catsclaw said:
[...]It would have to be a pretty odd post to manage to violate even one of those guidelines.
QFT. Also, the admins of ENWORLD are taking care to maintain clear division between commercial (the shop) and non-profit (news, previews, community services) parts of the site.
I'd like to make it clear that I'm not going to pick up a pitchfork and storm WotC offices in case they pull out of OGL completely. What I'm advocating here is that there is sufficient degree of power in current OGL community to organize itself around common standards of OGL system and maintain current fan base.
I'm going to try Open Source analogy: for Linux and Mozilla foundations there is central core of the product, which is present and common to everyone. The product cores are developed by community of developers and, after release, they are adapted further by manufacturers of specific distributions (specific details differ, so please, do not take this analogy too far).
In case of OGL we have source products of varying degrees of compatibility:
1. We have settings which play nice with core system to the point of importing additional material being trivially easy,
2. We have alternative rule systems, which require conversion with regards to rules and game balance,
3. And finally, we have games, which while sharing base system concept, adhere to different philosophy of play.
While all free types of source products serve to enrich our hobby, the first type is the one which strengthens the community the most, since all third party standalone cities, adventures, expansions are easilly plugged into play. As a specific sample case, while I am running Scarred Lands (SSS) converted to 3.5 edition, the players have been enjoying expanded Banewarrens campaign (Monte Cook) spiced with Chaositech and Books of Eldritch Might (Monte Cook) and several other books (Bonegarden by Necromancer Games). There are also healthy doses of PcGen in the works and one or two pinches of salt from Manual of the Planes by WotC.
So, with one campaign of type 1, I can support at least four different publishers.
Whereas with Black Company by Robert J. Schwalb (Green Ronin), an excellent, excellent, excellent work of love, I will have to wait until we take a break from campaign. It's type 2, possibly even 3, of gaming so, while I had immense fun reading and thinking up ideas, I put it on hold.
Similarly, type 1 products are easier to find supplementary materials 12 months after publication in general, while type 3 products (usually very successful or very short living) due to smaller following, are harder to find decent support for.
Ok, time to dream a bit... please do ignore further rambling if feel it does not belong here.
*dream mode on*
1. Several major figures exchange emails, phone calls and decide to officialy register Society for Support of Shared Gaming Standard Systems.
2. The Society announces compatibility branding system for Gaming Standard System: GSS 3.0, GSS 3.5 and GSS 3.75 and criterias one's product must pass to use one of the brands. Specific types of GSS correspond to OGL 3.0, OGL 3.5 and future version of OGL core system.
3. The Society announces foundation of community of developers for building GSS 3.75, system of reviewing products with regard to standard adherence and system for reviewing changes for development of GSS 3.75.
4. The common guidelines are for GSS compatible products:
- preservation of game balance with regard to one of GSS types,
- new rules may expand but not replace core rules.
5. Guidelines for GSS 3.75.
- simplify complex mechanics, but not at the cost of believability,
- fix unbalanced mechanics, but not at the cost of increased complexity,
- attempt to maintain balance of power of previous editions.
So, for example, GSS 3.75 could include simplified and workable grapple mechanic, but the influence of changes would not neither nerf nor escalate the power of grapple users.
*dream mode off*
Who knows, maybe something similar is happening right now? Time will tell.
For now, I think I will rest my case. I'd like everyone to agree (even with reservations) with me, but I'm a realist. Everyone will decide for themselves, which course of action is the best to take.
All I can do is hope, that 5-10 years from now, this site and this community will continue, and that my concerns will be not be brought into reality.
Regards,
Ruemere