> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Richard > Stewart > Sent: Saturday, October 06, 2001 6:52 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: RE: [Ogf-l] of OGL and GRG (was: Open Gaming Alert: Action! > System by GRG) > > > Ok let me clarify...
I appreciate the effort. Thanks! > The OGL is simply, an Open Game License that allows ANY mechanic to be > included...and used in open environment when released under said license. > Sanguine Productions Ltd. could, as an example, release all or some its > Polyhedral System if we so wished to the OGL and make all our books OGC or > at least the mechanics of the book open. Something I personally support. > > That is FACT. I do not think we disagreeing about this and I am sorry if > more use of terminology has clouded this issue. Understood and agreed. > What we are disagreeing about is what has manifested and that is a WIDE > range of products based on the SRD. They are almost ALL derivatives of the > SRD whether they actually include the material contained within it. The > same could be true for anything D20. We're not disagreeing about that at all, honestly. Where we're disagreeing is that I don't see a reason why this means a non-d20 publisher should avoid the OGL, just because non-d20 publishers have avoided it so far. As I said before, somebody has to be first. > My point on mechanics is one that a lot seem to share (though maybe not so > many on this list). While there have been a FEW token exceptions to what > has been released and the LACK of relationship to the SRD and/or D20 (which > falls back on the OGL anyways) a majority use the SRD and D20 compatible > mechanics. People just assume that OGL means this...and it simply does NOT. I think some people around here may assume that. A lot of people NOT around here may assume that, because they're less educated. But I think MOST people assume nothing at all, because for them, the OGL is a non-entity. I highly doubt that "OGL" means anything to the bulk of the game-buying public. I did a Google Directory search on "OGL", and I found about 3,000 pages. Of those, over 90% were about organic gardening or other things besides Open Gaming. (To be precise: I only sampled the first couple of hundred, then assumed that sample was representative.) Then I did a search on "d20", and I found about 18,000 pages. Sampling the first couple of hundred, nearly 95% were about the d20 System. A search for "OGL" on Amazon finds nothing at all. I find similar results on all sorts of directories and shopping sites. I see lots of games on the shelf with prominent d20 logoes, but "OGL" is either not on the covers or just mentioned in text. So I think that, from the consumer perspective, OGL is not on the radar screen right now. That may change at some point; but for today, d20 is all the consumers see. Now if your point is that producers will be confused and think they're developing for d20 instead of for Gold Rush, I guess I can see it. But frankly, any producers that are so misinformed about the license are going to need serious remedial education, no matter what license is used. Martin L. Shoemaker Martin L. Shoemaker Consulting, Software Design and UML Training [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.MartinLShoemaker.com http://www.UMLBootCamp.com _______________________________________________ Ogf-l mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.opengamingfoundation.org/mailman/listinfo/ogf-l
