WotC to Revise D&D 4th Edition GSL and SRD

[joethelawyer]

This sort of touches on why I'm a bit anxious about the new version of the GSL. If it's friendlier to third-parties, it could hurt the existing 3.5 community.

I know that sounds rather awful (and quite possibly selfish), but when the current GSL debuted, it made a lot of companies who would have produced 4E materials balk, and in some cases kept them in the 3.5 camp. Needless to say, for those of us who had no interest in switching editions, this was a great thing, as it kept some of our favorite companies producing the materials we wanted to see. However, solidarity fades away if there's a lack of opposition, and I'm worried that if the new GSL is friendlier, those companies will drop their 3.5 support for 4E.

i look ast it differently. in spite of my cynicism, and dislike of 4e, i hope that 4e thrives and that the gsl is open enuf that all the 3pp's sign up for it.

right now the consumer bases are split in 2 groups, 4e and "other", with "other" being mostly 3e, 3.5, or paizo. before it was one group. that means for anyone producing for just one group, as the current gsl makes people do, the 3pp's (and wotc) lose half of their former income.

if the gsl is very open, almost an ogl of sorts, 3pp's will then be able to make more money off of both groups, thus enabling them a better chance of staying in business. if they stay in business, we all get more and better stuff, for all versions of the game.

so though i am cynical of the reasons, i am appreciative of the effort, and hopeful of the outcome.

 

[Darrin Drader]

This sort of touches on why I'm a bit anxious about the new version of the GSL. If it's friendlier to third-parties, it could hurt the existing 3.5 community.

I know that sounds rather awful (and quite possibly selfish), but when the current GSL debuted, it made a lot of companies who would have produced 4E materials balk, and in some cases kept them in the 3.5 camp. Needless to say, for those of us who had no interest in switching editions, this was a great thing, as it kept some of our favorite companies producing the materials we wanted to see. However, solidarity fades away if there's a lack of opposition, and I'm worried that if the new GSL is friendlier, those companies will drop their 3.5 support for 4E. I don't want Kobold Quarterly to become a 4E publication. I don't want Paizo to let Pathfinder go in favor of a new 4E venture (though in all honesty that seems unlikely now anyway). I want third-parties to continue producing 3.5 materials, rather than 4E materials - but without a GSL that heavily penalizes them for it, they may now go ahead with the 4E plans they originally had.

Of course, I'm aware that that's a particularly negative way of looking at it. It might be that the new GSL will eliminate the "no-OGL" clause for product lines, meaning that companies might produce 3.5 AND 4E materials, which would actually help the 3.5 community more than it would have otherwise. However, the pessimist in me says that most companies don't want to put out multiple versions of products anyway, and we'll still see less 3.5 material if the GSL allows for both types of products.

I guess we'll see how it turns out.

This came up on the Paizo messageboards today, as a matter of fact.

Will a GSL that is friendly to 3pps make Paizo less likely to put resources into an OGL product like the Pathfinder RPG, the various APs and other OGL materials and instead focus on 4e if that is a viable option?

We hope that it affects us by clearing up some of the uncertainty surrounding Necromancer Games.

Also

No.

Keep in mind that we made the choices we made before we even saw the GSL.

In other words it doesn't sound like that's likely, even if 4E were OGL. Since the Paizo boards have been picking up about 2 noobs per day because they prefer the 3.5 rules, it's possible that Pathfinder is doing as well as they say it is, and that they're picking up a lot of business from the disaffected 3.5 players. In other words, why would they want to change?

Now if making the GSL friendlier gets Necromancer Games back to putting out new material, I think we can all agree that that's only a good thing.

 

[Scribble]

Busted.

you forget the inner office haha moment when the Rouse snaps after receiving his hundredth "way to go stupid" email about the GSL.

pssst... if you guys are covered under Hasbro's medical plan, I work for the company that handles your mental benefits... so if you need to talk... we've got you covered... hehe

 

[joethelawyer]

Busted.

you forget the inner office haha moment when the Rouse snaps after receiving his hundredth "way to go stupid" email about the GSL.

hehe. well, i never said you made the decision. nor that the decision was a smart one in the first place. but i have experienced much brain-dead corporate-non-think disguised as brilliant compromise solutions.

as we all know, feces flows downhill. i am sure the powers that be over there smell prettier than you do these days.

i am hopeful this thing works out and that everyone makes a lot of money and that all 3pp's can feel free to publish for whatever systems they want to without fear of negative financial reprecussions.

 

[Rechan]

Now if making the GSL friendlier gets Necromancer Games back to putting out new material, I think we can all agree that that's only a good thing.

No offense to Clark and Necromancer games, but:

Necromancer's Style and Paizo's Style are two different animals.

I never played 1e. I barely tasted 2e. I've looked at the old modules, and they aren't appealing to me. So, I have less a need for "1e style". Not knocking those that like it, but it just doesn't do anything for me.

Paizo's style is much more different. The adventures are much more rich in terms of background and roleplaying interaction. And they've got some serious horror chops, what with Nick Logue writing adventures.

I'd be more likely to pick up a 4e Paizo product than a 4e Necromancer product, because I have no nostalgia needing to be facilitated.

 

[Lizard]

Busted.

you forget the inner office haha moment when the Rouse snaps after receiving his hundredth "way to go stupid" email about the GSL.

I'd pay to see a video of that moment.

 

[carmachu]

Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking, this is all about Necromancer Games. Green Ronin was moving away from D&D long before 4e. I don't see Paizo dropping their Pathfinder rpg though maybe they will publish 4e compatible modules if the GSL changes.

Erik has already said on the paizo boards it would have been nice to hear this a year ago, and its still full steam ahead with Pathfinder RPG.

But I dont think, depending on the clauses changed, you can count them out of doing 4e products if eth new GSL lets them do say....adventures. Game Mastery Modules changed names to Pathfinder modules after all...to be part of teh pathfinder line. They could still do something, depending.

 

[Fifth Element]

yes. absolutely.

Prove it.

And show your work.

 

[Fifth Element]

I'd pay to see a video of that moment.

Me too. But only if he's wearing the puffy shirt.

 

[The Little Raven]

Me too. But only if he's wearing the puffy shirt.

Goodness gracious, I've got the vapors.