Monday, March 8, 2010

The Biggest problem with 4e

What I perceive as a weakness to Fourth Edition is the inability for 3rd Party publishers to add to the DDI Database.  This wouldn't be so bad if Wizards didn't say it was possible to actually support 4e Edition as a 3rd party publisher.

I mean if this thing didn't exist:

Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition
Game System License
This Game System License Agreement (the “License”) is offered by Wizards of the Coast LLC, a Delaware
limited liability company (“Wizards”). The License applies to the use in third party publications of certain
proprietary elements of Wizards’ Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition roleplaying game products (“4E”),
specifically, the 4E Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, Monster Manual, Player’s Handbook 2.
Monster Manual 2, and Adventurer’s Vault (collectively, “Core Rulebooks”). Please read this License
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Licensee does not accept such changes, the License will terminate pursuant to Section 10.1.
3. Licensed Products. The license granted in Section 4 is for use solely in connection with
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contain the Licensed Materials and are published in a hardcover or soft-cover printed book format or in a
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4.1 4E References. Licensee may reprint the proprietary 4E reference terms, tables, and
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file “SRD.pdf” that is available for download at http://www.wizards.com/d20 (“SRD”), incorporated herein by
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reference. Licensee acknowledges that Wizards has previously defined each 4E Reference. Licensee will
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updated SRD on its website page located at http://www.wizards.com/d20. Wizards will indicate on the cover
page of the SRD the date it was last updated. Licensee is responsible for checking the SRD regularly for
changes, and waives any right to receive specific notice of changes.
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Licensed Product and on the lower one-third (1/3) of the page in which the legal text described in Section
5.2 is located, or if a Licensed Product is made available only in an electronic format, the last page, and
sized identically to the Compatibility Logo as shown in the files listed above. Licensee may additionally
utilize the Compatibility Logo in advertisements and marketing materials (including without limitation,
website listings and catalogs) for Licensed Products, provided, that such Compatibility Logo solely appears
in the lower left quadrant of any such advertisement or marketing material; and is sized identically to the
Compatibility Logo as shown in the files listed above.
4.3 Imagery. Except as expressly provided in Section 5.7, Licensee may utilize imagery and
artwork contained in 4E solely to independently create and publish 2-D pictorial derivative works
(“Derivative Imagery”) in a Licensed Product.
5. Requirements; Limitations
5.1 Use of Trademarks. Use of any trademarks included in the Licensed Materials is subject
to Wizards’ trademark usage guidelines, as may be provided from time to time, and is limited to use solely to
refer to 4E and the Core Rulebooks. Licensee will not use such trademarks in any other manner, and will
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DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Compatibility Logo, D&D,
PLAYER’S HANDBOOK, PLAYER’S HANDBOOK 2, DUNGEON MASTER’S GUIDE,
MONSTER MANUAL, MONSTER MANUAL 2, and ADVENTURER’S VAULT are
trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries and are used with
permission. Certain materials, including 4E References in this publication, D&D core rules
mechanics, and all D&D characters and their distinctive likenesses, are property of
Wizards of the Coast, and are used with permission under the Dungeons & Dragons 4th
Edition Game System License. All 4E References are listed in the 4E System Reference
Document, available at www.wizards.com/d20.
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS 4th Edition PLAYER’S HANDBOOK, written by Rob Heinsoo,
Andy Collins, and James Wyatt; DUNGEON MASTER’S GUIDE, written by James Wyatt;
and MONSTER MANUAL, written by Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert and James Wyatt;
PLAYER’S HANDBOOK 2, written by Jeremy Crawford, Mike Mearls, and James Wyatt;
MONSTER MANUAL 2, written by Rob Heinsoo, and Chris Sims; Adventurer’s Vault,
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written by Logan Bonner, Eytan Bernstein, and Chris Sims. © 2008, 2009 Wizards of the
Coast. All rights reserved.
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font in all advertisements and other marketing materials in which the Compatibility Logo appears pursuant to
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and other countries. Used with permission.
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consumers prior to October 1, 2008. Wizards may terminate this License immediately upon notice to
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marketing and promotional materials for Licensed Products, and (b) non-commercial Licensed Products (i.e.
free), in accordance with the terms of this License prior to October 1, 2008.
5.5 Licensed Products. This License applies solely to Licensed Products as defined in
Section 3 and to the specified uses set forth in Section 4. For the avoidance of doubt, and by way of
example only, no Licensed Product will (a) include web sites, interactive products, miniatures, or character
creators; (b) describe a process for creating a character or applying the effects of experience to a character;
(c) use the terms “Core Rules” or “Core Rulebook” or variations thereof on its cover or title, in self-reference
or in advertising or marketing thereof; (d) refer to any artwork, imagery or other depiction contained in a
Core Rulebook; (e) reprint any material contained in a Core Rulebook except as explicitly provided in
Section 4; or (f) be incorporated into another product that is itself not a Licensed Product (such as, by way
of example only, a magazine or book compilation).
5.6 Reprinting. Licensee will not publish or reprint (a) the contents of the SRD in their
entirety; or (b) definitions of any 4E References, whether or not similar to those listed in any product
published by Wizards.
5.7 Imagery. For the avoidance of doubt and in addition to the provisions of Section 9 related
to ownership and use of Wizards Intellectual Property (as defined therein), Licensee expressly
acknowledges Wizards’ ownership of all imagery and artwork contained in 4E, and Licensee expressly
agrees it will not reprint any such imagery or artwork without Wizards’ written permission. In addition, and
without limiting the foregoing, Licensee will not reprint, publish, use, nor create Derivative Imagery of, any of
the following proprietary characters (whether from 4E or any other products published by Wizards or TSR,
Inc.): Balhannoth, Beholder, Carrion Crawler, Displacer Beast, Gauth, Githyanki, Githzerai, Kuo-Toa, Mind
Flayer, Illithid, Slaad, Umber Hulk’ and Yuan-Ti.
6. Quality and Content Standards. The nature and quality of all Licensed Products will conform to
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forms, genitalia, or sexual activity; or
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political preferences, genders, lifestyle preferences, or people with disabilities, as a group inferior to any
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other group or in a way that promotes disrespect for those groups or practices, or that endorses those
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9.4 Remedies. Licensee recognizes and acknowledges that its breach of any of the covenants,
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use (as authorized hereunder) all Licensed Products, and advertisements for Licensed Products, in
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Compatibility Logo after the Termination Date.
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LICENSEE EXPRESSLY WAIVES ITS RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL OF ANY DISPUTE, CLAIM OR CAUSE OF ACTION RELATED TO OR ARISING OUT OF THIS LICENSE.
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parties with respect to its subject matter and supersedes any previous or contemporaneous oral or written agreements regarding such subject matter, and can only be amended or modified by Wizards."

It wouldn't be so bad.  I would be happy to buy a copy of 4th Edition and use it as a game if this license or the DDI as presently constituted didn't exist.  So I suggest a compromise:  DDI plugins made by third parties so that players of 4e can enjoy the 3rd party products.  Isn't a plug in system something we all want?  I mean really, Wizards.  If you are going to let people write 3rd party products for D&D 4th ed, wouldn't it be wonderful if you could allow plugins to 4th edition so all your players who have to use DDI so that they can use the 3rd party products they bought?

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