In the current issue of Knights of the Dinner Table (#136) on page 68, there's an add that says "Save the Gnome, Save D&D" with a picture of some gnome warriors giving a battle cry. At the bottom, it says, "Paid for by the GNOME PRESERVATION SOCIETY" and there' also Kenzer's web address.
Now I remember a while back some people said there was an ad in Kobold Quarterly about a company that plans on staying 3.5. I don't know the full details about it since I never got the KQ issue. I was wondering if there was any connection between the two. What did the KQ ad look like again?
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Sorry, I just saw this post...
KQ#3 has the following teaser for issue 4:
Gnomes for 4th Edition by David Schwartz
Looks like gnomes are not in the PHB for the new edition. Why let that stop you? We reinvent gnomes for a new generation and a new style of fantasy.
But I am not sure about the game company question - I'll keep looking...
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I never fully understood how Kenzer managed to win/gain the right to publish 'official' books but I always understood it was some sort of legal settlement. I wonder if the agreement means that they will be able to continue putting out 3.5 books and still call them Dungeons and Dragons? I suspect not but it's an interesting question.
I never fully understood how Kenzer managed to win/gain the right to publish 'official' books but I always understood it was some sort of legal settlement. I wonder if the agreement means that they will be able to continue putting out 3.5 books and still call them Dungeons and Dragons? I suspect not but it's an interesting question.
My understanding is that when WotC created the Dragon magazine CD archive they failed to get the rights for most of the work in those magazines. Thats was not a big problem for them in most cases but Kenzer & Company noticed and realized that their rights had been infringed upon. They had not given WotC permission to reprint the KoDT strips in those mags.
Well Kenzer had enough money and clout to make life difficult for WotC and they either brought suite or threatened to do so. WotC settled out of court and I suppose that nobody outside of WotC and Kenzer & Co. really knows the details of the arrangement but somehow Kenzer & Company pretty much ended up with the AD&D licenses and, I think, an agreement that WotC won't make trouble for them and they seem to be allowed to say Dungeons & Dragons on at least some of their product. As well they sure love to make fun of WotC and bandy about WotC IP.
For this reason Hackmaster, while a parody of AD&D is often considered, especially by its fans, the true successor of D&D as it remains very true to the core ideals of the original game while 3rd and the d20 system in general went for a much more heroic feel,
My understanding is that when WotC created the Dragon magazine CD archive they failed to get the rights for most of the work in those magazines. Thats was not a big problem for them in most cases but Kenzer & Company noticed and realized that their rights had been infringed upon. They had not given WotC permission to reprint the KoDT strips in those mags.
Jolly Roger spoke about this some. In short, TSR's standard practice was to buy all the rights to material printed in Dungeon and Dragon. Kenzer's KoDT strips were popular enough in Dragon that Kenzer was at one point able to renegotiate with the terms with TSR with only one time useage rights granted to TSR. When WotC took over, they didn't do a thorough check into every single contract since TSR had a standard practice of buying all rights. So they just made the CDs.
Now that that contract expired, a new edition of Hackmaster will be coming out. *musing* I wonder if it'll be based on 3E?
Now that that contract expired, a new edition of Hackmaster will be coming out. *musing* I wonder if it'll be based on 3E?
I doubt it. I mean its possible but they'd piss off a lot of fans that play their game becuase its 'true D&D'.
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they [Kenzer] sure love to make fun of WotC and bandy about WotC IP.
Check out the Kenzer & Co website.
Halfway down, there's an offer for a free issue of Knights of the Dinner Table. The third strip "Owner of a Broken Heart" is hilarious, given the level of 4E backlash on this site. Puts things in perspective a bit!
Puts things in perspective a bit!
I think so. I know I would need to get hammered to discuss the new edition in any way myself. In fact, I think I have another beer calling me right now.
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My understanding is that when WotC created the Dragon magazine CD archive they failed to get the rights for most of the work in those magazines. Thats was not a big problem for them in most cases but Kenzer & Company noticed and realized that their rights had been infringed upon. They had not given WotC permission to reprint the KoDT strips in those mags.
Well Kenzer had enough money and clout to make life difficult for WotC and they either brought suite or threatened to do so. WotC settled out of court and I suppose that nobody outside of WotC and Kenzer & Co. really knows the details of the arrangement but somehow Kenzer & Company pretty much ended up with the AD&D licenses and, I think, an agreement that WotC won't make trouble for them and they seem to be allowed to say Dungeons & Dragons on at least some of their product. As well they sure love to make fun of WotC and bandy about WotC IP.
That's my understanding of it as well.
To give a bit more detail, Kenzer got a licence to make Dungeons and Dragons products. Hence Kingdoms of Kalamar has the D&D logo on its books. However, that licence has now expired.
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I'm a bit late, but since I was just reading about this I'll chime in.
Kenzer Co. will be creating "5th Edition" Hackmaster in their own ruleset. They are moving away from using other people's rules, so they will not be using 3.5 OGL. They'll be using the rules they developed for Aces and Eights as the basis for Hackmaster. All this was posted by Dave Kenzer on the Kenzer boards.
I'm looking at Hackmaster as an alternative if I don't like 4e D&D. I'm a fan of KotDT, so its the next logical step.
Also, I love the save the gnome ads!
I think I made my position on gnomes pretty clear this morning in Off Topic.
Was there an explanation on why no gnomes? I happen to like the race myself. Even if I have to put some of my own spin on things. They're still better than Hobb... err... Halflings.
I think there were some legal complaints from David the Gnome and his riding fox.
Was there an explanation on why no gnomes? I happen to like the race myself. Even if I have to put some of my own spin on things. They're still better than Hobb... err... Halflings.
No real explanation so far as I've heard but they did come out and say that the reason there won't be frost giants in the first monster manual is that its important to WotC that their later iterations of the monster manual be seen as just as much cannon as the initial release.
It stands to reason that the Gnome is essentially being withheld for the same reason. So they can stick it in Players Hand Book II and people will buy Players Handbook II even if they don't much care for Kobold PCs or Dragon Scale PCs because it will also have the Gnome.
In other words its marketing, the core books always sell like hot cakes but nothing else is ever nearly as good a seller. I'm guessing this is an attempt to boost sales down the road without too badly damaging the initial book - they could not keep out Humans, Elves or Dwarves but, for most, lack of Gnomes won't be the reason why you will or will not pick up the book and it may work to increase sales of Players Handbook II which will likely prominently feature the Gnome as a playable race along with Half-Orcs I suspect (though maybe they'll save Half Orcs for Players Handbook III).