Steve,
Thanks for the clarifications! I'm glad my wild theorizing wasn't too far
off the mark.
As I said, I think it's a valid business strategy, and I can't disagree with
the desire to be conservative while we all wait for final pronouncements
from WotC. If I were in your shoes, my biggest concern would be the risk of
the OGL coming back to bite me in the form of open content published by
someone else with non-PI names, to make it more functional to people who
want to easily use it in their own OGL items (by which I means fans and
websites, not just professional publishers). I'd be inclined to open most
or all creature names (or generate a trademark license that requires
crediting your book, to drive future sales) to head off that problem at the
pass. I will be interested to see what modifications you make when the D20
reference document is done, and to see how exactly WotC deals with product
identity issues.
> In regards to 2), if WOTC is keeping Greyhawk and Forgotten Realms PI, why
> on earth shouldn't we be entitled to keep all elements of Scarred Lands as
> PI? The philosophy behind OG, IMO, is to keep the rules open but still
allow
> people to hold on to some measure of proprietary intellectual property. I
> don't think keeping setting elements PI runs at all contrary to OG
> philosophy.
I think we're all having to wrestle with what we need to define as ESSENTIAL
"setting elements." It's true that adventures are much easier in this
regard, where general-use moster/spell/magic books (which may have utility
to many different games, not just those in your proprietary setting) are a
different kettle of fish.
One approach is to make it as open as possible. Then you may find yourself
competing on the basis of price with other people who are entitled to
reproduce your content wholesale, under the OGL, which may hurt your sales.
Another approach is to load it up with game-world-specific details and
product identity, each of which may limit the utility of the work for some
consumers and thus hurt sales.
We all have to navigate between this Scylla and Charybdis and try the right
path for our various product lines.
> In the meantime, anyone who would like to use a CC monster in any OG book
> need only e-mail me to get permission.
This is good to hear. Now I may have to go buy a copy so I can take you up
on it!
> Large is such a relative term. After the sales of 3e, it should be
painfully
> clear there's only ONE large company in rpgs!
No kidding! :)
-jn
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