"Ryan S. Dancey" wrote:
> Here are my expanded thoughts about the D20 trademark license:
>
> First, my objective is to create a carrot and a stick for game publishers.
> The carrot is that they get to put the D20 system logo on their products,
> and make direct references to D&D core books, which means that they'll be
> able to get more value by indicating a direct connection to the total D&D
> network. The stick is that they'll give up the ability to create complete
> roleplaying games to compete with the WotC core RPG books, and they'll agree
> to a certain level of standardization in terminology to be consistent with
> our core rules.
>
Standardization of terms:Good. If anything, I'd probably go a bit
further in the fascistic direction as regards what is and is not a 'D20
Compatible Game'. Market forces only go so far. If I pick up something
with the "D20" logo on it, I want to be sure it will work with any other
D20 product with only a minimum of changes. (That is, if I pick up a
supplement designed to provide detailed rules for underwater adventures
in D&D, I should be able to use the rules for diving, the bends,
real-world fish and other underwater critters, etc, in a 20th century
pulp D20 game -- only the 'magical' parts should be useless to me)
On the other issue -- I would be very, very careful about discouraging
people from making new games using the D20 system. If you want those
network effects, you're going to have to accept there will be D20 games
in a lot of genres, some of them directly competing with WOTC, but most
of them not. Furthermore, new rules and mechanics designed to support
new genres (advanced gun combat rules, super-power rules, heroic pulp
action rules) can be 'rolled back' into the core D20 products,
strengthening the system as a whole and making it a more tempting
platform.
I don't mind a game which says "Create characters as per the Players
Handbook, but do 'x' at step 6". But if I can't even say that much, or
say "Superheroes gain feats at every level, not every three levels" or
the like, the possibilities of the D20 system become limited.
Open source takes courage. You have to believe WOTC can produce, and
market *better* products built on the D20 engine than your competitors
can.
On the issue of software:Perhaps a non-commercial license? A lot of
people doing MU* are already using variants on D&D -- why not let them
say "This is a D20-compatible MUD" and be done with it? Likewise, I
would be ESPECIALLY opposed to any restriction on player-utility
software, such as character databases, GM aids, and the like.
