OGL Mechanics and evolution

[Umbran]

Would it produce the results we want?

Whether or not this is legally possible, I don't think it'll produce the results you seek, because I don't think the limiting factor is advertising.

In general, "evolution" occurs on timescales longer than the "lifespan" of the thing that is evolving. Open source code evolves quickly in part because computers run quickly, and are used a great deal. There are many users and many reboots, so there are many "generations" over which the code is tested and revised in a relatively short time.

By comparison, there are few gamers, and they don't "run" their game systems nearly as much - the timescale we're looking at is a "campaign", which can take months or years. Playtesting a game in the field is agonizingly slow in comparison to testing code, so the game rules will evolve much more slowly. A change in advertising will not change the bottleneck.

 

[Ranger REG]

Also, WotC still has great influence. If they release mass combat rules, your better off using those than any open ones.

Then again, their MC rules could possibly just be as unappealing as their psionics rules.

Being a business leader in the RPG industry does not assure you that every product you produce is a hit. It is that kind of attitude that got TSR into financial disaster (they think their "TSR" company brand has more leverage and equity than D&D product brand). I'm afraid that Wizards may fall into that same habit.

But I digress. While referring to other product is your way of helping others out, legally you do not have that control over someone else's trademark. So get their permission first.

OTOH as a consumer, if I look at your d20 product and I find that I must have other books to use your product fully, and they are not in my own collection, I may be more inclined to put your product back on the shelf rather than take it to the cash register. So understand your consumer's thinking well.

If you can, simply reprint the necessary content. If not, get permission.

 

[Monte At Home]

Then again, their MC rules could possibly just be as unappealing as their psionics rules.

You mean that unappealing book that has most likely outsold every book in the current game industry other than the three core D&D books?

Not to contradict your point, which is a good one, but you chose a bad example, IMO. You point, that the industry leader doesn't always put out the best products, is correct, I think. On the topic of mass combat rules, for example, it will be interesting to compare theirs with those written in our upcoming book, Cry Havoc, by Skip Williams. In theory, if Skip still worked at WotC, he probably would have written WotC's rules. Does the fact that Cry Havoc won't have the WotC logo on it make it less of a book? Of course not. But it does effect sales.

Back on topic, though, the idea of OGL evolution fascinates me as well. In Arcana Unearthed, I've attempted to "evolve" some core rules in small ways--Concentration checks, how Intimidate works, spells that raise the dead, and many other areas. By means of the OGL, other publishers will be able to use these "mutations" if they feel that they are indeed beneficial to the evolution of the game. (In fact, we'll be doing something kinda special to make it even easier for other publishers to use AU material, but I can't quite talk about that yet.)

It'll be interesting to see what happens.

 

[Ranger REG]

Hey, I'm all for the OGL evolution. I'm glad it started up albeit slowly last year with the likes of standalone products such as Mutants & Masterminds and EverQuest, as well as those who uses the SRD as rules conversion notes like in GODLIKE.

And let's not forget Gold Rush Games' contribution of their Action! System rulesets being released under the OGL.

As for my statement, it is a poor example. I let my personal opinion and preference influenced me when I wrote that.

But I stand by my other statements regarding citing/referencing other sources that are not covered in Wizards of the Coast's d20 System Trademark License and Trademark Usage Guide.