WotC to revise 4e GSL
After a chorus of "eff you" from 3rd party publishers and a shite-fest on the forums, it looks like Wizards is going to back pedal tweak its dangerously vague and draconian GSL. Check out the announcement.
Now don't get me wrong, I still think that Wizards has every right to protect its intellectual property, but the current incarnation of the GSL was so open-ended in what Wizards could do and vague and what 3rd party publishers' rights were under it that much of the d20 industry has apparently flipped 4e the bird. And now that Wizards pretty much created the d20 industry, the much of the community is rankling on what they see as a betrayal by Wizards. Yes, it's over-dramatic, but add gamers plus internet and you get a bunch of 300 pound drama queens furiously flaming from their parents' basements. And even the more sane but not as vocal crowds are looking at this (killing 3PP for 4e) as damaging to the hobby and industry.
Why should Wizards even play nice? Because there is a large enough following for 3PP that if too many of them don't sign up for 4e, a lot of would-be customers won't make the transition either, and since WotC has discontinued 3e, that would mean less revenue for them.
I suspect we'll hear more about this at GenCon. Makes me wish I was a respectable reporter-blogger-media type, so I could do some investigative journalism. But that would be like work.
Now don't get me wrong, I still think that Wizards has every right to protect its intellectual property, but the current incarnation of the GSL was so open-ended in what Wizards could do and vague and what 3rd party publishers' rights were under it that much of the d20 industry has apparently flipped 4e the bird. And now that Wizards pretty much created the d20 industry, the much of the community is rankling on what they see as a betrayal by Wizards. Yes, it's over-dramatic, but add gamers plus internet and you get a bunch of 300 pound drama queens furiously flaming from their parents' basements. And even the more sane but not as vocal crowds are looking at this (killing 3PP for 4e) as damaging to the hobby and industry.
Why should Wizards even play nice? Because there is a large enough following for 3PP that if too many of them don't sign up for 4e, a lot of would-be customers won't make the transition either, and since WotC has discontinued 3e, that would mean less revenue for them.
I suspect we'll hear more about this at GenCon. Makes me wish I was a respectable reporter-blogger-media type, so I could do some investigative journalism. But that would be like work.
posted by Oz at 11:20 AM
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