Releasing Unearthed Arcana OGC...

[Cergorach]

I just got Unearthed Arcana and i must say, some very interesting campaign options. A happy fact is that is that it's almost all OGC, a move on WotC's part that i applaud. I've already seen some people requesting an online copy. I've come to understand that UA will not be added to the SRD (it doesn't have to because it's already OGC). That means that someone has to type the thing over before it's released online (this is allowed by the OGL). i have to agree that this would be great, except for a couple of things.

1.) If i released the UA OGC tonight WotC would probably loose a lot of sales, something i don't wish on them, because chances are that OGC will from that point on be very limited (at least comming from WotC).

2.) If i don't, i expect that someone will in the comming month, chances are that (s)he will ask money for it. That's not something i oppose, but it's not the same as releasing the SRD for money, this might really affect sales at WotC. Which in turn might result in WotC never releasing OGC again (or even expanding the SRD).

3.) Asking people not to release it in the comming months might work on 999 out of a 1000, but there's still 1 that will release it. So how to comabt this? Unmotivate people to release the UA OGC.

4.) I was thinking of releasing the UA OGC in six months (is this long enough to get the initial sales that WotC is looking for?). Unless someone releases it sooner, because then i will release it as well (for free), that way someone has to be pretty hardcore if he wants to do all that typing work if someone else will release it in a couple of months.

Is this a good way of unmotivating people to release the UA OGC before WotC gets it's needed sales off the product?

 

[Flyspeck23]

Why would you want to "re-release" the book?

MMS:WE is 99,9% OGC too, but no one is typing the whole thing (or cutting and pasting from the PDF, which should be much quicker) and posting it on his or her website.

The SRD is another thing entirely. That's more or less the foundation of the game, and spreading this in any way is IMHO good.

I'd say: don't do it. Use anything (if it's OGC) you want in a new project (for instance: the rules for incantations, added by some of your own incantations...), but stay away from just copying the book's text.
It' would be legal (IANAL), but it won't be considered good style (IMHO). Do you really want to punish WotC for publishing OGC?

There might be exceptions, of course - if you'd do a UA GM Screen or something like that for instance.

 

[Cergorach]

Why would you want to "re-release" the book?

In an effort to release everything OGC and collect it in one place. Also an effort to reduce the amount of "Reinventing the wheel" D20/OGL releases.

MMS:WE is 99,9% OGC too, but no one is typing the whole thing (or cutting and pasting from the PDF, which should be much quicker) and posting it on his or her website.

Chances are that i will, eventually. The idea is that the more publishers release as OGC, the longer it won't be released in an OGC compilation. Hopefully motivating publishers to release more of their publication as OGC.

I'd say: don't do it. Use anything (if it's OGC) you want in a new project (for instance: the rules for incantations, added by some of your own incantations...), but stay away from just copying the book's text.

The decission has already been made by others, i just try to delay the release so that WotC (or any other publisher for that matter) can have some breathing room.

I will release some original work as well, but it will mostly be based on excisting rules. Each of those rule sources will then have it's own rules compilation.

It' would be legal (IANAL), but it won't be considered good style (IMHO). Do you really want to punish WotC for publishing OGC?

Good style by whom? I want to try to stop an early release, because i think that it would hurt WotC sales. After six months chances are that the book will have sold 80%-90% of it's 'livespan'. After that it would have a far smaller impact then if it where released after a week or two. It might even stimulate sales, because even if i layout economically it will still take up 160 pages or so. Printing would be uneconomical, because the color hardcover book is available for less then $25.

There might be exceptions, of course - if you'd do a UA GM Screen or something like that for instance.

That would be an extension product, i intend to do a lot of extension products to make the source product more usefull. But that's all in the future ;-)

 

[Flyspeck23]

In an effort to release everything OGC and collect it in one place. Also an effort to reduce the amount of "Reinventing the wheel" D20/OGL releases.

That's a good point

Good style by whom? I want to try to stop an early release, because i think that it would hurt WotC sales.

Just because there are others who don't restrain themselves in any way doesn't make a similar move that much better. Better in comparison perhaps, but that's all.
That said, you're of course free to do whatever you think is right. I'd first get in contact with any publisher of whom you're going to republish their OGC for its own sake, and hear what they think about it.
The OGL doesn't demand this, but it would be the polite way of action.

