SRD

[dmccoy1693]

Is the Wizard's OGL not derived from one in fairly broad use in computing circles for such things as GNU and Linux?

It is, and there is nothing stopping a company from creating their own. But Mongoose stated they are using the OGL.

EDIT: I just got an email from Mongoose Matt confirming that the Traveller SRD will be released under WotC's OGL.

 

[Dyrewulf]

Where oh where did our SRD go?

 

[AKAramis]

Take a look at http://www.opengamingfoundation.org/licenses.html

Known Open Gaming Licenses:
The Open Gaming License drafted by Wizards of the Coast
The Dominion Rules License drafted by Dominion Games
The GNU General Public License, and the Free Documentation License drafted by the Free Software Foundation
The Open Content License by OpenContent qualifies as long as neither of the License Options in Section VI of the license are used.
The October Open Game License by the RPG Library

So there are several. Mongoose uses the Wizards one in everything I've looked at.

There are also a couple open supplement licenses.
EABA has one, which alows for commercial supplementation
D6 has a non-commercial OSL, but paid commercial supplements

 

[-Daniel-]

EDIT: I just got an email from Mongoose Matt confirming that the Traveller SRD will be released under WotC's OGL.

Why would Mongoose release Traveller as part of the WotC OGL? That makes no sense at all.

Please help me understand this one.

Daniel

 

[dmccoy1693]

Why would Mongoose release Traveller as part of the WotC OGL? That makes no sense at all.

The Open Game License has nothing to do with the d20 system, save that it too is released under the same license. The license is merely the legal vehicle by which other companies can publish using those two SRDs (not necessarily at the same time). Publishing under the WotC OGL gives Wizards no special access to the publish material. Infact, they have just as much rights to it as anyone and everyone else does. Literally, Wizards could be sued by Mongoose if they tried to publish material that Mongoose said that no one else is allowed to touch, and Mongoose would win.

Why use the Wizards OGL instead of other various open publishing licenses or write their own: RPG publishers know the WotC OGL and like it. This is alot bigger then you'd imagine. RPGers that also happen to be lawyers have shared with many publishers over the past 8 years their insight into how it works. Publishers know the ins and outs and are comfortable with it. Going to some other established license would mean that those same publishers would not be so happy since they would have to learn a whole new set of rules by which to publish under. As such, Traveller would see alot less 3rd party support then what it will see (once the SRD is released).

Compare that with Wizards' license for 4E. To date no one has seen it. No one outside WotC knows EXACTLY what's in it. Plenty of publishers are not happy that they do not know what terms they will be allowed to publish under. They don't want to change to a new publishing license that will undoubtedly be less user friendly (or more specificly, less 3rd party publisher friendly). By Mongoose using the OGL, current d20 companies, authors (such as myself), etc that are not happy with the situation with 4E have a familiar avenue to write and publish material.

In short, it is simple and convientient for Mongoose to do so since they are quite familiar with how the OGL operates and it is a marketting technique to attract 3rd party publishers.

 

[dmccoy1693]

But the one you point to has everything to do with Wizards of the Coast.

Yes. Reason I pointed to that one is because: 1) its not on any one company's website and 2) I know the location by heart. I would have pointed to the one Mongoose released with the Traveller SRD but Mongoose hasn't released the Traveller SRD yet.

The fact that the OGL you want to use is language that Wizards has copyrights to in and of itself is an issue.

I editted my previous post before I had seen that you posted this post. I pretty much answered this in that version of my post.

For a small amount of money they could have a lawyer write up their own License and the term OGL is not copyrighted nor is the idea of an OGL. There has to be more to the story then just "Mongoose likes it because others know it".

You can't improve upon the perfect. The WotC OGL is, quite frankly, perfect. It protects all parties involved from each other, it allows for sharing of material, and it is open ended. Publishers can literally publish in 2135 referencing stuff that was released under it in 2001.

 

[dmccoy1693]

OGL Basics/FAQ

• Open your Traveller books to page 1. At the bottom there's a text box. First line of the 2nd paragraph in that text box say, "This game book contains no Open Game Content." This means that (if the TMB was released under OGL, which technically it isn't) all material would be considered "Product Identity"

