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d20 License Revision Creates Controversy
travail_jgd writes "Wizards of the Coast, the makers of Dungeons and Dragons and the owners of the popular d20 license, have made some changes that are very unpopular in the RPG community. The new clauses allows WotC to censor d20-branded books with sexual, excessively violent, or other questionable content by revoking the book's d20 license: 'Wizards of the Coast may terminate this License immediately... if it deems, in its sole discretion, that your use of the Licensed Articles does not meet the above standards.' (The full listing can be found in a 12 KB RTF file.) Needless to say, people aren't happy. BTW, Wizard's own 'Book of Vile Darkness' violates most of the new rules." There are further details about this change, which only affects "any work carrying the d20 logo", over at GamingReport.com.
You get very little chance to be "evil" in a lot of RPGs. There have been very few (notable) games where you were a demon, a lizard monster or a drow (dark elf) where you role played as something out of the ordinary such as a mercenary or as a bandit. Think about it. Other than player made campaigns, when was the last time your job was to raid a castle to steal the royal treasure and escape or do something crazy and try and murder the king? What I would like to see (paper-and-pen or not) is a game where I can be an evil monster and the goal of the game is to fight a losing battle against the "good guys." After all, why is it that the game always ends "happily ever after?"
Once I discovered West End Games' d6 systems (now called d6 legend and d6 classic, not that I currently understand the difference), I ditched D&D like a bad habit.
/jesse ventura voice
I don't really care how much better the 3rd ed. rules were better than the 2nd ed. rules. I had all that junk memorized, and it was tossed out like an old glove.
Skill incrementing systems are faster, easier and better than levelling systems. Systems where one doesn't need to use a table and just need to add numbers end up being faster, and it opens up my gaming groups to people that aren't prone to memorizing tables. And it puts the GM power in my hands, not the hands of some g**d**ned chart.
Even the Victory Point system for Fading Suns is better than the d20 systems. Heck, even Shadowrun's system is faster than d20 systems. While I'm at it, even Traveller lends itself better to faster-paced roleplaying than... okay, I'm done.
There, I said it, it must be true.
Mostly this looks like a Hasbro lawyer CYA thing. Like other posters said, the aren't after the niche stuff anymore with D&D. Every mall bookstore sells something because it's Hasbro at the top of the food chain. That means anything with the logo could reflect on not just Wizards, but Barbie, Fisher-Price...get the idea. There's not much room for controversy in the toy market.
First off, I'd like to say that I do understand WotC's attitude regarding the d20 trademark. It is essential that they maintain certain levels of deceny. As to whether or not they released the Book of Vile Darkness and to what level that goes, it was very clear that it was to be sold only to mature audience members (and some gaming stores would NOT sell it to anyone under 17), and they caught flack from long-time D&D-associated individuals.
Additionally, we have to consider that by putting the logo on a product, it is to associated it with D&D (or at least that's how most parents will see it). If you have a clear disclaimer on the cover, fine, but otherwise, you're lumping it in with the same people who make Pokemon cards. WotC's parent, Hasbro, might not like to see some company they have next to no control over coming out with a product filled with erotica that some parents will associated with those people who make Pokemon cards. I also see a lot of potential flack from owners of other brands (e.g. Star Wars) that have licensed those brands to WotC.
Can you still produce D&D compatible stuff without the d20 license? Yes! Matured and experience gamers will know what the SRD is. So call it SRD-fantasy compatible or SRD-modern compatible. Heck, get together and create a logo and have that logo owned by the Open Gaming Foundation for all I care. I won't buy stuff that's overly indecent, but if it's detailed, almost clinical in nature, and gives me rules to pick and choose for realism, I might buy it.
Having been published using the SRD, it's very, very important to not violate those things that WotC explicitly says no to and to avoid, for the most part where possible, things the SRD doesn't say yes to. Basically, create individually, and use the SRD and nothing else to look at, and you'll do well. Come up with something really unique and useful like Expeditious Retreat did and you'll be amazed at how quickly everyone likes your stuff.
The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it. - G.B. Shaw
Well, if you're using the OGL, you cannot use trademarks in any way without permission. If you're using the d20, you can use the D&D trademark, but you have to live with worse restrictions.
You cannot use the d20STL without using the OGL; use of the OGL is one of the requirements for the d20STL.
If you're not using either license, you can say "Use this book with 3rd Ed. D&D" without restriction (provided it's clear that the owners of the D&D trademark do not endorse your product).
Theoretically, yes. And, theoretically, when they come and sic their lawyers on you, you might be able to get away. And, you might even be able to convince distributors to carry your product.
But I doubt you could make money off of it--especially when there's a lawyer-free alternative. Oh, and you couldn't reprint copyrightable parts of D&D verbatium.