NEWS: OGL and SRD dates/info announced

[Piratecat]

Here's what I find weird.

WOTC says that companies can form partnerships and pay a single fee. What's preventing 5-10 of the smaller companies from forming a partnership and paying the single fee?

Absolutely nothing, as far as I know. I personally think that's a great idea. 5000 members couldn't chip in $1 a piece, though -- that's why WotC is limiting it to legitimate businesses, and why there's a NDA.

I'm assuming that there is a US business partner, and you could license in their home state. PCat indicated he was on the call, for example.

Note that I was there as an EN World newsguy, and not as a member of EN Publishing (I have no formal ties with the publishing wing of the site.) I'm happy to answer any questions, though -- I took a whole lot of notes. That's where that Q&A comes from in the news item.

Incidentally, it bothers me that games like Spycraft couldn't be created in 4e because the PHB must be referenced. I'm wondering if innovative design might compensate, though. Can you picture a western game where the gunfighter came from a rogue, just using substitution levels?

 

[GMSkarka]

the srd will contain rules.

Not according to the advanced-notice conference call yesterday.

They specifically said that the SRD would not be a stripped-down version of the rules like it is now, because they want to prevent what they called "copy-and-paste" publishing, and players using the SRD instead of buying the PHB.

From what I could tell, the new SRD will function more as an index to material in the core rulebooks, declaring what passages are open, etc.

 

[Piratecat]

GMS is correct. As far as we know, the SRD will be many guidelines about what is open and what isn't.

 

[Rechan]

Not according to the advanced-notice conference call yesterday.

They specifically said that the SRD would not be a stripped-down version of the rules like it is now, because they want to prevent what they called "copy-and-paste" publishing, and players using the SRD instead of buying the PHB.

From what I could tell, the new SRD will function more as an index to material in the core rulebooks, declaring what passages are open, etc.

1) How can they possibly make rules if publishers don't see the rules right there in their face?

2) When we talk about the SRD in this manner, do we mean what the PUBLISHERS get, or what goes live in June?

 

[ashockney]

Here's what I find weird.

WOTC says that companies can form partnerships and pay a single fee. What's preventing 5-10 of the smaller companies from forming a partnership and paying the single fee?

What prevents this from happening is that only one company is king.

Your business license. Your enforcement. Your name. If everyoe who had done small pdf publishing and hangs out here got together to do this, it would work fine. But whoever's NAME this goes under, is RESPONSIBLE for everyone under them. If they're going to publish, they would have to publish under this imprint.

They discussed something like this in the 4e seminars at Gen Con, and I wondered how they would pull this off. They said they wanted a means for the good, more professional third parties to act as stewards for the third party community. Voila.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Not according to the advanced-notice conference call yesterday.

They specifically said that the SRD would not be a stripped-down version of the rules like it is now, because they want to prevent what they called "copy-and-paste" publishing, and players using the SRD instead of buying the PHB.

From what I could tell, the new SRD will function more as an index to material in the core rulebooks, declaring what passages are open, etc.

Err... But if they're open, what prevents them from being published?

So confused.

 

[Grazzt]

It if it does work, this is probably good for WotC, for retailers, and for consumers. Everyone wins from the 4thed Tome of Horrors at Gencon.

good point

Because I know think I will own a 4th ed Tome of Horrors in August.

 

[EricNoah]

Hmmm ... thinking this through ... if it tells what sections are open, then there really isn't much to stop someone from compiling and publishing the open sections ... so maybe it won't be long before a reasonably useful free compilation is available.

 

[Firevalkyrie]

What a "legitimate business license" is is up to interpretation... by WotC. So I don't think everyone and their brother is going to be able to get an early copy of the SRD.

What a "legitimate business license" means is that you have a license to do business in your relevant local political unit (city, county/parish, state/province, nation-state). In other words, they want to make sure that people aren't signing up for this just to get an early copy of the SRD.

 

[tenkar]

I think some publishers could cover this cost my issuing non-voting shares in shares in their companies. What gamer wouldn't want to be able to say they own part of a gaming company, even if all they get is a snazzy certificate and maybe a product sent to them once a year