 

[Ranger REG]

Is this a good way of unmotivating people to release the UA OGC before WotC gets it's needed sales off the product?

Does it make a difference? When D&D 3e was released, we got the Beta 3e SRD out in the open, courtesy of WotC. When d20 Modern was released, we got the Modern SRD out in the open, courtesy of WotC. When D&D 3.5e was released, we got the 3.5e SRD out in the open, courtesy of WotC. Did they hinder the sale of their products? Doubtful, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

As for UA, since WotC may not do SRD sections, it's up to us to distinguish which is OGC and extract them from book. That would be a very slow process, while trying to obey the Open Game License.

 

[Cergorach]

Does it make a difference? When D&D 3e was released, we got the Beta 3e SRD out in the open, courtesy of WotC. When d20 Modern was released, we got the Modern SRD out in the open, courtesy of WotC. When D&D 3.5e was released, we got the 3.5e SRD out in the open, courtesy of WotC. Did they hinder the sale of their products? Doubtful, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

UA isn't a core rulebook, and as such won't have as much sales as a core rulebook. Smaller sales will mean a larger impact if a few people don't buy it.

As for UA, since WotC may not do SRD sections, it's up to us to distinguish which is OGC and extract them from book. That would be a very slow process, while trying to obey the Open Game License.

This might suprise you, but the designation of IP and OGC is exceptional clear. It will still take some time, but not as much as with products by Malhavoc or Mongoose.

 

[Ranger REG]

UA isn't a core rulebook, and as such won't have as much sales as a core rulebook. Smaller sales will mean a larger impact if a few people don't buy it.

Well, I honestly don't know how the "Epic-Level Sections" (plural) have affected the sales of Epic-Level Handbook, now that they finally included the material (in several sections) from that product into the 3.5e SRD.

I also honestly don't know how the "Arcana Sections" (plural) have affected the sales of Urban Arcana, now that they finally included the material from that product into the MSRD.

The fact of the matter is this: Wizards released the Unearthed Arcana book with OGC. If you follow the OGL correctly, then you should be able to reprint designated OGC from that product. There is no time-delay. Publishers who want to use UA OGC could do it immediately upon the product's release.

This might suprise you, but the designation of IP and OGC is exceptional clear. It will still take some time, but not as much as with products by Malhavoc or Mongoose.

That's good. Now the task is to take out only the OGC material to be used for reprinting. Clearly designated OGC just make it less inconvenient for you, just a tad (or baby step).

 

[Urizen]

ok.

Here's a question.

How do Ethics and plain old fashioned "good taste" fit into the whole thing?

I mean, crap, there's a ton of OGC in the Unearthed Arcana that I would love to use for a book I'm in the process of writing, but two of my friends have already said using 3rd party OGC is like being a "copy cat."

Personally I'm very happy that the material was made OGC, but in the end, will using it make my product look like a cheap carbon copy of the U.A?

 

[kingpaul]

I mean, crap, there's a ton of OGC in the Unearthed Arcana that I would love to use for a book I'm in the process of writing, but two of my friends have already said using 3rd party OGC is like being a "copy cat."

But, that's the point of open gaming, at least IMO. You now don't have to reinvent the wheel. You like rules out of source X, use them (assuming they're OGC).

Personally I'm very happy that the material was made OGC, but in the end, will using it make my product look like a cheap carbon copy of the U.A?

But even doing a 'cheap carbon copy' of the OGC rules is legal. However, as long as you were revising and/or extending the rules in some fashion, I don't see how you'd be a 'cheap carbon copy'.

 

[Conaill]

Yes, please do us all a favor and do NOT reinvent the wheel yet again! d20 right now is suffering from an explosion of alternate rules. If you see something in UA or in whatever other d20 book that you really like, please reuse it, rather than making yet another variant!

Actually, I would love to see publishers move more towards a consolidation and standardization of the rule set. For example, there's at least 4-5 different nautical rule books out there... don't you think it's time someone bit the bullet and came up with a compendium of "best of" rules?