OGL; Is it working?

[Glyfair]

If 4.0 isn't open will the contiuned used of the old OGL matter much at all? I'm guessing the vast bulk of the audience will leave 3.5 behind no matter how much moaning they do about it now.

I think this will be less true, if WotC decides not have an OGL for 4E. 3rd party publishers will continue to publish thing under the 3.5 OGL.

You'll likely see more experimentation in the format, since being compatible with WotC D&D products won't be an issue. Indeed, I wouldn't be suprised to see one or two diverging paths of the OGL. For example, WotC would have 4E, Green Ronin might publish an "advanced 3.5" and maybe another company builds their variation. If these companies keep their "upgrade" open, since 3rd party publishers won't be able to use 4E, they might decide to tie their fortunes to one of the other variations. That could even lead to one of those variations being a strong competitor to D&D (i.e. pulling significant players away).

 

[jgbrowning]

I think this will be less true, if WotC decides not have an OGL for 4E. 3rd party publishers will continue to publish thing under the 3.5 OGL.

You'll likely see more experimentation in the format, since being compatible with WotC D&D products won't be an issue. Indeed, I wouldn't be suprised to see one or two diverging paths of the OGL. For example, WotC would have 4E, Green Ronin might publish an "advanced 3.5" and maybe another company builds their variation. If these companies keep their "upgrade" open, since 3rd party publishers won't be able to use 4E, they might decide to tie their fortunes to one of the other variations. That could even lead to one of those variations being a strong competitor to D&D (i.e. pulling significant players away).

I also think 3.0 brought back a huge number of "lapsed" players who'll be even more unlikly to migrate up to 4.0 because they'll have continued product support via 3rd party publishers.

IMHO, The demographic is also getting older and less desirous to learn new systems and re-purchase another version of a book about dwarves....

joe b.

 

[Creeping Death]

New Editions

I'm done with new editions. 3.X is my last. If WotC did come out with 4e, I would use my money to buy as many of the 3rd party 3x stuff that I missed as I could. I know a few people around where I live that think the same, so I would have group. So 4e means nothing to me.

Just my 2 coppers

 

[The Lost Muse]

I would think that, despite the excellent quality of many works from 3rd party companies, if WoTC made D&D 4.x closed, a good deal of the gaming community would go with that no matter what. Most people buy WoTC only, and usually just the core 3 (for GM's at least).

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

I'm done with new editions. 3.X is my last. If WotC did come out with 4e, I would use my money to buy as many of the 3rd party 3x stuff that I missed as I could. I know a few people around where I live that think the same, so I would have group. So 4e means nothing to me.

Just my 2 coppers

Totally. I know for a fact that if they put the 3.5 stuff on clearance to make way for a new edition, most of the gamers I know will be there to stockpile books into the next decade. I know I'd take the opportunity to buy all the WotC books I'll ever need again. After that, I'll just wait to see what new stuff comes out of Malhavoc and Green Ronin.

Nobody wants to go through buying a new edition again. We're old and tired and our bookshelves are full. And it's all been done. Core books hold no interest for us anymore. Mostly I've been interested in adventures these days, because I'm too busy to write my own. I'm interested in Ptolus, and I'm collecting the Age of Worms and looking into picking up Shackled City. There's probably about 5 or 6 years of gaming between the three of them, at least, and they're talking about a third adventure path already. Who needs a new edition?

 

[Umbran]

Again, like was said above, I don't think enough solid systems came out that people adopted.

Well, there's two thoughts here that come to mind...

1) The more different systems are adopted, the less successful each one is. OGL or not, there is some disincentive to producing too many new systems.

2) It is probaboly difficult for a designer or customer to really think of something done under the OGL, using WotC open game content as it's base, as a whole separate system. Modified D&D != new system.

It would have been interesting to see what Psion hoped for - the cream floating to the top and being accepted by more gamers. However, I think that the market isn't quite fluid enough for that. These messageboards notwithstanding, there isn't enough communication, and not enough gamers buying and trying more than they need. And this is all linked to the two points, above.

 

[Creeping Death]

Totally. I know for a fact that if they put the 3.5 stuff on clearance to make way for a new edition, most of the gamers I know will be there to stockpile books into the next decade. I know I'd take the opportunity to buy all the WotC books I'll ever need again. After that, I'll just wait to see what new stuff comes out of Malhavoc and Green Ronin.

Nobody wants to go through buying a new edition again. We're old and tired and our bookshelves are full. And it's all been done. Core books hold no interest for us anymore. Mostly I've been interested in adventures these days, because I'm too busy to write my own. I'm interested in Ptolus, and I'm collecting the Age of Worms and looking into picking up Shackled City. There's probably about 5 or 6 years of gaming between the three of them, at least, and they're talking about a third adventure path already. Who needs a new edition?

Ain't that the truth. I've always wanted a nice collection of figures too. But with the way things are, books and pdfs have always won out. I could collect them too. 6e could come out, but man I would have the best 3x collection evar!

I've always wanted to do a campaign world, complete with extraplanar locations, mass combat, and a ton of other stuff. It would take years to go through all the 3x stuff to get all the mechanics, feats, Prcs and other stuff that I would want to use.

Ooh Ooh, I could also write my own software to incorporate all the rules and things that I would use. There is just no incentive to move to another edition.

 

[Crothian]

There are things I would have like to see have come of it that never did -- like having the best mechanics sort of "rise to the top" and only a narrow few variants. Some fields saw way too much reinventing the wheel (look at how many mass combat systems there are.)

But largely, yes, I think it succeeded. There are many, many excellent products out there that would not have been possible from a company like wizards.

I find that I am right more often when I agree with Psion, so I agree with Psion.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

I would think that, despite the excellent quality of many works from 3rd party companies, if WoTC made D&D 4.x closed, a good deal of the gaming community would go with that no matter what. Most people buy WoTC only, and usually just the core 3 (for GM's at least).

I agree. I know there would be a fair number of holdouts, just like there are with 1e, 2e, & Dialgo's version but I really doubt the average gamer is going to stay.

 

[wingsandsword]

I think it was successful, in that the goal was to build up the fan base for D&D and get more people to buy D&D. D&D 3.x has been a huge hit, and a healthy stable of 3rd party sourcebooks which help keep interest going, as well as WotC doing a complete, and legally enshrined, 180 degree turn from the TSR attitude of "talk about D&D online and we sue you", has really helped grow the D&D fanbase. Casual players become more devoted players, devoted players become even more devoted, and it grows the entire industry.

Now, I think some people interpreted the OGL to mean "we can make D&D suppliments of our own and get rich!", and they'll think it was a failure, because gaming is a tough industry. There was a lot of hubris in the early OGL era, of a lot of really bad books being published, as countless gamers dumped their savings into tiny start-up companies that churned out their own homebrew stuff to compete alongside WotC's own material, and it sank like a rock.