At 11:24 AM 9/7/00 -0400, "Marc Tassin, Ilium Software" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
<<First of I like the d20 system and think it is well designed, so saying
it will succeed for reasons other than excellence is inappropriate.>>
The whole D20/OGL effort was founded on the belief that D&D succeeds because
it is popular, not because it is better than all other RPGs:
"We've got a theory that says that D&D is the most popular role playing game
because it is the game more people know how to play than any other game. (For
those of you interested researching the theory, this concept is called 'The
Theory of Network Externalities').
"Note: This is a very painful concept for a lot of people to embrace, including
a lot of our own staff, and including myself for many years. The idea that D&D
is somehow 'better' than the competition is a powerful and entrenched concept.
The idea that D&D can be 'beaten' by a game that is 'better' than D&D is at the
heart of every business plan from every company that goes into marketplace
battle with the D&D game. If you accept the Theory of Network Externalities,
you have to admit that the battle is lost before it begins, because the value
doesn't reside in the game itself, but in the network of people who know how to
play it."
-- Ryan Dancey on www.rpgplanet.com/dnd3e/interview-rsd-0300.htm
Rogers Cadenhead
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Web: http://www.prefect.com
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