Okay, a few things spring immediately to my attention. First off, despite the FAQ above bearing no mention of it, you will be unable to use the SRD to actually play the game.D&D 4th Edition System Reference Document and OGL Designer’s Kit
Wizards of the Coast has developed a new, two-phased release structure for the Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition System Reference Document (SRD) and Open Gaming License (OGL).
Phase One
The first phase of the 4th Edition developer materials release will be marked by the January 2008 availability of the OGL Designer’s Kit. This kit is designed for independent publishers looking to obtain early access to 4th Edition rules in order to develop compatible products to release just after the 4th Edition launch. These publishers will pay a one-time fee of $5,000.00 USD for access to the OGL Designer’s Kit, which includes first looks at the 4th Edition rulebooks, the SRD, final galleys and more.
The OGL Designer’s kit includes:
Developers purchasing the OGL Designer’s Kit will receive updated pre-publication versions of the 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons core rules through the time of launch. They will also receive the right to publish OGL products on August 1, 2008, five months earlier than the general public.
- Pre-publication versions of the 4th Edition rulebooks:
# 4th Edition Player’s Handbook
# 4th Edition Dungeon Master’s Guide
# 4th Edition Monster Manual- Pre-publication version of the System Reference Document (SRD)
- Open Gaming License (OGL)
- License Guide
- FAQ
- Registration Card
- Updated documents as the rules are finessed and finalized
- Final galleys including typeset text and artwork
- Advanced copies of the finished core rulebooks
Parties interested in the OGL Designer’s Kit must possess a business license and execute a Non-Disclosure Agreement prior to contract communications.
Phase Two
Wizards of the Coast will release the second phase of the developer materials on June 6th, 2008 with the free, public availability of the Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition SRD and OGL. The SRD will be live immediately upon release. The OGL will go-live on January 1, 2009.
For further information contact linae.foster@wizards.com.
FAQ
Q: Why are you charging for the OGL Designer’s Kit?
A: We want to encourage publishers who are serious about the business of OGL publishing to create compelling, quality products to complement the hard work we’ve put into creating 4th Edition material.
In that spirit, the OGL Designer’s Kit helps to establish a minimum bar for early entry into the OGL publishing world. We feel that publishers and developers with a proven track record of creating quality products will be able to cover the cost of the OGL Designer’s Kit and continue to create new material for 4th Edition.
Q: What about new publishers that can’t afford to pay for the kit? Won’t they be left out?
A: All of the material included in the OGL Designer’s Kit will be available for free starting on June 6, 2008. Parties who find the cost prohibitive can begin developing their products at that time.
Q: Can anyone purchase an OGL Designer’s Kit?
A: Interested parties are required to possess a business license. Wizards of the Coast reserves the right to limit participation in this program as appropriate to the business.
Q: When can I start publishing OGL products?
A: Purchasers of the OGL Designer’s Kit can begin publishing their OGL products on August 1, 2008. Other publishers may begin publishing their OGL products on January 01, 2009.
Q: Why do I have to pay to publish an OGL product for 4th Edition?
A: You don’t. Starting in June, the core rulebooks will be available on shelves everywhere, and you can use those books to craft your OGL product for sale on January 01, 2009.
Q. What about the d20 license? Will that still exist in 4th Edition?
A: We are making the OGL stronger by better defining it. We’re rolling certain elements that used to be in the d20 license into the OGL, things like community standards and other tangible elements of the d20 license.
I'm guessing that one was handed down from on high. Regardless, it's going to be a minor pain for me, and not because I want to play the game for free. I had intended to loot the 4e SRD for ideas for my own development of the 3e standard, but now that seems like it won't be possible. And if the rules aren't available to reference online, then I have to wonder how they expect their little online tabletop scheme to work out.Scott Rouse wrote:The 4e SRD will be a "reference document" for publishers working under the 4e OGL to know what content can be used in their own products. It will reference sections and passages from 4e D&D books and will also contain table/formating guidelines like the monster stat block to allow for consistency among products.
It will not be a stripped down core rulebook (PHB) that largely allows you to play D&D.
Secondly, they're rolling parts of the d20 License into the Open Gaming License. Specifically:
Now that's interesting, and here's why:We’re rolling certain elements that used to be in the d20 license into the OGL, things like community standards and other tangible elements of the d20 license.
Were I a publisher, I would never agree to a deal that gives my main competitor the right to put me out of business any time it chooses. Especially since the d20 license specifies that if they tell you to stop using the d20 system for one of your products, you have to stop using it for everything you publish. And if that's rolled into the OGL, then that extends to any system using Open Game Content, not just those licensing d20 specifically. Fuck that shit.Quality Standards
In determining whether a product complies with community standards of decency, Wizards of the Coast uses, but is not limited to the following. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Wizards of the Coast reserves the right to determine, in its sole discretion, whether a product complies with community standards of decency.
Violence and Gore – Descriptions of combat are acceptable in a Covered Product. However art or text depicting excessively graphic violence or gore is not acceptable.
Sexual Themes - Sexual situations—including abuse and pornography—may not appear graphically in art or text. When depicting the human form—or creatures possessing humaniform features—gratuitous nudity, the depiction of genitalia, bare female nipples, and sexual or bathroom activity is not acceptable. While sensuality and sexuality may appear in a Covered Product, it must not be the focus nor can it be salacious in nature.
Prejudice - Covered Products can not depict existing real-world minorities, nationalities, social castes, religious groups, genders, lifestyle preferences, or people with disabilities as a group inferior to any other group. Current, real-world religions and religious groups and/or practices will not be portrayed in any way that promotes disrespect for these religions or their participants. A Covered Product can not endorse or promote any specific religion or religious practice.
