WOTC undecided over OGL/GSL. Why you should care

[Ydars]

Mistwell; Thank-you for your courtesy sir! It is a rare thing in these days. I hope to tread these boards for many a year.

 

[Mistwell]

Hey, you just pushed a bit of a button with me. All my friends and I have worked in the game industry (computer games, specifically), where there's very rapid startup-buyout-closure cycles.

One thing that we've learned very keenly is that at the time of buyout, parent companies always *say* exactly this, that they'll "leave the subsidiary alone and not mess with it". That's standard PR when a company is bought (helps keep staff & customers from fleeing) -- but they always *do* mess with it, because they think they can make it run more profitably than what they bought it for.

It happens every time. My friends and I all laugh when we hear that now, it's almost like a drinking game for us. Same with my bank -- any time my bank gets bought I know to immediately run to a smaller independent bank now.

Grr.

I do Mergers and Acquisitions. It's one of my biggest areas of experience. NOT all acquisitions go like that. Many do, but not all. Usually, the ones that work the best don't do that.

 

[Mistwell]

Note: The person you're responding to, HeavenShallBurn, has never used or implied the word "boycott" in this entire thread. All he said was that he personally wouldn't be buying. So your rant is at least a bit mis-directed.

Calling what I wrote a "rant" is also misdirected.

 

[Enkhidu]

...For example, let's apply the "I am worried, therefore you should be to" to another company. I run a clothing manufacturing company. Right now, the odds of a customs/duty increase on Chinese made clothing products has gone up from about 10% to a 15% chance. This has me worried. And you wear clothing. So, under your way of looking at things, you should be worried to. But you're not - and really, you shouldn't be. A 5% increase in the chance that some select products of something you like (clothing made in China) will cost more in the future is not something anyone other than clothing manufacturers and sellers should really be worried about right now.

You're in a nearly unique position to worry about this sort of thing. Your livelihood and the livelihood of people employed by your company is at stake, so any threat to that (even a minor one odds-wise) is a reason for perhaps major concern. But I think the reality of the situation is that the odds are very much against the thing you are worried about actually coming to pass, and the vast majority of gamers should not be scared into worry and panic at this point.

So, let's not all worry based on speculation. Some folks have reason to, but not most people.

Your example isn't specific enough. I happen to know that you are a specialty clothing manufacturer, with a very specific clientele. If a supplier hits you with and increase, or a material spikes upward, then both you and your customers (after you are forced to adjust either prices or stock) are affected.

If Clark gets nervous about 4e open licensing, its because he's affected, his employees are affected, and his customers are affected. As a customer of his (and other 3rd party publishers who will be likewise affected), I'm more than a little worried I will have to get the kind of content he (and they) can provide directly from WotC - or more likely that I won't be able to get it at all.

Now I completely understand the business case for not having a GSL - now that D&D's d20 engine has spread out to so may other genres (and in some cases, dominates them) its past time for WotC to start getting direct revenue from that product. But that doesn't mean that I, as a consumer, don't have a small stake in 4e being open.

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

What is the purpose of a boycott that is not intended to get the thing you are boycotting to notice the boycott?

I never said boycott you'll notice, in my experience boycotts are pointless and usually just get ignored. Think of what I'm doing as punitive consumerism. I don't buy from companies that piss me off even if it costs more and causes a measure of hardship. I don't plan on moving to 4e and had already decided to throw my support behind the Pathfinder RPG. This policy seems likely to be dropping into WoTC from its Hasbro parent so if I want to be punitive I have to go after Hasbro as well. I'm not out to be heard or to let some company I value less than the dirt I wipe from my boots know how I feel. Instead I'll just hand my money to their competitors and do all within my ability to promote their competitors at their expense. And if they notice fine, if they don't fine either way every dollar I support their competitors with is one they will never see.

 

[Mistwell]

Your example isn't specific enough. I happen to know that you are a specialty clothing manufacturer, with a very specific clientele. If a supplier hits you with and increase, or a material spikes upward, then both you and your customers (after you are forced to adjust either prices or stock) are affected.

If Clark gets nervous about 4e open licensing, its because he's affected, his employees are affected, and his customers are affected. As a customer of his (and other 3rd party publishers who will be likewise affected), I'm more than a little worried I will have to get the kind of content he (and they) can provide directly from WotC - or more likely that I won't be able to get it at all.

Now I completely understand the business case for not having a GSL - now that D&D's d20 engine has spread out to so may other genres (and in some cases, dominates them) its past time for WotC to start getting direct revenue from that product. But that doesn't mean that I, as a consumer, don't have a small stake in 4e being open.

I think that misses the point a bit.

I am saying that a small increase in the chance that something bad will happen to the GSL, lets say a 1% increase, is reason for Clark to be concerned. But it's not necessarily reason for Clark's customers to be concerned. Clark said if he is worried, everyone should be. I dispute that. Clark should be worried about all sorts of things that shouldn't worry the rest of us, because a small increase in the chance of something bad happening to his company is a reason for a small business owner to be concerned, but is not reason for their customers to be concerned (unless it actually happens, or is a large increase in the odds it will happen).

You do have a stake. But, I was more discussing odds, and the impact of those odds. Small chance of something bad happening should have more impact on the owners of small businesses that the bad thing happens to. It's big chance of something bad happening that should have an impact on customers, and you cannot measure "is it a big chance" by "a small business owner directly impacted by the threat is concerned".

The small business owner is probably spooked by all sorts of things all the time that we don't even hear about, because they never come to be reality. If "Clark is spooked, therefore we all should be" were a good way to look at things, odds are we would all be spooked almost every month about something

 

[JeffB]

Let us be 100% clear: That is your interpretation.

Mistaking your own interpretation for what it does or does not say is a wonderful way to misunderstand, and miscommunicate. People around here hate it when others read too far into what they say, so we should the courtesy of not doing so to others. Golden Rule, dude.

Uhm...I think I made it pretty clear that it was my interpretation(?) I mean..thats what I actually said in my post. By all means, feel free to edit my post if you feel I have somehow said differently.

 

[Zelster]

No I don't think it's worrying that none of the 3rd parties have seen the OGL yet. I'm sorry for all those players that popped a tent when the Book of Erotic Fantasy went live, but for the most part 3rd party sources are crap and they produce sub-standard products.

None of the big gaming studios rely on 3rd party sources to improve their brands, and I am sure that WotC will feel the same way the closer 4E comes to release. Blizzard doesn't outsource their game design, just their GMs and product support phone lines. Magic the Gathering doesn't use Korean designers, just artists.

 

[JVisgaitis]

And if only they were the final decision makers, this would be fine. But I dont think they are. In fact, I know they arent.

Great. Now I am worried...

 

[AZRogue]

No I don't think it's worrying that none of the 3rd parties have seen the OGL yet. I'm sorry for all those players that popped a tent when the Book of Erotic Fantasy went live, but for the most part 3rd party sources are crap and they produce sub-standard products.

None of the big gaming studios rely on 3rd party sources to improve their brands, and I am sure that WotC will feel the same way the closer 4E comes to release. Blizzard doesn't outsource their game design, just their GMs and product support phone lines. Magic the Gathering doesn't use Korean designers, just artists.

So, you're saying that open gaming is a bad idea? You don't think that it's in WotC's best interests to maintain a strong 3rd party support base?