Just thought I'd toss this out there. If you ran your own super special game company and you just published the hottest RPG since... well... since ever, what would you want to see published by others to support that product?
Ideas...
A) Nothing, I'll do all my own publishing thank you.
B) Others can publish additional rules, as long as they say they're optional.
C) Adventures only, don't mess with the core game.
D) Anything, as long as they give me credit for the original idea.
E) Something else?
Keep in mind that you're playing a Level 5 Writer/Level 3 Game Industry Editor/Level 2 Game Industry Publisher.
Not exactly one of your choices but i would allow for the types of products that the GSL would allow but i would add a whole lot more protection for the 3rd party publishers. I would not allow it to be as open as the OGL but not nearly as restrictive as the GSL.
Any specific examples of things you would like to see published? Character sheets by 3rd parties? Adventures by 3rd parties? Optional rules by 3rd parties?
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Not exactly one of your choices but i would allow for the types of products that the GSL would allow but i would add a whole lot more protection for the 3rd party publishers. I would not allow it to be as open as the OGL but not nearly as restrictive as the GSL.Any specific examples of things you would like to see published? Character sheets by 3rd parties? Adventures by 3rd parties? Optional rules by 3rd parties?
My list would be something like:
adventures
settings - this could include new classes and races
game aids (print) - character sheets, item cards, etc.
monster compendiums
I would not allow optional rules or the redefinition of core concepts much like the current GSL. I would also not allow for standalone games to be created using the core rules set. This is one area in which I feel the OGL went too far.
Instead I would create an open source standards consortium much like the W3C. Companies could propose expansions or changes to the core rules and the changes would be put through a review process and vetted before any changes were made. Expansions could happen two or three times per year and changes could only occur every few years (except for bug fixes).
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Any specific examples of things you would like to see published? Character sheets by 3rd parties? Adventures by 3rd parties? Optional rules by 3rd parties?
Nor speaking for CWM, but for me ...
... if I established a particular format for adventures to be published in, I surely would allow other publishers the opportunity to use the entire formatting process available to me. At the very least, to provide page numbers, if not the stat blocks. Some folks don't like the "Delve" format. I however do, for non-campaign style adventures.
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I would have an OGL but it would be an OGL that had a clause that 'if you signed it, we could use the IP of any 3pp just as they could use ours...
A total two way street that could only benefit the entire gaming community and of course our pocket book as well.
So would a 3rd party be able to simply print a page by page copy of the PHB under those conditions?
Just thought I'd toss this out there. If you ran your own super special game company and you just published the hottest RPG since... well... since ever, what would you want to see published by others to support that product?
I gotta go with C) adventures only, don't mess with the core game.
Otherwise, players have options to go with beyond my products. I think WotC got a bit burned by this, leading to a poorly-disguised maneuver to squeeze third-party publishers out of the market (aka the GSL).
What I do not understand is why they are making adventure-writing difficult for publishers. Thirty years of experience have shown us that adventures are not a profitable business for the game's publisher.
We can just twiddle our thumbs as we watch WotC yet again relearn that lesson.
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I think the big problem with d20, particularly d20 Modern, was that the answer was 'no'. After all, no one reinvents the wheel if it's already round enough. d20 had many gaps, and d20M was... embarassing, in a lot of respects. Each BEGGED for third parties to flesh it out.
Apologies for hijacking the thread, but what do you see as the biggest holes in D20 Modern?
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So would a 3rd party be able to simply print a page by page copy of the PHB under those conditions?I would have an OGL but it would be an OGL that had a clause that 'if you signed it, we could use the IP of any 3pp just as they could use ours...
A total two way street that could only benefit the entire gaming community and of course our pocket book as well.
hehe...of course not.. But you knew that before you asked...
Im not a lawyer, nor will I pretend to be able to come up with the legalese that would be neccessary to properly word it...but basicly...all the crunch would be usable, but little of the fluff. Make Sense?
Not exactly one of your choices but i would allow for the types of products that the GSL would allow but i would add a whole lot more protection for the 3rd party publishers. I would not allow it to be as open as the OGL but not nearly as restrictive as the GSL.
I would have kept the OGL as is for 4e. I think one of the reasons 4e sales are so successful is in part due to the success of the OGL. There is a history there that shows how effective opening the game can be for branding. d20 became THE game, more so than D&D had been before. In some sense, I think 3e will always live in some form or another. Not sure where 4e is going to be in 10 years (which I personally think is a better game).
At any rate, I think the GSL was attempting to prevent new games, and make sure everything produced is supportive of WotC's D&D. Instead we got a license that scares even the most avid pro-4e publishers (like Necromancer Games).
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So would a 3rd party be able to simply print a page by page copy of the PHB under those conditions?I would have an OGL but it would be an OGL that had a clause that 'if you signed it, we could use the IP of any 3pp just as they could use ours...
A total two way street that could only benefit the entire gaming community and of course our pocket book as well.
hehe...of course not.. But you knew that before you asked...
Im not a lawyer, nor will I pretend to be able to come up with the legalese that would be neccessary to properly word it...but basicly...all the crunch would be usable, but little of the fluff. Make Sense?
Actually I did not know that before i asked. You said IP and I did not understand the scope of IP you had intended.
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I would have kept the OGL as is for 4e.
It's the whole independent rule books thing that soured me on the original OGL. The OGL was generating competition for the company that invested in the original IP. That is a losing business proposition.
I agree that the GSL went too far and is way too restrictive.
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Just thought I'd toss this out there. If you ran your own super special game company and you just published the hottest RPG since... well... since ever, what would you want to see published by others to support that product?
Ideas...
A) Nothing, I'll do all my own publishing thank you.
B) Others can publish additional rules, as long as they say they're optional.
C) Adventures only, don't mess with the core game.
D) Anything, as long as they give me credit for the original idea.
E) Something else?Keep in mind that you're playing a Level 5 Writer/Level 3 Game Industry Editor/Level 2 Game Industry Publisher.
I would say B, C, E (and I don't mean the new standard of historical dating).
Additional rules keep people interested in my core rules even though the game might not be everything to everyone - optional rules let people play but they still give me money for the core rules.
Adventures get more people to play the game, and often as a publisher I am too busy playing with the core rules.
Supplemental stuff does not infringe on my market, as it is not what I am best known for and would require additional resources from my Design and Development team.
Now that I have made my choices, I want to make sure I am not eaten by a bear.
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Silly secondary classes. A rediculous amount of space just rewriting the D&D magic system. A complete lack of understanding on modern settings which weren't cheap Shadowrun clones.. horrible vehicle system, horrible HP 'kludges' for massive damage...
Actually if you open the book, start at page one and just go all the way to the index. :)
Cheers!