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End of Dragonlance License, Too

Started by Pierce Inverarity, April 23, 2007, 11:22:41 PM

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Pierce Inverarity

April 23, 2007, 11:22:41 PM
http://www.dragonlance.com/features/articles/10040.aspx

Holy shit. What are WOTC ever up to?
Ich habe mir schon sehr lange keine Gedanken mehr über Bleistifte gemacht.--Settembrini

David Johansen

#1
April 23, 2007, 11:25:04 PM
Deliberately kill off major d20 publishers?  That was the whole motivation behind the SRD wasn't it?  To corner the market and ravage the competition.  It seems to be progressing on those lines doesn't it.
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Seanchai

#2
April 23, 2007, 11:27:54 PM
Quote from: David JohansenThat was the whole motivation behind the SRD wasn't it?  To corner the market and ravage the competition.  

Uh...huh.

Seanchai
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peteramthor

#3
April 23, 2007, 11:28:34 PM
My guesses (and they are just that I have no inside info) on this are as follows:

1.  They are planning on pulling all the properties back to themselves to release material for them on their own thinking it may be more profitable.

2.  They are pulling all the properties back so the property as a whole looks better to sell as a lump sum.

3.  I'm sure I could come up with some neat idea about the eventually coming (who knows when) new edition of D&D and not going with the OGL and all that but I don't feel like it.

That's all the guesses I got.  Anybody else?
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beeber

#4
April 23, 2007, 11:33:16 PM
a little from column 1, a little from column 2.  

add another check to the "i hate" column for wizards.  

glad i'm off my d20/d&d kick and into brp-type stuff these days.

Koltar

#5
April 23, 2007, 11:39:22 PM
If its a conspiracy - what makes it funny is that Steve Jackson Games are the ones that joke about being the "Men In Black" and conspiracies.

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#6
April 23, 2007, 11:40:24 PM
Quote from: SeanchaiUh...huh.

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Pierce Inverarity

#7
April 24, 2007, 12:16:32 AM
What I would like to know: Once upon a time, WOTC considered it profitable to license out all this stuff. If the idea now is to pull it back in, what has changed in the meantime? What is it that makes it more profitable to publish DL yourself in 2008+, but not in 2000-2007?

And if that is not the idea, then what is?
Ich habe mir schon sehr lange keine Gedanken mehr über Bleistifte gemacht.--Settembrini

Settembrini

#8
April 24, 2007, 01:43:06 AM
Quotewhat has changed in the meantime?
Market saturation with rules. Now they go for monopoly returns, instead of broadening the player base.

Expect to see lots of Setting boxes, as a new Lady of Pain seems to rule TSR, ehem WotC...at least we get something Planescape this way.

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Pierce Inverarity

#9
April 24, 2007, 02:04:59 AM
That doesn't sound implausible... but ultimately all speculation depends on the release date for 4E, and on whether WOTC agree with me when I say that 4E will be the last edition for a very very very long time.

Unless they sell D&D to Mongoose, of course.
Ich habe mir schon sehr lange keine Gedanken mehr über Bleistifte gemacht.--Settembrini

Settembrini

#10
April 24, 2007, 03:52:59 AM
Hasbro will not let the IP go. Hence, any non-WotC D&D would be licenced. Who would pick up that licence, when the damocles sword of "licence revoked, because you are too succesful" looms over them?
If there can\'t be a TPK against the will of the players it\'s not an RPG.- Pierce Inverarity

C.W.Richeson

#11
April 24, 2007, 06:37:09 AM
Quote from: SettembriniHasbro will not let the IP go. Hence, any non-WotC D&D would be licenced. Who would pick up that licence, when the damocles sword of "licence revoked, because you are too succesful" looms over them?

These licenses weren't revoked.  They naturally concluded.  Both most likely had optional renewal provisions that WOTC chose not to exercise.  It's a perfectly normal transaction as far as IP licensing is concerned and I'm sure many, many publishers would love to work with WOTC and snag the Dragonlance license.

That said, I find this surprising for two reasons.  First, to maintain a valuable IP like Dragonlance you really need to keep it in the public consciousness.  Not only that, but the Dragonlance IP really helps to reinforce the D&D IP.  Second, it seems unlikely that WOTC is going to publish more Dragonlance material so not exercising the renewal provision seems against their interests.  The only thing that comes to my mind is that they want to shop it around and try to get a better deal.

I didn't care for the d20 Dragonlance line - I just didn't think they were quality products.  Of course, nothing coming out of Weis Productions actually interests me at this stage.  Maybe the BSG game will be good, but I anticipate the formula is to mix an underwhelming system with photos from a licensed property and sell that over and over...
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mhensley

#12
April 24, 2007, 08:12:08 AM
Perhaps they are pulling in their licenses in preparation for selling off D&D.

Settembrini

#13
April 24, 2007, 08:59:11 AM
No, Mearls is now in Rules Design Department. He works on fourth edition, that´s my guess.
If there can\'t be a TPK against the will of the players it\'s not an RPG.- Pierce Inverarity

Warthur

#14
April 24, 2007, 09:01:18 AM
Quote from: Pierce InverarityWhat I would like to know: Once upon a time, WOTC considered it profitable to license out all this stuff. If the idea now is to pull it back in, what has changed in the meantime? What is it that makes it more profitable to publish DL yourself in 2008+, but not in 2000-2007?

At a guess: the upcoming movie?
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