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Wizards of the Coast is pleased to announce that third-party publishers will be allowed to publish products compatible with the Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition game system under the new Dungeons & Dragons 4E Game System License (D&D 4E GSL). This royalty-free license will replace the former d20 System Trademark License (STL), and will have a System Reference Document (SRD) available for referencing permissible content.
The D&D 4E GSL will allow third-party publishers to create roleplaying game products in fantasy settings with the D&D 4th Edition rules, and publishers who register with WotC will be granted the right to use a version of the D&D logo that denotes the product as compatible with the D&D 4th Edition Roleplaying Game, in accordance with WotC’s terms and conditions. The effective start date for sales of D&D 4E GSL publications will be October 1, 2008.
The license associated SRD will be available on June 6, 2008, at no cost. A small group of publishers received advanced notice and will receive these documents prior to June 6, at no cost, in order to prepare for publication of compatible materials by the effective start date. If you haven’t already been contacted by WotC, you will be able to access the documents on the Wizards website beginning on June 6, 2008.
Wizards is also working on the details of a second royalty-free license, the d20 Game System License (d20 GSL). This license will allow third-party publishers to create roleplaying game products in non-fantasy settings with the 4E rules. The exact details for the d20 GSL will be released as they become available.
Wizards of the Coast is pleased to announce that third-party publishers will be allowed to publish products compatible with the Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition game system under the new Dungeons & Dragons 4E Game System License (D&D 4E GSL). This royalty-free license will replace the former d20 System Trademark License (STL), and will have a System Reference Document (SRD) available for referencing permissible content.
The D&D 4E GSL will allow third-party publishers to create roleplaying game products in fantasy settings with the D&D 4th Edition rules, and publishers who register with WotC will be granted the right to use a version of the D&D logo that denotes the product as compatible with the D&D 4th Edition Roleplaying Game, in accordance with WotC’s terms and conditions. The effective start date for sales of D&D 4E GSL publications will be October 1, 2008.
The license associated SRD will be available on June 6, 2008, at no cost. A small group of publishers received advanced notice and will receive these documents prior to June 6, at no cost, in order to prepare for publication of compatible materials by the effective start date. If you haven’t already been contacted by WotC, you will be able to access the documents on the Wizards website beginning on June 6, 2008.
Wizards is also working on the details of a second royalty-free license, the d20 Game System License (d20 GSL). This license will allow third-party publishers to create roleplaying game products in non-fantasy settings with the 4E rules. The exact details for the d20 GSL will be released as they become available.
-- Rumors are running rampant that the new GSL includes terms that forbid publishers who utilize it from also publishing under the old OGL. Are these rumors true? If so, does the restriction apply on a per product basis, or does it prevent the publisher from ever producing OGL material. And if they are true, why did WotC feel such restrictive terms were necessary?
-- When will the actual terms of the GSL be available for the general population to see?
-- When does WotC anticipate the new D20 GSL becoming available?
It would probably be beneficial to the community if the questions weren't duplicated.
I'll dig through their thread and see what questions didn't make it before the cutoff.
1. Is there, in fact, a "poison pill" provision requiring publishers to make a choice to support either 4E or 3E?
2. If so, what is the mechanic to enforce that choice?
3. To the extent this question is not covered by (2), above, does the GSL preclude the further use of either one or the other license? If so, how?
4. If a publisher adopts the GSL, can that publisher continue to sell prior backstock of previously open products (presuming d20 logos are removed)? And if so, with what restrictions, if any?
5. Is there a revocation clause in the GSL and if so what triggers revocation?
6. If a publisher adopts 4E through the GSL and is required to forgo support of 3E, may a publisher provide supplemental downloads with 3E content to support that 4E product?
If there is a "poison pill" clause, what does that mean for GSL material published through "Published By Lulu" (or similar venues)?
Explanation: Lulu and other PoD services can provide customers with ISBNs (so that the books can be sold via Amazon or be listed in the book trade). Some of those services make the PoD publisher legally the publisher of a work.
If there is a "poison pill" clause it will prohibit GSL users to use the "Published By Lulu" service since there will most certainly be an older OGL product in the catalogue for that Lulu acts as the publisher.
(The fact that neither I nor Lulu can tell if there is such a product doesn't make things easier.)
Well, you are a day or two behind. Enworld sent in a list of 30 yesterday questions and expect to post the answers tomorrow.
[Edit - WotC has just confirmed that they do intend to answer all of the questions, a few of which will be exclusive to EN World and the rest of which will addressed on both sites.]
Unfortunately, WotC has changed its mind about that interview. Presumably in favour of this one. Here's the list of questions we sent, though, in case you guys want to crib any:
Sorry to hear that
That'll probably delay the answers.Sorry to hear that
Well, we're not exactly thrilled, either, especially given that they approached us.
Well, we're not exactly thrilled, either, especially given that they approached us.
Ouch. It's generally bad karma to offer then rescind after announcement. It leaves the party who acted in good faith holding the bag with the audience.
Ouch. It's generally bad karma to offer then rescind after announcement. It leaves the party who acted in good faith holding the bag with the audience.
I've edited my post above after receiving clarification from WotC; their current intention is to answer the full list of questions, a few of which will be exclusive to EN World and the rest of which will be addressed on both sites.
Ouch. It's generally bad karma to offer then rescind after announcement. It leaves the party who acted in good faith holding the bag with the audience.
