Why not convert the best for use with OGL?

[Flynn]

Fantasy Concepts is OGL, and uses existing OGL to create a fantasy-based game similar in style and mechanics to Star Wars Saga Edition. It, combined with BOXM 1 and 2, Big Finger Games "PostModern: Fantastic Classes" (for the Warlock style of talents that grant supernatural powers), Monte Cook's World of Darkness (for a host of elements), and a bit of imagination, and you could create an OGL version of the better elements of 4E, if you are picky about your wording.

It can be done. I'm not saying it should, but I believe firmly that it could be.

Now, the important question is: should it be done? What will it give you, really? Just something to think about.

Hope This Helps,
Flynn

 

[Psion]

So, the OGL is open, right? Why not take all the best of 4e and convert it for use with the OGL for people who want the best of both 3e and 4e?

Well, certainly, you can take the best ideas from 4e and port them back to 3e. In fact, I know of a wiki project that is doing just that.

 

[Horacio]

And what wiki project would it be ?

 

[Aus_Snow]

The thing is, that when you declare content open under the OGL, you're asserting your right to that content -- and others, down the line, are trusting in that assertion. Just because YOU have no commercial intent doesn't mean someone else WON'T, and if you put something under the OGL, you are saying "I say I have every right to this content and you can use it in your OGL products freely and safely." If there's ANY doubt as to where you are -- forget the OGL and put it up on a fan site. Otherwise, even if WOTC doesn't sue you, someone 'downstream' might when WOTC sues *them*.

There are moral and ethical obligations to releasing open content.

There are already products for sale out there that have some 4e-like rules in them, and use the OGL (including the declaration of these products themselves and some of their d20-based sources as OGC in section 15.)

So it certainly seems that, in reality, as long as you're not daft (or indeed, yes, disrespectful), you could do this thing, if you really wanted to.

Personally, I think it would probably be a horrible unwieldy mess, rules-wise, but that's subjective of course.

I guess it would depend on how 4e-like we're talking here. A few things borrowed from that, or just about any other system out there, and altered to suit the system being made, as long as it was done fairly intelligently, shouldn't create problems*. Particularly if the document is not for sale. Yeah, the license technically works the same way in each case, but items for sale are just viewed differently, IME.

The only danger here (IMO) is one of perspective. If one, for instance, believed that, because WotC made the OGL and 3e and 4e, and the core of 3e is ocvered by the OGL, well then 4e is fine to just flat out use in exactly the same way - or any other closed/GSL content. Not so.

But just for extreme emphasis, IANAL! None of my er, 'advice' here is remotely like legal advice. Not the real thing anyway. If you feel unsure about such things, go get a lawyer.

* In fact, this happens all the time.