John of the Collective wrote:
>
> Because, IF Joe Schmoe includes the Char Gen rules, then that product no longer
> drives the sales of Wizards products and If it doesn't drive those sales, then why
> Should WOTC even bother with D20 as an open product?
>
Because it does drive sales from those luvverly network effects. The
more stuff there is out there that says "D20" on it, the more likely a
newbie gamer is to pick up *something* D20 as his first system -- and
keep playing D20. And who is going to produce the most D20 stuff? WOTC.
Don't forget, also, that open source goes both ways. All your rules
DERIVED FROM the D20 SRD can be used by other publishers -- including
WOTC. So if someone at WOTC looks at "Mobsters&Molls", the D20 game of
the roaring 20s, and really likes the gun rules, they can put those
rules in their own D20 products.
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