OGL Cloning 4e?

[lutecius]

oops. sorry. edited.

 

[Alcamtar]

I've been thinking about this a lot. I propose that such a system should be called 4Esque.

You do realize that would be pronounced "Frisk"

 

[Psion]

Didn't The Book of Experimental Might, which has a fair bit of parallel evolution, do pretty well?

At this moment, the two volumes are #1 and 2 at ENWorld's RPGnow storefront. FWIW.

 

[Turanil]

Please don't clone 4e. Legal stuff aside, one is enough.

 

[lutecius]

Please don't clone 4e. Legal stuff aside, one is enough.

See this as therapeutic, not reproductive cloning.
I am sure the beast has some healthy organs to salvage.

 

[CapnZapp]

I would applaud a 4Esque SRD that appears fairly soon.

Of course such a project must stay non-commercial. Nobody is interested in buying an SRD just for its own sake.

People that make products using it can charge money, of course.

 

[jmucchiello]

It's entirely possible that you might comb through enough OGL sources to create a game that plays almost exactly like 4e. But the terminology used will be entirely different at best. Products released under such a system will be confusing and difficult to use with the actual 4e rules.

The point of combing through the OGL is to find all the existing terminology. It doesn't have to mean the same thing. It just has to read well when you write using it. If you can say that a power "pushes opponent back 10 feet" someone playing 4e reads that they already knows it doesn't provoke opportunity attacks. Or you can be explicit "can move target 10 feet in any direction. Such movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity." That's far more cumbersome than "shift target 2 squares". But still, it is understandable.

Coming up with a power format is simple. Just use the spell/psionic power format:
Cool Power (Martial) [Cold]
Level: 19
Frequency: Per Day
Action: Standard
Components: Focus (weapon)
Attack Ability: Strength
Defense: AC
Range: by Weapon
Target: One creature.
etc.

 

[w_earle_wheeler]

Between the SRD, Unearthed Arcana, the open content in Iron Heroes and Book of X Might (as well as open content available from many other sources), I think a viable 4e-Clone SRD could be created in order to use the OGL.

It wouldn't be easy, but it could be done with a dedicated team of volunteers.

 

[Skywalker]

Personally, I would be very cautious of such an idea. Leaving aside the merits of the arguments, it could bring down a world of hurt on you. If one thing about being a lawyer has taught me is is that everyone looses in litigation, unless you are big enough to soak the costs from the outset.

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

Personally, I would be very cautious of such an idea. Leaving aside the merits of the arguments, it could bring down a world of hurt on you. If one thing about being a lawyer has taught me is is that everyone looses in litigation, unless you are big enough to soak the costs from the outset.

Agreed. Though there might be ways around it if you could hand off to someone in a country that didn't recognize US jurisdiction as a silent partner and let them do the publishing and distribution from offshore.