NEWS: OGL and SRD dates/info announced

[helium3]

Consolidation is pretty much the death of innovation.

How does the whole imprinting thing even work? I've heard of it before, but have no clue as to how one goes about doing it.

 

[Raven Crowking]

In the Information Age, I'd hate to see the fallout from such an occurrence.

I fully believe that there will be a great many folks calling it "WotC's right" and "a valid business move".



RC

 

[Aus_Snow]

First of all, it is cool. WotC spent a lot of time and effort into developing a great game and allows people to easily and freely legally access it (rather than illegally) and build on it - that's just cool.

You think and feel differently about it - I respect that. That's cool, regardless.

Secondly, the idea was that having the rules free and easily available for modification - from the creation of the hypertext SRD to widely varied systems such as True20 - helped WotC sales at the end by increasing the people playing and creatively working on material compatible with their products. I do believe that this is correct, that the SRD/OGL helped WotC more than a closed license - like the new STL - ever would have. But without hard data, this is a matter of opinion of course.

I suspect that the people with the best hard data are in fact those folks at WotC. And this is the decision they made, after much consideration of all the available facts, no doubt. After all, it is a business to them, and they don't want to go making rash decisions that might lose them money. So, well, it's unlikely they'll go doing that.

 

[helium3]

I've not seen anyone here saying they run their games using only the free rules available online, but that they find that access in addition to their books extremely useful. We do buy the books - and we find the openess the SRD brings to be great. Those things are not incompatible, you know.

Moreover, your post is backwards thinking. The SRD helped WotC making 3e great. The rules will be found online anyway for those with that inclination, so restricting it will only hurt their honest customers. Maybe RIAA is running the show at WotC now...

The hypertext SRD is great for (a) looking up spells for which I don't have the spells memorized, (b) weird rules that don't come into play very often and (c) random bits of numbers trivia, like the bread DC for a pair of manacles.

If WotC produced a hypertext version of the rules similar to or better than the hypertext d20 and kept it well updated, I would gladly pay the monthly subscription fee for the DI.

The problem with pdf's in my experience is that even if they're searchable and even hypertexted, they're still essentially formated as if they're going to be printed. What I want is an online rules index where everything is formatted to fit on my screen so that I don't have to constantly scrolls up and down the screen.

 

[Delta]

I think it's much too late to bolt that stable door... the horse is already galloping over the horizon!

I'll continue to use the OGL v1.0a for future OSRIC core rules updates, and I don't expect to face any legal challenge in respect of this. As far as I'm concerned, the sky is definitely not falling.

I don't know if they're intentionally or unintentionally confusing/reinterpreting the wording of the OGL at this time, so that's definitely not a bet I would share in at this time.

I hope you're right, but if forced to I'd bet on the opposite.

 

[PapersAndPaychecks]

I don't know if they're intentionally or unintentionally confusing/reinterpreting the wording of the OGL at this time, so that's definitely not a bet I would share in at this time.

I feel that by the usual standards of legal documents, the OGL v1.0a is very clear indeed. I think it's extremely hard to confuse.

I think the legal position will be that the OGL v1.0a continues to stand exactly as Ryan Dancey intended. I don't think any other result is legally possible.

I expect to see a new license come out, with some significant differences in the wording. I think that document will apply to 4e and other games going forward. I expect that this new license will also be called an "Open Gaming License" or something very similar, and I think WOTC will do little to dispel any resulting confusion.

But I certainly don't expect to receive contact from WOTC's lawyers over OSRIC's use of the OGL v1.0a.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

What really hurt WotC, IMHO, is that third parties produced the books they should have produced, earlier and better (and often using the same group of writers). Now, I see that they are restricting the license, presumably in part to prevent exactly that, and it makes me wonder exactly how much they intend to stifle innovation.

You know, all of this is bringing to my mind those early comments about the coming clouds of 4th edition and how we mortals are powerless to stop them.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

The hypertext SRD is great for (a) looking up spells for which I don't have the spells memorized, (b) weird rules that don't come into play very often and (c) random bits of numbers trivia, like the bread DC for a pair of manacles.

Would you roll Profession (baker) against that DC?

 

[barsoomcore]

Would you roll Profession (baker) against that DC?

Nah, that's a Craft check.

 

[Delta]

But I certainly don't expect to receive contact from WOTC's lawyers over OSRIC's use of the OGL v1.0a.

I hear you. Not a bet I would share in at this time.