From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Marc Tassin,
Ilium Software
Sent: Monday, October 16, 2000 5:33 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [Open_Gaming] OGL - Creature Collection
<< >>>"The name is NOT the most important part. "
Sure...tell that to:
Coca-Cola
Mickey Mouse
McDonalds
Disney
Tolkein (ie: the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings)
WOTC (Pokemon) >>
You're correct from a MARKETING perspective: recognized brand names sell
products. And if any of Sword & Sorcery's creatures become popular enough to
be useful as sales generators, S&S deserves to reap some of this benefit. If
anybody thinks they can make a mint off a series of Moon Cat modules (my
favorite creature in the book, so far), they can negotiate licensing rights
for the name.
But from a DESIGN perspective, it's the stats that count most, THEN the
background and the name. I mean really: did it make D&D adventures one bit
harder to design or to play when "hobbits" was changed to "halflings"?
So open NAMES doesn't help anybody to design, but helps them to promote. In
my opinion, the OGL should be about design, not promotion. Leave promotion
to separate licenses like the D20 STL.
Martin L. Shoemaker
Emerald Software, Inc. -- Custom Software and UML Training
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.EmeraldSoftwareInc.com
www.UMLBootCamp.com
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