Monte Cook makes a statement about the OGL and MCG license

[Scribe]

The flourishing of D&D 5e evidences the business wisdom of the OGL 1.0a.

One would think so, but short term profits + corporate greed + "growth must happen, always" capitalism, leads people down particularly twisted roads.

 

[payn]

It was precisely the "poison pill" of the 4e GSL that brought about their largest competitor.

If WotC continued with the OGL 1.0a without interruption, Paizo would have created new content for 4e. For WotC.

And the many D&D players whose needs Paizo met would be WotC customers, purchasing WotC Players Handbook and supplements with Paizo options.

Im not entirely convinced thats true based on some comments from Paizo folk at the time.

 

[Morrus]

It was precisely the "poison pill" of the 4e GSL that brought about their largest competitor.

It was one factor amongst many. The other factors do not currently exist for anybody, so don’t expect a repeat of history.

 

[Yaarel]

Im not entirely convinced thats true based on some comments from Paizo folk at the time.

At the time, Paizo wanted to create content for both 3e and 4e. The Paizo contributions would have broadened the appeal of 4e to more customers.

 

[payn]

At the time, Paizo wanted to create content for both 3e and 4e. The Paizo contributions would have broadened the appeal of 4e to more customers.

Probably, the WotC stuff was pretty bad.

 

[Charlaquin]

More than likely the WotC lawyers are going to try to focus away from the supposed intent, bringing up the fact that the OGL brought about their largest competitor.

The irony of course being that it only did so because they changed to a different license for the then-current edition.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

View attachment 271510

I mean ifhe is worried how 'dodgy' it looks can't he just write a V2 with the word irrevocable added?

 

[Vaalingrade]

It was one factor amongst many. The other factors do not currently exist for anybody, so don’t expect a repeat of history.

Yeah, there's going to be like a dozen competitors eating each other in a year or two this time because there's no longer just the one near-universally beloved third party and none of them have any lead time to make their own immediately after the rollover.

 

[Reynard]

At the time, Paizo wanted to create content for both 3e and 4e. The Paizo contributions would have broadened the appeal of 4e to more customers.

Lisa Stevens made it very clear that once they had a chance to see 4E in action, they weren't interested in supporting it and were going to make Pathfinder as a continuation of 3.5 D&D.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Yeah, there's going to be like a dozen competitors eating each other in a year or two this time because there's no longer just the one near-universally beloved third party and none of them have any lead time to make their own immediately after the rollover.

"Eating each other" seems a bit much. Green Ronin has shown no obvious desire to destroy Goodman Games who don't seem to have any desire to see Kobold Press disappear from the face of the earth.

They are not in real competition for each other. They're all serving different niches in the broader D&D-like ecosystem.