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

[TerraDave]

Practical Issue: 3rd parties marketing their products as 4ed compatible.

Likely outcome: Basically like now, where people in the know buy from 3rd party producers, but not like the glory days of early 3rd ed, where anybody with a d20 logo had a shot at the mass market. But this may be the case whether or not the SRD is updated to the new edition.

 

[dmccoy1693]

Practical Issue: 3rd parties marketing their products as 4ed compatible.

That's the thing, if there's no 4E OGL, then 3rd party companies can't say they're 4E compatable.

 

[QLI/RPGRealms]

That's the thing, if there's no 4E OGL, then 3rd party companies can't say they're 4E compatable.

Just say you are compatible with the worlds' most popular roleplaying game...

 

[Henry]

That's the thing, if there's no 4E OGL, then 3rd party companies can't say they're 4E compatable.

They can't with the OGL now. That wonderful old code-speak, "compatible with the Xth Edition of the World's most popular Roleplaying Game", is just as useable under any edition, because it doesn't make any direct comparisons, only very veiled implied ones.

 

[Emirikol]

Here's what I imagine would happen:

One of the major companies, such as Necromancer, would put out a game system and do their own OGL. It would become a SERIOUS competitor to D&D.

On the otherhand, there are a lot of ego's out there too..and maybe there would be a contingent of splintered efforts that would quickly bankrupt from its own diversity.

jh

 

[QLI/RPGRealms]

Here's what I imagine would happen:

One of the major companies, such as Necromancer, would put out a game system and do their own OGL. It would become a SERIOUS competitor to D&D.

Extremely doubtful it would offer any serious competition to D&D.

 

[dmccoy1693]

One of the major companies, such as Necromancer, would put out a game system and do their own OGL. It would become a SERIOUS competitor to D&D.

If Necromancer did that, I'd so be all over it and I'm willing to bet my DM would be as well.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

I sometimes wonder at the assumption that when 4e comes out people will flock to it. I'm sure it will sell well, but when 3e came out people were desperate for something new and better than what they had. I don't see that level of desperation now, and doubt we will for quite a while. As a result I'm not convinced that, unless 4e is above and beyond 3.x, it will lead to a huge shift in players, unless they keep it OGL and get other publishers to tag along, eventually pulling everybody with them like happened with 3.5.

If 4e is not OGL and a vast improvement over 3e, I think it would instead be an opportunity for one or more of the larger 3rd party publishers to fill the void left by WotC. If 4e is pretty similar I think 3rd party publishers will adapt using the OGL as best they can and hope to avoid stepping on WotC toes.

 

[ThirdWizard]

If 4e is not OGL and a vast improvement over 3e, I think it would instead be an opportunity for one or more of the larger 3rd party publishers to fill the void left by WotC. If 4e is pretty similar I think 3rd party publishers will adapt using the OGL as best they can and hope to avoid stepping on WotC toes.

Not to disparage d20/OGL publishers, but I doubt that most D&D players can name 5 of them. I have to special order them from my LGS because 3rd party stuff doesn't sell well enough for him to stock anything but a few products. My players could not name one 3rd party product that I don't own (or several that I do own), and I have no reason to think that their attitudes are uncommon. Even if 4th edition doesn't catch on, I don't think that 3rd party publishers will fill any void.

 

[EditorBFG]

Not to disparage d20/OGL publishers, but I doubt that most D&D players can name 5 of them. I have to special order them from my LGS because 3rd party stuff doesn't sell well enough for him to stock anything but a few products. My players could not name one 3rd party product that I don't own (or several that I do own), and I have no reason to think that their attitudes are uncommon. Even if 4th edition doesn't catch on, I don't think that 3rd party publishers will fill any void.

Well, it's all relative isn't it? I think success for 3rd party OGL publishers post-4E (if 4E is not OGL) would just be retaining the customers they already have. So if they can fill a void for those people, that would be good.