Who Is Going to Pony Up for the Early OGL?

[Dias Ex Machina]

I was dancing it with a few coworkers, and there must be a clause present that prevents that. It must be "label specific" so that it only appear for one company. Like when you purchase cable TV, you have to pay for each TV (and in this case, they can check for illegal hookups).

I may be wrong, but I imagine such a clause is in place

 

[HalWhitewyrm]

I know we at HMP won't be paying the early-adopter fee, so it will be 2009 for any 4e content from us.

 

[Dias Ex Machina]

I know we at HMP won't be paying the early-adopter fee, so it will be 2009 for any 4e content from us.

I appreciate and respect your frank answer, sir. I imagine there will be more.

I guess this comes down to if this is going to be XBox 360 or PS3--a massive release that destroys all support and popularity for the old system or a new system with an ancestor with worth and merit many people will still play for years to come.

 

[The Little Raven]

I guess this comes down to if this is going to be XBox 360 or PS3--a massive release that destroys all support and popularity for the old system or a new system with an ancestor with worth and merit many people will still play for years to come.

I'd rather it be the Wii, which is kicking the crap out of everyone except the DS.

 

[Dias Ex Machina]

I was expecting that reply but my metaphor well had dried up and could not think of a way of incorporating Nintendo's dominance. However, Nintendo did the same thing--they released the Wii, and buried the N64, and they did so in a profoundly callous way. Some of the PS2's best games came out near the launch of PS3 (God of War 2 came out after).

 

[IconoclastX]

Hm, I wonder how Paizo hopping on board is sitting with the "3.75" segment of their fan base.

Just because they're buying the rulebooks doesn't mean they're going any farther than that. Like any smart business, they are going to weigh their options once they have the information in hand. As a consumer, I can say "I'm never buying any 4e books" and be done with it. No company, really, should make such predeterminations unless they can see that such a thing would only spell disaster. While I have no use for 4e, it may be a lucrative market (or else WotC wouldn't be going after it, I assume), so while it may wear away at credibility (as seen from the point of view of people who aren't switching to 4e) it may be a good business decision to make 4e product even if you think/know that your company isn't getting loyal, long-term customers (which may or may not be the case, of course).

Just like there are lots of people saying "I'll buy the core books then decide if it's for me" - whether they are currently feeling pro- or anti-4e. Some companies have publicly committed to creating products for 4e without even having seen the OGL, the SRD, or any rulebooks (and even when they do get those they may change before the rules are finalized). These companies have firmly attached their little dingy to the titanic WotC 4e (yes, I intentionally used that adjective ), and we'll see if they get to feed off the scraps or get dragged under for it.