What's new with the GSL?

[Jack99]

Why do we really care any more?

Because some of us believe we can get better 4e products with a better 4e GSL?

1. Given up, and hitched their wagon to a different horse - decided to instead invest in Pathfinder, True20, etc.

Which significant 3PP has hitched their wagon to Pathfinder, aside from Paizo, who would have done so anyway, crappy GSL or not?

 

[justanobody]

Really? I didn't know that.

Off-topic, but true.

ICv2 - Hasbro Withdraws Scrabulous Suit

 

[justanobody]

I am betting this day off for WotC followed by a half-day tomorrow, has postponed the GSL until after the holidays.

Ok who owes me money? Pay up!

http://www.enworld.org/forum/genera...-gaming-system-license-update-12-18-08-a.html

 

[La Bete]

In fact, with Hasbro finally dropping their Scrabulous lawsuit, the people in category 3 are probably more legally safe than ever. This reduces the main reason for the #3 people to uptake (legal-FUD).

ICv2 - Hasbro Withdraws Scrabulous Suit
According to a statement released by the brothers, they made changes to Wordscraper to make it more clearly different from Scrabble as a condition of the settlement, and they agreed not to use the term Scrabulous.

An interesting interpretation.

 

[kenmarable]

Why do we really care any more?

I was all about pushing for a better GSL back in the day. But now, it seems like everyone has either:

1. Given up, and hitched their wagon to a different horse - decided to instead invest in Pathfinder, True20, etc.

2. Decided to sign on to the GSL despite its predatory nature, and hope for the best.

3. Put out 4e-compatible stuff without the GSL.

Let's say the new GSL comes out and it's much better, perhaps as reasonable as the old d2STL. Is that a compelling enough case for any of the above 3 folks (well, #1 and #3) to change their direction? It doesn't seem like it; it would have to be as revolutionary as the original OGL to cause people to change direction at this point and everyone knows that's not going to happen.

For industry bigwigs, I don't speak for Clark, but Necromancer sure seems to be the biggest fish that would love a better GSL.

As for far smaller fish, as a small time freelancer who is looking to self publish in the next year, I'm not interested in 4e unless there's a better GSL. Certainly not as earth-shattering as what Necromancer decides to do, but I doubt I'm the only freelancer that has this attitude. I'm not interested in the lawyering to deal with #3, the GSL and thin SRD* aren't good enough to convince me to accept the GSL, and I'm small time flexible enough that I can (and plan to) do #1 but still support 4e if there's a better GSL.


* "thin SRD" as in there's a lot less publishers are allowed to use in 4e than in 3e. 3e lets me use all of the demons, devils, drow, and a whole heck of a lot of other stuff. So more restrictive license AND less content licensed - Nope, I'm not interested.

 

[dmccoy1693]

For industry bigwigs, I don't speak for Clark, but Necromancer sure seems to be the biggest fish that would love a better GSL.

Yea, the revised GSL was (as far a I can tell) started for one person and one person only, Clark. Yea, the mounting publishers saying they have no interest in moving forward with the GSL I'm sure had quite a bit to do with it, but there was no visible movement from the prospective of anyone outside of Wizards (AFAIK) until about a week after Clark said that he cannot work with GSL as it stands now. And to date, that situation remains in large part unchanged.

I cannot remember anyone else saying something to the effect of, "I want to support this game, but the license is preventing me." Everone else either accepted it at it stood or they rejected it.

 

[darjr]

I'm pretty sure Wolfgang Bauer said it about Kobold Quarterly, or something very similar.

Though I think he has found his own way.

Your central point, however, I tentatively agree with.

 

[justanobody]

Yea, the revised GSL was (as far a I can tell) started for one person and one person only, Clark. Yea, the mounting publishers saying they have no interest in moving forward with the GSL I'm sure had quite a bit to do with it, but there was no visible movement from the prospective of anyone outside of Wizards (AFAIK) until about a week after Clark said that he cannot work with GSL as it stands now. And to date, that situation remains in large part unchanged.

I cannot remember anyone else saying something to the effect of, "I want to support this game, but the license is preventing me." Everone else either accepted it at it stood or they rejected it.

Except the fact that the GSL is closer to the STL which means a lot of extra baggage for small publishers that affects them even wanting to mess with it. Including one time fan publications and the like as it is much more restrictive than the OGL.

Is it possible that some rejected it because the license was preventing them from using the license?

 

[Mark]

I cannot remember anyone else saying something to the effect of, "I want to support this game, but the license is preventing me." Everone else either accepted it at it stood or they rejected it.

There is a lot more that happens behind the scenes that never is shared on public message boards. Clark's very public pre-GSL fervor probably informed his decision to be rather public about his rejection and desire to see it adjusted. Clark can post for himself on the exact details of his thought process in that regard.

Most companies, large and small, were much more cautious in the pre-GSL release days and only a few even ventured so mucu as to say they were hopeful but were waiting to see what the GSL looked like before they would commit. Once it was released, I am sure Scott Rouse was flooded with emails asking for changes to be made.

 

[dmccoy1693]

There is a lot more that happens behind the scenes that never is shared on public message boards.

Once it was released, I am sure Scott Rouse was flooded with emails asking for changes to be made.

I'm sure this is true. I wonder how long it finally took Scott to read through all those emails.

While I am sure Rouse's job is very rewarding and fun, I would not like to have it. His public persona (not sure how true it is in the office, but ...) is that he is battling long odds in the office as being a champion of the OGL and wanting the GSL to be more like its predocessor. He's kind of portrayed as Paladin of the Little Guy. Armed with the Sword of Openness and the Breastplace of Fair Licensing, he endlessly toils against the minions of the evil drow known only as "The Closed System". But then when the GSL wasn't as open as he valiantly strived for, he got an earful from the very people he was battling for (myself included, I must admit).

Through it all Rouse does an excellent job of being a Public Relations man. I gotta give the man props.