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Post by thegreyelf on Jan 5, 2023 18:52:04 GMT -6
Just a heads' up, folks. With the new changes coming down the Pike from Ha$borg/WotC, Elf Lair Games has made the decision to eschew the OGL altogether moving forward. We want to let you all know, however, that you need not fear. Our games will still be Powered by O.G.R.E.S. and will still work exactly the same. The biggest changes we are making is in basic terminology, since our mechanics do NOT closely mimic those of the current 5e system. The new terms, you will find, are intuitive and easy to adapt to using as they all mean exactly the same thing! New Attributes: - Strength
- Agility
- Toughness
- Intelligence
- Wits
- Persona
New term for armor: Defense Value (DV) New term for the damage you can take: Vitality Other than that, we'll be rewording the spells. Just to be safe, I also renamed the Rogue to the Renegade, though that one was probably okay to leave as it was. Night Shift will not be changing until we sell out of the current print run. The new changes will debut with Wasted Lands: The Dreaming Age, coming later this year. As we make other necessary shifts I'll keep everyone posted, and we will publish an explanatory document to make continuing to play as easy as possible. WotC doesn't want us? That's perfectly fine. We don't need them, either. Elf Lair Games is not going anywhere, and it will STILL stand as a sort of Rosetta Stone for old-school gaming! We are considering our own OGL and SRD, but there's a bit of legal wrangling to deal with before we can make that happen, so no promises. |
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Post by Finarvyn on Jan 5, 2023 19:27:18 GMT -6
Glad to hear that ELG will continue strong and will continue to support its product lines. I see these debates online about what the new OGL might mean to the small/medium companies and it makes me nervous. (This is honestly the same paranoia I recall from the days when I did the S&W WB rules, when we all wondered if WotC would drop the hammer on us or if we were different enough to qualify as a different game. That's not a good feeling, so I can understand what you are dealing with now.) The new terms, you will find, are intuitive and easy to adapt to using as they all mean exactly the same thing! New Attributes: - Strength
- Agility
- Toughness
- Intelligence
- Wits
- Persona
Too bad you couldn't match attributes with a different system, such as DCC. (Strength, Agility, Stamina, Personality, Intelligence, Luck.) I know that the six are pretty much the same as That Game We Won't Mention, but it's a shame that every system has to have a slight variation on the same base vocabulary. Not so efficient for cross-compatibility.  |
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Post by Vile Traveller on Jan 6, 2023 3:03:47 GMT -6
I know that the six are pretty much the same as That Game We Won't Mention, but it's a shame that every system has to have a slight variation on the same base vocabulary. Not so efficient for cross-compatibility. This is a conversation worth having. Even if WotC backs down, most 3PPs will want to become indies going forward if they're going to keep pulling this every few years. |
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Post by thegreyelf on Jan 6, 2023 5:59:51 GMT -6
Well that's why I took pains to make my new attributes synonymous across the board with the original ones. It makes it very intuitive for cross compatibility with other old school games. I am also talking with my attorney about a (free) 3PP license and SRD for O.G.R.E.S. Again, though, there's legal wrangling to deal with for that, so it's not guaranteed it'll happen, and it might be a minute.
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Post by thegreyelf on Jan 6, 2023 6:09:36 GMT -6
Just bumping this back up above the Wasted Lands one  |
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Post by Vile Traveller on Jan 6, 2023 6:27:46 GMT -6
On the other hand, there's no need to go overboard with de-D&Dising terminology. RuneQuest has all the same stats as D&D bar Wisdom, and the whole system is basically an expansion of D&D thieves skills. Most RPGs use hit points. A lot of the prohibited monsters in the OGL 1.0a are not actually protected by trademark, they are just prohibited by agreeing to the terms of the OGL. Not sure about armour class, but if you just called it "armour" everyone would still get it. Well, maybe you'd have to call it "armor" for the benefit of you lot in the colonies. |
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Post by thegreyelf on Jan 6, 2023 7:50:42 GMT -6
There is no NEED to go overboard; you're not wrong about that. Hell, AC and Hit Points are commonly used in video games. BUT WotC is turning out to be a litigious company and whether or not you are legally in the right, they can drown and RUIN you in dragging out court cases until you're bankrupt. It's best to be careful and CYA as much as possible. Also, if we're going to pull away from them, let's just make it as clean a break as we can without alienating our fan base.
All that being said, when the inevitable class action lawsuits for predatory business practices fly, Elf Lair Games will be on board.
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Post by thegreyelf on Jan 9, 2023 9:15:56 GMT -6
Not sure about armour class, but if you just called it "armour" everyone would still get it. Well, maybe you'd have to call it "armor" for the benefit of you lot in the colonies. Didn't address this clearly. I considered just calling it "Armor," but Palladium already uses AR as an abbreviation (armor rating), and I wanted to slide away from the idea that armor is the only thing that affects your, well, defense value. So defense value is what it became, and that term (with its associated abbreviation) is basic enough that it won't be an issue in terms of ANYONE's copyright. |
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