[Open_Gaming] Note for Brad

[Githianki]

>> Nor do I think that much of what comprises the fantasy genre of D& D(in the general sense) is a result of "considerable time, money, and creative effort" on the part of companies. Sure putting together products based on the genre requires those things, but the ideas are the products of the users of the system.� If a creation is the specific result of work product and legally protectable then so be it, I fully support that. I don't think I understand what you're saying here.� Are you suggesting that Forgotten Realms is NOT the result of "considerable time, money, and creative effort"?� Or the new 3rd edition rules?� You must mean something else.� Wizards has no reason to give this material away - it is much more valuable than the d20 System rules, precisely because it can be protected.<< I said that work product can and should be protected and profited from (work product being works produced by an employee but owned by the company). But you cannot say (or whoever I was responding to) that the fantasy knowledge base on which D&D (or any fantasy RPG) rests is entirely the result of corporate efforts and not mainly the output of the players. I very much mean the underlying ideas of fantasy exist apart from the time money and effort spent to publish products (such as the Realms, 3rd Edition) based on them.   The creative effort is invested by people not companies.  Companies only can support or exploit (not neccessarily in the evil sense) such creations.  The money and time of a company is spent there.   At any level, it is the players of the game who have contributed the most, even when they have gone on the company payroll.   Wizards owns the Realms but they do not own fantasy. Wizards has every right to profit from what they (their employees create) but they (TSR back included) haven't created as much as published and purchased and compiled.This all ties into the reasoning behind my response to something someone said but it is too late for me to figure out what.  My statement was not made in a void or independently. Sleepy, I have to go to sleep so this post may not make sense. Goodnight. -Alex