-----Original Message-----
From: Christopher L Weeks <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Faustus von Goethe wrote:
>
>> The notion that Ryan (as owner of the FOUNDATION) would NOT be influenced
by
>> these considerations is, well, ... silly.
>
>I agree. But I also think that this is the strongest statement you can
>reasonably make: Ryan's position toward the function of the OGF is probably
>impacted by his position with WotC.
I am suprised no one has commented on the reverse of this being true. When
I take a look at Ryan's actions and posts here, it seems to me that while it
would be impossible for his role in the OGF to not be impacted in some way
by his position at WotC, it would be more accurate to say that: Ryan's
position with WotC is probably impacted by his commitment to Open Source.
After all it was he who took the idea and saw how it could be applied to the
Gaming Industry, championed the idea to his superiors at WotC and Hasbro and
turned this vision into reality. Who else on this list can claim to have
done half as much as Ryan for the cause of Open Gaming? I know I certanly
can't.
>I think you can also say that the OGF would
>not exist without his position at WotC. And I don't think that attempting
to
>distance the OGF from WotC is in any way deceptive. In fact, the opposite
is
>true. It is the only choice that lends any plausibility to the OGF as a
valid
>organization. The further it becomes distant from WotC the better. Give
it a
>little time.
I don't think that it is necessary for the OGF to distance itself from WotC
or any other game company. It seems to be that the OGF could only benefit
from good relations and close ties to as many companies as possible. The
general concensus on the list seems to be that WotC's ownership of the OGL
is not a bad thing and I agree. They have brought the most and biggest toys
to the table and footed the bill for its creation so they have a right to
it. I think that this perception that WotC runs the OGF because they own
the OGL and because of Ryan's position within the company is just that, a
perception. People's perceptions of a situation are very often far from the
reality of the situation as they are here. This perception will change when
the OGF is formally organized as Ryan has stated is the next step for it.
>I just don't see the duplicity in the OGF statements, even if you can cite
>people who are confused. <snip> And I still
>feel like there are issues up in the air. So of course people are confused
abut
>a whole bunch of stuff. That will get worked out as examples and precedent
>develop. And this discussion is less than a week old, so it seems
reasonable
>that Ryan maybe hasn't fully figured out if and how he wants to change the
web
>pages for clarity. But I still say it will come.
I agree completely here.
Chris
www.IDrankWhat.org
www.coincidental.net
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