http://www.examiner.com/x-7705-Phoenix-RPG-Examiner~y2009m8d6-Wizard-of-the-Coast-releases-fan-site-toolkit-controversy?cid=exrss-Phoenix-RPG-Examiner

http://www.wizards.com/fankit/fantoolkitdnd.html


Another nail in the coffin?

:banghead:

Seems like that would scare people from using their toolkit... and potentially from putting up D&D specific content of any type... whatever it is it doesn't sound friendly.

Back to the old T$R policy approach huh?

They even used the word "Module", apparently, which leads me to wonder if they didn't literally cut and paste from an old TSR form.

RPGpundit

The insidious paragraph.

Please note that this Fan Site Policy does not allow you to publish, distribute or sell your own free-to-use games, modules or applications for any of Wizards' brands including, but not limited to, Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering. If you want to engage in any of these activities related to Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition, such use is subject to the Game System License

Quote from: RPGPundit;318822They even used the word "Module", apparently, which leads me to wonder if they didn't literally cut and paste from an old TSR form.

Or maybe Lorraine Williams' eviltwin is running WotC these days.  

I can just picture the WoTC folks as they hunker down for their Monday morning meeting. Set jaws, fear in the eyes, everyone knowing that this shit is another nail in the coffin but unable to break out of the spiral...

It sure reads like the old TSR one... wedded to GSLing the whole content. I've not done any D&D content besides old edition character sheets; even those are not on my site currently. ow they probably won't

The old TSR one was not enforced. Wizards is more likely to, I think.

Quote from: aramis;318828It sure reads like the old TSR one... wedded to GSLing the whole content.

The old TSR one was not enforced. Wizards is more likely to, I think.

Now that's a great way to do business:  sue your own customers!!!  :rant:

Haven't we all heard this before?  We all know how well that worked with the record companies.

So that's it then?  Wizards is TSR now?  

Does that mean we can ignore them as irrelevant again, just like I did through the entire 1990s?

Quote from: J Arcane;318834So that's it then?  Wizards is TSR now?  

And Paizo is the new WotC...

A comparison between the WotC, Paizo, and White Wolf fan site policies.

http://mxyzplk.wordpress.com/2009/08/06/wizards-fan-site-policy-what-its-good-for/

Okay, I promise not to produce anything compatible with or useful for D&D4e, and not to do any free work promoting their game line.

I'll just play other stuff instead. Wouldn't want to soil their intellectual property. Gotta have respect, man.

Wonder if this fansite policy has an ulterior motive behind it, which nobody has caught on yet.

Maybe it is something like a covert first strike against OGL based retroclones?

Wonder if it is not just a coincidence, that it was posted around the same time that Pathfinder was released.

Pathfinder is OGL... and the OGL didn't have a termination clause worth beans.

   13 Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of
becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License.
14 Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it
enforceable.

If they go after the retroclones, then they have the obligation to prove non-compliance with the OGL... And until they show that non-compliance, it's gonna be rough. Especially since the OGL and SRD are well documented; Wizards withdrawing the SRD doesn't remove the prior releases of it, either.

But the real question is, is open licensing valid at all?
It's never been tried in court that I've heard of. But IANAL. Now, DSK has mentioned that it hasn't been tried to his knowledge a few weeks back... and he is an IP lawyer.

The OGL might not survive a lawsuit.