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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Alzrius" data-source="post: 5813578" data-attributes="member: 8461">I can, but in my experience, most people seem to want objectively-gathered data, usually to not only confirm volumes of sales (or lack thereof), but also to precisely state the reasons for said sales. I don't have any of that.What I can say is that I've read a large number of truly great OGL products that I don't think would have been produced if not for the Open Game License. Others might still have been produced, but would have been for custom systems, limiting their access and appeal for a lot of gamers.Now, I know some people think that it's better if every new RPG is invented from scratch, saying that expands overall creativity in the hobby, and I don't disagree that creativity is a good thing. But so is compatibility. I don't have the time or energy to learn myriad new gaming systems, nor do I want to invest the money to do so. Knowing that something's compatible with the game I already enjoy playing makes me more likely to pick it up. A supplement for game X has no draw for me if I don't play game X. But if I'm already a fan of game Y, and supplement X is compatible with game Y under the OGL, then I'm quite possibly a buyer. In that regard, the OGL didn't take anything away from anyone - game designers can still make custom systems all they want; it's thanks to the OGL that they have, in many cases, the option to use an existing system, instead of having to reinvent the wheel to market a great new idea.Likewise, I think that lowering the bar for who can publish new materials is a very good thing. As I said, I've seen a great many products published for the d20 system under the OGL that never would have come out of WotC.To summarize, I don't see the OGL as having taken anything away from anybody, whereas it's added a great deal for almost everybody.</blockquote>

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