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

[darjr]

(b) The link in the OP (D&D welcome page) doesn't have any info on this topic at the moment.

Scroll down a bit. It is in the news section. Here is a direct link to the specific article. I think it is in the other thread about this topic.

 

[carmachu]

GVD-

Man, you are so negative.

This is not a "backtracking" or a "leverage" situation. How about--some good people (Scott and Linae) finally got listened to when it became apparent that the GSL was not doing what it was supposed to be doing.

I guess you are entitled to your own opinion of what to expect as to whether the changes will be "cosmetic" and "lipstick on a pig." I, on the other hand, expect them to be substantial. In fact, I am very hopeful that all the issues I have with the GSL will be addressed and Necro will be able to announce 4E support. That is my hope anyway. I guess we will see who is right. (smart money is on me)

Clark

You can expect alot, but frankly it was amusing to se you as the biggest cheerleader for 4e and then watch the GSL hit the scene.

You cant blame folks for being skeptical, seeing the huge delay in the GSL release and then how horrible it is.

Could be better. Could also get revised to be worse. Only time will tell.

 

[Umbran]

The argument that "ENWorld is such a small percentage of WoTC customer base that they do not listen to us", has been undeniably refuted. Without being to melodramatic...

Yes, do avoid being too melodramatic, because there's a risk of losing perspective. Whatever may have been said here, the posters of EN World are a small percentage of the customer base. Whatever was said in the statement, I strongly suspect the opinions of colleagues (like Necromancer Games) had a whole lot more to do with this than those of us who only play and consume.

 

[Lord Xtheth]

I am trying to write up a campaign I ran and would love to be able to publish it for 4E, and hopefully the new GSL will give me a little bit more leg room when it comes to what I can and can't put in my adventure.

I'm fairly certain that this campaign will help me break out of "doing what jobs I can to survive" and bust into "doing what I love for money" and I sure that a more open and friendly GSL will help me greatly.

 

[Lizard]

Is "opener" a word?

It is now.

This is good news. Looking forward to seeing how it all turns out.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Clark, not only do I hope you're right, I hope you're right in a big way and not only will we see the new stuff you've got planned, but that it'll allowe conversions of older material. Tome of Horrors for the win!

GVD-

Man, you are so negative.

This is not a "backtracking" or a "leverage" situation. How about--some good people (Scott and Linae) finally got listened to when it became apparent that the GSL was not doing what it was supposed to be doing.

I guess you are entitled to your own opinion of what to expect as to whether the changes will be "cosmetic" and "lipstick on a pig." I, on the other hand, expect them to be substantial. In fact, I am very hopeful that all the issues I have with the GSL will be addressed and Necro will be able to announce 4E support. That is my hope anyway. I guess we will see who is right. (smart money is on me)

Clark

 

[Mouseferatu]

Is "opener" a word?

"Opener" is a perfectly cromulent word.

 

[Carnivorous_Bean]

It seems to me that without being good, bad, or whatever, WotC chooses its actions as a company, and that therefore, every major decision is made with one goal in mind: to make more money.

Scott Rouse may be a champion for the 'gamer community' -- or he may be the 'good cop' who is the friendly, understanding, approachable person who makes the gamers feel better about the company. Regardless, he's got to pay his bills, also -- he needs his salary -- so he's not going to be standing there, pawing the ground in steely-eyed defiance, cowing the management into doing what's 'best for the gaming community.' The utmost he's going to do is find a way to persuade them that they'll make more money with a more open GSL.

So, that suggests a few quite logical scenarios to explain why making the GSL more open would give WotC greater profits:

1. 4e is successful, but an analysis of 3e's profits revealed that 3rd party support will make the success spike even higher, and bring in even more money than they're already making.

2. 4e isn't too successful, and they think -- again based on concrete data -- that an open GSL will boost sales and 'revive' their profits.

3. They're afraid of negative reaction causing a 'profit speedbump' in the future, based on a huge amount of complaining e-mails from customers. So they're stamping out the problem while it's still tiny.

4. Anything else that makes an open GSL beneficial to the bottom line of WotC.

 

[Henry]

I'm fairly certain that this campaign will help me break out of "doing what jobs I can to survive" and bust into "doing what I love for money" and I sure that a more open and friendly GSL will help me greatly.

Not to sound too cynical, but have you spoken with people like Ari Marmel (Mouseferatu) and Phil Reed (Phil_Reed) yet? They're full-time and quite successful freelancers, and have some really good insights into getting into the field. Their advice might or might not be disparaging to you, but I highly recommend talking to them, and Clark Peterson (Orcus), if you haven't done so.

 

[Jack Colby]

Hopefully they are taking Clark's advice. I want 4e stuff from Necromancer!

Although I'm starting to feel like the launch of 4e was some kind of Beta test (or at least premature) at this point. So many revisions and clarifications... not to mention unfinished online aspects. Disappointing. I'm optimistic they will improve, however.