Under IV, B, 1.
At
least five percent (1 word out of every 100)
Make up your mind. 5% (one word in 20) or 1% (one
word in 100) :)
IV, B, 5: Open
Content Availability
That
section would prevent me from considering the ASTL. Why should
anyone buy my book? All the crunchy stuff is freely available after 2
months. Your system would then almost Limit the profit to
the first 60 days, but it also tells the consumers that all they have to do is
wait 2 months, and they can get it for free. Not very good. Maybe
requiring it availble to a group of publishers willing to use the Action!
license? But you aren't going to get many if they are limited to the first
60 days, and users knowing they can get it for free after 2
months.
IV,
B, 6, c. Conversion
to Action! System Core Rules required.
Again,
why buy my product? If I can't create something that is unique (such as
new attributes, etc. Sorry, don't know the Action! system, so I can't give
better examples) to my line and create a market value for my products under your
system, why should I? Making a publisher convert back to the core rules
means no new unique systems can be developed as an adjunct to the system. (for
example, the Prestige Races in Oathbound, or various ritual casting systems in
different d20 books.) Yeah, a scary step in open gaming, since it allows
others to come up with really kewl stuff and the dollars to a
'competitor'. But they are using your system, and need your core book(s)
to use it. Ultimately, the good rules other publishers develop will
strengthen your Brand.
Here
is something you may not have thought through: Anything you open
under OGL as OGC, anyone can use without using your license. All they need
to follow is the OGL, and use any OGC you publish as a working base (opened
under the OGL). Are you prepared to accept that? The only thing you
can really keep a hold of is your Trademark "Action!" and any logo of it.
They can still do derivative works of your system, they just can't advertise it
as compatible with your system. They could easily use "Compatible with
action based role playing games." and be completely legit, if I read your
Trademarks in the file correctly.
Andrew McDougall
a.k.a. Tir Gwaith
a.k.a. Tir Gwaith
