Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Tony Vargas" data-source="post: 6039137" data-attributes="member: 996">While the loss of trademarked nouns is an issue, it's not a huge one.&nbsp; It's really the loss of the core game that's a problem.&nbsp; For 3.5, the core game is right there in the SRD.&nbsp; Add a bit to it and you've published a 3.5 retro-clone - easy and legal.&nbsp; The core of 4e is copyrighted, you can't just re-print the Fighter, Cleric, Rogue &amp; Wizard, add a few bits, and have a retro-clone, you'd have to re-invent each class and power, trying to cleave to the ideas, balance, and 'feel' without actually snatching any one sentence verbatim.&nbsp; A 4e retro-clone is impractical for those legal reasons.&nbsp; Things like 13th Age and Radiance can skate close to it, but they can't just re-publish it with a new coat of paint like Pathfinder did with 3.5 - and that's what made Pathfinder so successful, that it /was/ 3.5 for the 3.5 holdouts.&nbsp; Having seen that 'lost revenue' and 'damage to the brand,' Hasbro isn't going to let it happen again with 4e.&nbsp; New supplements for 4e is a possibility, though, until the GSL is revoked.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Tony Vargas, post: 6039137, member: 996"] While the loss of trademarked nouns is an issue, it's not a huge one. It's really the loss of the core game that's a problem. For 3.5, the core game is right there in the SRD. Add a bit to it and you've published a 3.5 retro-clone - easy and legal. The core of 4e is copyrighted, you can't just re-print the Fighter, Cleric, Rogue & Wizard, add a few bits, and have a retro-clone, you'd have to re-invent each class and power, trying to cleave to the ideas, balance, and 'feel' without actually snatching any one sentence verbatim. A 4e retro-clone is impractical for those legal reasons. Things like 13th Age and Radiance can skate close to it, but they can't just re-publish it with a new coat of paint like Pathfinder did with 3.5 - and that's what made Pathfinder so successful, that it /was/ 3.5 for the 3.5 holdouts. Having seen that 'lost revenue' and 'damage to the brand,' Hasbro isn't going to let it happen again with 4e. New supplements for 4e is a possibility, though, until the GSL is revoked. [/QUOTE]

Verification