or you have to fight for quality personnel to further your own product development.Your example only works if the hypothecial 3rd party publisher designs his book on guns in fantasy as strictly additional elements, say, a gunmen class with gunmen feats and, of course, guns. But what if he changes the rules for ranged attack in order to make his gunmen more realistcal or cooler? Suddenly this material is at odds with WotC books. Isn't it much better for the 3pp to take the OGL and run? Make a complete game of it instead of just an expansion?Sure, there's convenience for the players involved, as they can play the new game as a variation of the one they already know. Your analysis leaves out an important fact: the 1% loss to your customer base isn't all the wandering taking place. You'll have:A) New players/customers gained (non-gamers)B) New players/customers gained by winning them from other companiesC) Players/customers lost who don't game anymoreD) Players/customers lost due to them beind dissatisfied with your/3pp offerings.Your 1% is oart of point D). I can easily imagine a lot of business strategies focusing on point A) alone. Present your customers a cohesive product world. Change this product world to keep in touch with changes in your target population. Focus on trademark image rather than on subjective quality. Sell your core products to new customers.Note: For me as a player the OGL is cool. I relish the choice it gives me and I enjoy the sometimes quirky results it produces. Also, I firmly believe that Mike Mearls and team are trying to develop the best D&D they can and certainly wouldn't have any problems with a 3pp extending and expanding their work.Note 2: The Pathfinder example shows another risk of the OGL model. WotC loses customers when thy change the game, as the existing customer base is serviced by another publisher. In this situation the economic effect turns around. The core producer actually feeds the network at its own expense.</blockquote>

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