I think there's been some mix up along the line. Our plan is to answer all the GSL questions we can, and provide those to the community here and on ENWorld. However, as a way of showing how much we appreciate and want to support community sites like ENWorld, we're going to be giving them some exclusive answers. I also plan on including a link to ENWorld when the answers go up.
I think there's been some mix up along the line. Our plan is to answer all the GSL we can, and provide those the community here and on ENWorld. However, as a way of showing how much we appreciate and want to support community sites like ENWorld, we're going to be giving them some exclusive answers. I also plan on including a link to ENWorld when the answers go up.
That's good to see and I'm sure Enworld will appreciate it.
Well, I've posted the questions we gathered above, so hopefully you guys can use them.
Thanks Morrus, those are already in our pile of questions. =)
I think there's been some mix up along the line. Our plan is to answer all the GSL questions we can, and provide those to the community here and on ENWorld. However, as a way of showing how much we appreciate and want to support community sites like ENWorld, we're going to be giving them some exclusive answers. I also plan on including a link to ENWorld when the answers go up.
Sorry, Mike - I completely misunderstood Linae's email.
I am a game developer working on a separate gaming product (The Lethal Game system). I would like to know the following:
_________________________________________________________________
1) Would Publishing content under the GSL prohibit me from publishing open game content published under a non-OGL/GSL licence (eg: Creative Commons) in order to retain my GSL licence?
2) Would publishing content under the GSL prohibit me from publishing closed-content from an in-house non-d20, non-OGL/GSL product in order to retain my GSL licence?
For example: Would White Wolf be able to release Sword & Sorcery 4e and still be able to maintain their World of Darkness product lines?
_________________________________________________________________
I want to sign on to third-party support for fourth edition, but am concerned about the GSL impeeding my plans to release my own game system in 2-5 years time, or whether by releasing my own game system, I will be prohibited from continuing to support 4th edition as a third party producer.
If a less open/more restrictive format is included in the GSL than was present in the prior OGL/SRD/STL as to what can be done with WotC IP, how will the GSL help to promote 4th edition as widely as the OGL/SRD/STL helped revive D&D in general with 3rd edition?
Does this "logo" compare with the d20 logo from the STL tha can be used for free under the GSL provisions providing, resmeble a D&D logo where it could actually make a freelance product be able to compete with any major or minor publisher such as WotC, Green Ronin, etc that were able to use logos in the past?
-Would an average fan using this "logo" have fair advantage with it as the big publishers even for small term products, or would their be different "logos" for different classes of products?
Can we see this "logo" anytime soon? :evillaugh
In conjunction with the DDI, will the GSL prevent fanbased free websites from providing aids such as character sheet helpers for people new and old to the game, who may not be able to do it themselves even in the easier 4th edition, and may not be able to, or choose not to use the DDI version?
-Assuming that one [Character Builder?] is free, will the DDI and GSL prevent these fill out forms other than the one provided in the DDI by WotC?
Why does (if it does) the GSL constitute rolling dice for ability scores in a character sheet helper as a success or fail in relation to the "Interactive Game" definition?
Will the GSL provide the use of "proprietary" names such as Beholder, or whatever WotC has copyright to, for inclusion in products so long as the information on such is left out, or will it only provide the disclaimer of "logo" to use the brand name of "Dungeon & Dragons" in some format?
Why a new form of license like the STL/OGL in this GSL, rather than a form of Creative Commons for the SRD type material?
Is it not possible for this or some other GSL/OGL/etc to provide for older editions of D&D created prior to WotC's ownership of the game?
-Simply put and no real details required, would the reason for no such thing to be because of a) legal reasons or b) just a decision to not have some sort of license for older editions?
As part of the process for creating 4th edition is the design team/authors involved in any decisions of the GSL, or is it just legal and executive departments?
Will the GSL require for publishers to include open content that other publishers using the GSL can use in their materials, or will it be specific WotC content that is all that is granted, and publishers get to retain rights to all of their created material without having to allow others the ability to use some parts as, I think was under the OGL?
Will this be more like the OGL, or a new modified free version of the STL, that anyone can use?
Well there are some odd questions that may or may not have been asked yet, and maybe even one someone else may be curious to know the answer to.
Character classes?
Campaign sourcebooks?
Campaign settings?
Monster guides?
Modifications/replacements for rules? (Excepting experience I would imagine, which is a shame as I'd really like to do a classless, levelless version).
Does producing material under 4e prevent me from continuing to produce support for lines I choose to keep under the OGL?
Can I continue to produce material under the OGL that isn't d20 related - MRQ, FATE etc?
Does this apply on a per product or a per company basis? EG: If I elect to produce a 4e version of Bloodsucker: The Angst could I still produce 3.0/3.5 based material for Cloak of Steel?
When can we see the final form of the GSL?
Will the non-fantasy version of the license be more open than the GSL or on par with it?
How did all this miscommunication, if indeed that's what it is, get out of hand?
Can we continue to sell old products via PDF if we get on board with the GSL, as Wizards itself does with 2nd edition nostalgia products? This is especially important since PDF depends on the long-tail of sales.
TIA...
-How strict will they be required to adhere to the new rules or will they be able to create worlds/adventures/classes/etc. on their on but only use D&D rules as a basis and still get the approved stamp?
-I'd like to know (in as close to lay-term as possible) just what the change-over means for 3.x.