D&D 4E What if 4e (whenever it happens) is not OGL?

[dmccoy1693]

Sure - think about generic medicines. Most of them say "compare to Tylenol" (or whatever) right on the bottle. You can mention a brand name without claiming ownership over it.

If that's true, then why doesn't some 3rd party company make a product that is "Compatable with Exalted(tm)"? (Note: I'm not saying you're wrong; I just want to better understand the legal aspect of the the gaming world.)

 

[dmccoy1693]

How about if White Wolf did it?

I think the only way that WW COULD do it is if Hasbro sold off D&D to WW.

 

[TerraDave]

Personally, I believe the OGL was a mistake for WotC - they instantly created dozens of competitors for the D&D dollar. I think they had little to no idea that 3rd party publishers would be able to compete for market share with major supplements and worlds.

What is this competition you speak of? Due to some misteps on their part (the first set of splatbooks) they opened the door to many d20 publishers, but, as supported by many posters in this thread, they are not facing much competition right now.

In fact, I think they face less competition then they have for many, many years. (they being the company that publishes D&D). At least from other pen and paper RPGs.

 

[trancejeremy]

Personally, I believe the OGL was a mistake for WotC - they instantly created dozens of competitors for the D&D dollar. I think they had little to no idea that 3rd party publishers would be able to compete for market share with major supplements and worlds.

I dunno. I don't think any of them actually competed with WOTC, they simply filled in areas where WOTC wasn't publishing at the time. Which was the point of the OGL (from WOTC's POV). Truly, no 3rd party can compete with WOTC.

Probably the closest case would that Critter book from S&S/White Wolf that came out before the Monster Manual. But that was really poor quality, and I seriously doubt it kept anyone from buying the MM.

It's just now when the d20 market pretty much squeezed out and them covering just about everything possible (each class probably has 2-3 splatbooks by now), you see WOTC really going into the lower profit stuff (adventures). And their biggest competition in that area was Dungeon, which is why they killed it off, IMHO.

 

[RFisher]

What can the companies who owe their existence to making D&D-compatible products do to survive a market where large numbers of people stop playing d20?

Reread this & realized I don't think I answered this...

Don't expect to make a living off of creating RPG material. Instead, figure out how you can do it despite the fact you can't make a living at it.

If you do form a company, be very careful to size it to your potential market. This means doing a lot of market research. (Which is frustrating because you'll probably get a lot more hints than hard-data.)

If you can find a non-RPG cash cow to subsidize your RPG habit, do so.

Create system-less material. My groups have always converted stuff to whatever system we're currently playing & mostly on-the-fly. So, the system-specific stuff just got ignored anyway.

Develop a reputation for quality.

Be online & encourage anyone who works for you to participate in online communities.

Collect RPG stuff like crazy (especially off ebay or from second-hand stores) & look for good ideas that have been forgotten.

Look for ways to improve the at-the-table experience.

 

[Einan]

Right now I like 3.5. I don't really have any complaints about it. There's plenty of options for it and sourcebooks that I own that I haven't really used. Witness: 5 years of Dungeon magazines. I've used maybe 10 adventures out of them.

If 4th edition comes out, I'd have to be seriously dazzled by it in order to abandon my 3.5 collection and the investment I've put into it. The alternate is for 3rd party publishers to continue putting out quality sourcebooks for the d20 OGL. I'd buy the ones that appealed, and continue playing 3.5 D&D.

I guess what I mean to say is: 3rd party publishers need to start doing D&D better than WOTC. Better ideas, better production values, better fan response. If they do this, they'll be able to keep a loyal enough base of fans to survive the 4th edition transition. If not, then they pass from the field, unmourned by many.

Einan

 

[rgard]

Reread this & realized I don't think I answered this...

Don't expect to make a living off of creating RPG material. Instead, figure out how you can do it despite the fact you can't make a living at it.

If you do form a company, be very careful to size it to your potential market. This means doing a lot of market research. (Which is frustrating because you'll probably get a lot more hints than hard-data.)

If you can find a non-RPG cash cow to subsidize your RPG habit, do so.

Create system-less material. My groups have always converted stuff to whatever system we're currently playing & mostly on-the-fly. So, the system-specific stuff just got ignored anyway.

Develop a reputation for quality.

Be online & encourage anyone who works for you to participate in online communities.

Collect RPG stuff like crazy (especially off ebay or from second-hand stores) & look for good ideas that have been forgotten.

Look for ways to improve the at-the-table experience.

I agree with most of the above, but I would take the size statement one step further:

Don't hire anybody beyond yourself. Sub-contract the art and anything else beyond actually writing the material. If you are just starting out (and haven't won the powerball lottery) there is no point in accruing more overhead.

On the system specific vs. systemless, I do believe the jury is out on that. If 4e is not OGL, then there may still be a market for OGL stuff that works with 3.5e.

Thanks,
Rich