So, if the virtual tabletop supports homebrews ...

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Doesn't that effectively mean the players can essentially wiki themselves up all the previous editions and all play the same "homebrews" together?

And while WotC probably won't blow a gasket over people playing Greyhawk, Mystara or Planescape games like this, who's going to broach the subject with third party publishers?

 

[Agamon]

Doubtful. While it has been said you can do homebrews/house rules by turning the rules off, what are you left with when you "turn the rules off"? How much functionality is lost? Would it be much more than a chat bar and a battle map?

Unless they let you go in and make rulesets for houserules, etc (ala FG), I don't think this will matter much.

 

[green slime]

It'll be interesting to see what happens, that's for sure.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

House rules and homebrews aren't the same thing by a long shot.

Even the screenshots of what's to come show homebrew settings.

 

[Yair]

I'm actually planning a virtual tabletop Ars Magica saga, which I was gonna host with MapTools. Now I'm looking at the D&D Initiative as an option too... if it can provide me with a good tabletop for an outdoor adventure, dice, chat, and voice, I really don't care much about the rules... Whether it will be worth paying for use instead of using some other free tool is another matter.