From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Faustus von
Goethe
Sent: Monday, August 14, 2000 9:05 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: RE: [Open_Gaming] d20 Adventure Published
<< >Actually, the draft STL does not REQUIRE this language,
I never said it did ... >>
I know the list has been "hot" of late, but please don't be so quick to take
offense where none is intended. You said:
">All< D20 works will "require" the
players' handbook and will carry the same or similar language"
I wanted to point out that this was effectively true, but not mandatory. It
is the nature of my job as both an instructor and as a software designer for
me to hunt out and pick at small discrepancies that may lead to confusion
among parties. Just the way I think, including on this list. So this minor
clarification was NOT intended as a refutation of your post, merely as a
clarification for any reader who has not studied the draft STL. If you were
offended, I offer my humblest apologies. No offense was intended.
<< >For practical purposes, I think this language is both as close to
>"compatible with" as WotC will allow and as close as we need.
"As close as we need?" Only if you don't care about your customers being
confused. Very soon Star Wars and LotR will be out in D20 and people will
be writing (and selling) D20 modules and supplements that will work under
those systems but will not work under D&D. How are you going to
differentiate your D&D module from a Lord of the Rings module so that your
customers are not confused?
Or worse yet, how are you going to differentiate YOUR STUFF so that the
OTHER FOLKS' customers are not confused - since >all< of the products will
probably have "Requires the D&D Players' Handbook" on the cover.
So how are you going to explain to those newbie LOTR fans that the old guy
in the white robes on your cover is not Gandalf if you can't say "This
module is intended for D&D?"
There are still some major issues here for small producers ... >>
Granted ALL of these very valid points, I still cannot see how "Requires the
D&D Players' Handbook" will lead to confusion, if "Compatible with D&D" (the
issue I was addressing) will not. People who want to claim compatibility
with D&D should be reasonably happy with "Requires..."; people who want to
distinguish themselves as a separate game can add copious explanatory text;
and the only people with some confusion will be those who want to be
compatible with some non-D&D D20 product. These people will need some sort
of additional license (DON'T hold your breath waiting for Lucas to approve a
tacit "Compatible with Star Wars" unless the Wizards team is REALLY
persuasive); but since the vast majority of "compatible with X" threads on
these lists so far have assumed X=D&D, I was addressing the majority
concerns.
And where did you hear about LotR? That's news to me! I MUST KNOW MORE! TELL
ME NOW! NOW! NOW, I SAY!
................
Whew! Sorry. But I've never been hapy with the I.C.E. stuff, and I've never
felt D&D captured the feel of LotR. What Star Wars is to many D20 fans, LotR
is to me.
Martin L. Shoemaker
Emerald Software, Inc. -- Custom Software and UML Training
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.EmeraldSoftwareInc.com
www.UMLBootCamp.com
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