Obligatory Unearthed Arcana thread

[Olive]

Nope. I'm a consumer, not a publisher.

And I don't care to see these "rule variants" appear in other products since I probably won't be using these new rules... thus making the other products that much more difficult to use (and in the current environment of d20 glut, that equals a big "no-buy" from me).

This is more or less how I feel about it as well. f they were going to make epic, planes and deity rule OGL I'd be much happier as WotC is probably not going to do much with those and I'd like there to be a base rule structure for making planes etc. But I doubt this is going to make much difference to anything. Most people are going to keep playing straight up D&D, and publishers are going to probably keep trying to appeal to those consumers. I doubt that this will make any real difference at all.

 

[Olive]

I love it so. frickin'. much.

This has skyrocketed past the 3.5e books in terms of stuff I REALLY need to buy.

WP/VP will be here...probably a Defense bonus by level....different magic systems (MP anyone?), maybe psionics stuff (though they'll probably save some of it for the revised PsiHB)....I'm looking forward to it. Really really.

But all of that was always going to be in it right? And your ability to do fan based stuff isn't going to change because it's OGC. So why does it being OGC make any difference to you at all?

I'm not bummed their doing it, I think it's great and I wish that they'd do it for some other books (as I said in the previous post) but I think people are getting the politics and principles of the OGL confused with the actual effect it will have on their games.

 

[der_kluge]

Aside from the fact that the book will be OGC, a book of nothing but variant rules doesn't excite you? Even in the least?

 

[shadowlight]

Anyone else as excited by the prospect of 100% OGC as I am?

Absolutely! This means that these rules will probably find their way to PC Gen and a number of other electronic aids! Score one for the wired DM!!

 

[Arnwyn]

f they were going to make epic, planes and deity rule OGL I'd be much happier as WotC is probably not going to do much with those and I'd like there to be a base rule structure for making planes etc.

Yes, that's exactly it, Olive. I'd prefer that WotC release OGL that allows for the supporting of already existing rules (as Olive notes above, epic, planes, diety rules) as opposed to just coming up with new rules that may not integrate well with games that are playing for years and affects the base system.

Support, please!

 

[Greatwyrm]

OGC is cool, but I'm hoping it's long on QGC - Quality Gaming Content. I just want the variants, especially for classes and magic, to plug in easily to the current system.

 

[Davelozzi]

This is more or less how I feel about it as well. f they were going to make epic, planes and deity rule OGL...

The planes info in the 3.5 SRD is pretty extensive. Sure, the Outer Planes aren't in there, but the Prime, Inner Planes, Transitive Planes, and planar mechanics are. Most of the Outer Planes have short form names that aren't Wizard's IP, right? For example, Hell or Abyss instead of Nine Hells of Baator or Infinite Layers of the Abyss. Almost all of the original planar names hail from mythology.

To get back on topic, I am excited about Unearthed Arcana. I'm particularly curious to see how the Paladin and Ranger prestige classes hold up (even though I already have them homebrewed anyway). I think the OGL factor is a bonus but it won't make a big difference to me, although as a Spycraft and Star Wars fan, it'll be nice to see VP/WP finally accessible to all.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

OGC material can benefit the gamer who has no interest in the business side of things, although somewhat indirectly and not immediately. What OGC could do (and which has not quite come about yet) is standardize the game even more than it is. That is, when OGC comes out that covers an area not covered in the SRD, if it's good enough (or popular enough), it could become the standard for the industry. And, the OGL would still allow for others to try to make better systems. So, it's kind of a win/win situation.

Also, most d20/OGL books I've seen detail the OGC they use in the book they use it in, so one doesn't generally have to buy the original source of the OGC to use it.

All in all, I'm glad WotC is doing this. As Psion noted, the foot-dragging* at getting books like Manual of the Planes or the Epic Level Handbook into the SRD has made it seem more and more like WotC has no intention of adding any more such material. This is the first really positive sign in that regard that I've seen in a long while.

* I don't blame the "foot-dragging" on the poor guy who is responsible for getting the material ready to go into the SRD (is it still Andrew?). It seems more like WotC simply won't devote the time and effort on a corporate level into getting it done. That is, they must have the person doing the job doing a number of other things that take precedence (at least, that's my guess).

 

[Psion]

But all of that was always going to be in it right? And your ability to do fan based stuff isn't going to change because it's OGC. So why does it being OGC make any difference to you at all?

This may sound like an echo of the Colonel here, but more/better OGC in the pool, the more it benefits other products.

Part of the original intent of the open content movement was to make a growing communal content pool. However, after the initial spurt, that pool of content sort of whithered because open content could not compare in how much it actually gets used compared to the market-position-driven closed content, which sort of defeated the purpose. It created growing incompatabilities between things the third party publishers were doing and the things WotC were doing, which is, in the end, bad for the customer. The less work the players have to do to use a new product, the more valuable those new products are to the customer.

 

[Olive]

Aside from the fact that the book will be OGC, a book of nothing but variant rules doesn't excite you? Even in the least?

Hey, I'm totally into the idea of the book! I thought the thread was about being excited about the OGC in it tho.