You agree not to Use any Product Identity,

• So as I said before, if Wizards tried to publish something that was in the TMB at this moment, Mongoose could sue and would win. The SRD will be pure Open Game Content so Wizards as well as every other company out there will be allowed to use whatever is in the SRD. How do I know this? Well, that's the idea of an SRD; pure open game content for publishers to use and publish by.
• What does Wizards own with respect to Traveller? Wizards owns the license that the Traveller SRD will be distributed under, but not the Traveller SRD. Wizards would be allowed to use the Traveller SRD to publish their own compatable material (in the exact same manner that Mongoose published d20 compatable material), but they still would not own it.
• So what exactly does Wizards own? The license itself. What does that mean? It means that Mongoose cannot publish Open Game License 2.0A. If they want to use the Open Game License, they have to choose 1.0A or wait for Wizards to make OGL 2.0A (however long that will be). Wizards does have the authority to permit someone else to publish a new version of the OGL, but they have not done so, nor is there a need.
• At the bottom of the earlier linked OGL, I see a bunch of lines that have Wizard's references to them. What does this mean? One of the things you have to do for the OGL is list every OGL source that you borrowed from. So publishers have to copy the Section 15 of all the books they referenced into their Section 15 when they put a copy of the OGL in their books. Section 15? Look on the left side of the referenced license. You'll see a bunch of numbers listed from 1-15. each of those are called sections. If Joe Schmoes Publishing released Joe Schmoes' Starships and it was based on the 5 different books, Joe Schmoes' Starships would ahve to have a Section 15 listing all 5 of those books as well as all the books that were in those books' section 15. And yes, that can be alot.
• What will the Traveller SRD's section 15 look like? This is only a guess, but imagine it will look like this.
  

  Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
  
  System Reference Document Copyright 2008, Mongoose Publishing; Author Gareth Hanrahan, based on original material by Mark Miller.

  Like I said, that's a guess and the final version will be different, I'm sure, but I imagine it will be reasonably close to that.
• So if Joe Schmoe published a book in 2135 called Alien Lifeforms and only used the Traveller SRD, what would that Section 15 look like?
  

  Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
  
  System Reference Document Copyright 2008, Mongoose Publishing; Author Gareth Hanrahan, based on original material by Mark Miller.
  
  Alien Lifeforms, Copyright 2135, Joe Schmoe's Publishing

Does this help?

 

[-Daniel-]

Does this help?

Thanks

 

[dmccoy1693]

Does this help?

Thanks

You're Welcome. Any other questions?

 

[MongooseMatt]

Just a quickie - the SRD is pretty much complete, just needing a couple of small sections added. However, our editors are working round the clock (almost) at the moment, and we just need to squeeze it in. We are currently looking at 2-3 weeks.

 

[dmccoy1693]

Just a quickie - the SRD is pretty much complete, just needing a couple of small sections added. However, our editors are working round the clock (almost) at the moment, and we just need to squeeze it in. We are currently looking at 2-3 weeks.

Thank you for the update. Just curious, but are you guys adding material that is not in the TMB (i.e. stuff in High Guard, a standardized stat block for NPCs/Ships/Planets, map symbols, etc) or is it just going to be editted rules from core rulebook and that's it like other SRDs have been.

I hope you don't mind me explaining some of the basics of the licenses and how they interact. If you would prefer me to stop making guesses as I have upthread, I'll refrain.

 

[hdrider67]

Just a quickie - the SRD is pretty much complete, just needing a couple of small sections added. However, our editors are working round the clock (almost) at the moment, and we just need to squeeze it in. We are currently looking at 2-3 weeks.

Matt,

Will the SRD incorporate any of the Errata fixes?

Thanks!

 

[MongooseMatt]

Will the SRD incorporate any of the Errata fixes?

Thanks!

If we make any changes to the core rules, they will be reflected in the relevant sections of the SRD.

 

[MongooseMatt]

Thank you for the update. Just curious, but are you guys adding material that is not in the TMB (i.e. stuff in High Guard, a standardized stat block for NPCs/Ships/Planets, map symbols, etc) or is it just going to be editted rules from core rulebook and that's it like other SRDs have been.

High Guard et al may (likely) appear as separate SRDs.

 

[dmccoy1693]

High Guard et al may (likely) appear as separate SRDs.

WAHOO!!!

 

[T.L.]

Great! With RuneQuest we'll have two of the best SRD around.

 

[Golan2072]

High Guard et al may (likely) appear as separate SRDs.

Great to hear that! Would Mercenary get its SRD as well?

 

[hdrider67]

If we make any changes to the core rules, they will be reflected in the relevant sections of the SRD.

Sorry. I wasn't very clear. Have you guys determined there were areas that needed fixing and already incorporated them for the initial release of the SRD?

Could I also make a suggestion/request?

It's unlikely that I will be able to afford to buy both the PDF and physical books for SM and HG. I know you guys like to support the FLGS and I agree with that but it also means I have to wait (if I am lucky) 45 days or more post release to see a PDF.

Is there any way you could find a compromise and release them at the same time, even making the PDF cost a little more than the paper version for the first month or two?

I do most of my reading (including novels) using e-book format these days and I'd be surprised if I was alone.

 

[GbajiTheDeceiver]

Just a quickie

Always ready for a quickie. :mrgreen:

the SRD is pretty much complete, just needing a couple of small sections added. However, our editors are working round the clock (almost) at the moment, and we just need to squeeze it in. We are currently looking at 2-3 weeks.

Nice one. Happier to have it delayed and as good as possible.

 

[DigitalMage]

I do most of my reading (including novels) using e-book format these days and I'd be surprised if I was alone.

I do this too, though once I have read the PDF I buy the hardcopy - so a delay on the PDF means a delay on me buying the hardcopy.