> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Neal Rogers
> Sent: Saturday, March 31, 2001 6:38 PM
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: RE: [Open_Gaming] [ogf-d20-l] New to the list and have
> questions already
>
>
> > Such a term could very possibly put the entire
> > D20-as-Open-Game concept at
> > risk of being cancelled.
>
> Is it still at risk, after all these months?
It is at risk at least in theory right up until the very day the SRD and STL
are released. Will Wizards cancel it? I doubt it. But it's possible, and I'd
rather not increase the possibility.
> There has been this risk from the beginning, no? In
> fact, it has been there since before OGL and D20,
> because there has always been the risk, albeit a slim
> one, that someone would successfully produce a line of
> wildly popular "compatible with" products that
> competed directly with WOTC's own campaign settings
> and generic modules. There has always been the risk
> that such a company would come up with a product line
> that would gain wide recognition as being compatible
> with D&D. There have been such products on the market
> for years, of course, but they never managed to
> establish a brand identity that made it clear that
> they were D&D-compatible. My point is that because
> this risk has already existed, why let it become a
> show-stopper now?
But why should Wizards take steps to ASSIST in the realization of that risk?
> Furthermore, developing the brand
> recognition of a D&D work-alike, even with a big
> community of contributors behind it, to the point that
> any kid in a game store will know that the logo means
> that the product is D&D-compatible, is a huge uphill
> battle. D20, on the other hand, is something that
> Wizards is actively pushing, and the logo _already_
> means something to people. A new brand faces a really
> tough battle, even if it's understood in an under the
> table kind of way that it's compatible with D&D. How
> could this connection be easily established in the
> public's mind without truly inviting the wrath of
> Wizards down on the developers' heads?
By the same word of mouth that is a significant chunk of what's making D20
grow now. Does D20 have an edge? Absolutely. How much? I don't know.
[FAUSTIAN CONSPIRACY THEORY: Wizards is holding off on releasing the SRD and
STL until all the D20 creators do the hard work of establishing D20 as THE
cross-company compatibility mark. If the third parties succeed, THEN Wizards
will decide it's safe to release, because there will be no chance for a
non-licensed mark to take hold. But until then, they'll drag their feet and
always have the escape hatch. THIS IS JUST A CONSPIRACY THEORY! DO NOT
BELIEVE IT!]
> I hope my questions and comments aren't seen as an
> attempt to get around the rules. They aren't.
I don't see that, and I doubt Wizards does. Asking these questions is
important. Keep asking!
Martin L. Shoemaker
Martin L. Shoemaker Consulting, Software Design and UML Training
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.MartinLShoemaker.com
http://www.UMLBootCamp.com
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