D&D 3E/3.5 WotC Rejecting 3.5 Writers?

[kennew142]

Given Nick's post about the reality of the situation regarding his communication with WotC, I just thought I would apologize for using this as an opportunity to illustrate how evil a company WotC really is, how they are trying to destroy the gaming community we've built up over these many years with their underhanded methods....


...Oh wait. That wasn't me.

 

[GoodKingJayIII]

Ok, I'm going to feel like such an idiot for asking, but I need to because it's bugging the hell out of me:

I know, basically, what the "GSL" is, but what does the acronym stand for?

 

[Alzrius]

Ok, I'm going to feel like such an idiot for asking, but I need to because it's bugging the hell out of me:

I know, basically, what the "GSL" is, but what does the acronym stand for?

Game System License.

 

[jimmifett]

Ok, I'm going to feel like such an idiot for asking, but I need to because it's bugging the hell out of me:

I know, basically, what the "GSL" is, but what does the acronym stand for?

Generally Satisfied Lawyers

 

[Orcus]

Crazy idea -- maybe they just decided not to employ him anymore for a number of reasons which might include Paizo's increasingly hostile treatment of WotC?

You were right! That was a crazy idea.

(1) Nick cleared things up, it is not even remotely the way teh OP summarized it, and
(2) your assertion that there is "Paizo increasingly hostile treatment of WotC" is simply not true.

So yes, that was a crazy idea.

Of course, if this irresponsible thread hadnt been started, you wouldnt be throwing around those crazy ideas

Clark

 

[BASHMAN]

He is working for a competitor that is working on a competing product.

Can you imagine the Allies letting a German employed nuclear scientist come into to their lab to help them do some work on their H-Bomb and then saying here is some cash and then letting him go back to Germany.

It would just be stupid. It is nothing to do with licenses. It is just a case of not being an idiot. The same if they kept a closed shop - at least until 4E took off.

Well, as long as we're making up ridiculous historical allegories that have nothing to do with the subject at hand:

Imagine if you were an employee in a steel mill in the 1930s and you wanted to work reasonable hours and earn enough money to feed your family. You're tired of working 50+ hours a week for the less wages than you made 10 years ago. Sure there's a depression on, but your kids gotta eat, and your in the hole with the company store as it is. When you and some other workers got together to talk about it, the next day when you show up at work, they tell you you're fired. You go to the next mill down the row, hoping for a job, and they ask your name, and then look at a clipboard, and tell you that they aren't hiring-- then hire the guy after you in the line, cause his name was not on the clipboard. Oh wait, that stuff really did happen...

Unfortunately the laws that protect workers like the one in this example from blacklisting today don't apply to freelance writers & artists-- only those with the protection of a Union are safe. The companies that hire freelancers can be as dastardly as they want without repercussions, unfortunately. Well-- with repercussions they won't notice-- like me (and a handfull of others) boycotting 4e. I doubt I can convince many here to follow along with it either, since so many seem to be in the "We'll buy 4e no matter what" camp-- and WotC knows it-- so they get away with it.

 

[GoodKingJayIII]

Game System License.

Aha, thank you.

 

[Cyronax]

How is an author taking credit for his own work 'going tat for tat?'

Ken

He's high up in Paizo's food chain. To me, his comment just looked like an exacerbation of the problems surrounding some of the bad feelings going on right now. If I were in that position I wouldn't snipe .... BUT RHoD was hands down one of the top three adventures for 3.X IMO (Vault of Larin Kar and Expedition to Castle Greyhawk being the others). ...whoah all done by Paizo/Necromancer guys. Cool.

Am I overstating some of the mutual distaste that some paizo-lovers and wotc-lovers are displaying currently (?)...... not after reading many of the threads these last two weeks.

C.I.D.

 

[billd91]

They just mentioned that my new job with Paizo caused some GSL issues and policy snags, so I'd have to hold off on a couple more projects until the GSL issue is resolved. Once the question of the GSL is dealt with, they are planning on using me again (at least they probably were before this thread).

This makes sense, but it also is a bit of a head scratcher. They trust freelancers who aren't working for other publishers as a regular job to keep the rules and other stuff on the QT and not take advantage of the inside information they're getting by setting up deals with other publishers. But they don't trust a freelancer who also works for a publisher to keep the same distance between their freelance work for WotC and their regular day job.

I understand why they would do that from one point of view, but don't really understand why one freelancer is worthy of the trust but another is not. It's one of those weird corporate things that kind of says, "we don't really think things through, we just like to cover our asses."

Ultimately, I don't see it as that big a disconnect as long as it is cleared up when 4e hits the shelves.

 

[Dragonblade]

Thanks for clearing everything up, Nick!

Hey WotC, please don't hold our crazy internet fan speculation against the poor guy! I like his writing and I promise to buy any WotC published book with Nick as a featured writer!