http://www.tabletopgamingnews.com/?p=7748
This does not bode well for WizKids and Pirates.
It is so nice that Hasbro is trying to kill its competition through a patent rather than producing a high quality product.
WotC tells Wizkids to go screw itself
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Count Zero
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WotC tells Wizkids to go screw itself
Whenever I get confused about D&D alignment morality, I just imagine Abraham Lincoln and Mahatma Ghandi arm wrestling shirtless on the back of a killer whale.
In other words, I remember that it doesn't really make a whole lot of sense and deal with it best I can.
In other words, I remember that it doesn't really make a whole lot of sense and deal with it best I can.
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Scaramanga
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[quote="Count Zero"]It is so nice that Hasbro is trying to kill its competition through a patent rather than producing a high quality product.[/quote]
Isn't this de rigueur for most companies these days?
Also, someone in the comments there pointed out that WotC holds the patents on CCGs (can anyone confirm this?) If that's the case, they've never sued anyone else on that front either.
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Count Zero
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BlanchPrez
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Man, this totally sucks. WotC really is turning into the Microsoft of RPG's... I wonder if this is a direct result of Hasbro controll, because this dosn't sound like the kind of behavior one would expect from the company that made their biggest selling game open sourced.
Chris
Chris
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Count Zero
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The purpose of the open source was that they then own the rules, and they save money on rules development because they can use those rules. At GAMA, right before the announcement of D20 to the public, the convention was in an uproar because WOTC told all the game companies that WOTC was going to effectively own them and there was nothing they could do about it.
OGL was never a "nice" thing, it was an attempt to dominate the market, eliminate competition, and reclaim the glory days of D&D. It worked wonderfully, and for about 5 years, all you could buy was D20/D&D related materials. Hell, walk through Game Empire and look at what system is mainly used.. it's d20.
We are just starting to get a resurgence of non-d20 systems. I really do wonder if the rise of d20 created the popularity of indie games that we see today. We may have d20 to thank for great games like Spirit of the Century and similar games.
OGL was never a "nice" thing, it was an attempt to dominate the market, eliminate competition, and reclaim the glory days of D&D. It worked wonderfully, and for about 5 years, all you could buy was D20/D&D related materials. Hell, walk through Game Empire and look at what system is mainly used.. it's d20.
We are just starting to get a resurgence of non-d20 systems. I really do wonder if the rise of d20 created the popularity of indie games that we see today. We may have d20 to thank for great games like Spirit of the Century and similar games.
Whenever I get confused about D&D alignment morality, I just imagine Abraham Lincoln and Mahatma Ghandi arm wrestling shirtless on the back of a killer whale.
In other words, I remember that it doesn't really make a whole lot of sense and deal with it best I can.
In other words, I remember that it doesn't really make a whole lot of sense and deal with it best I can.
Did anyone go to Gencon or Comiccon? Here is what WotC did to be:
Gencon: My gaming buddies and I woke up at 6AM on the Friday of the con because WotC was selling the new Star Wars starship minis before the official release. So, being the hardcore gamers and Star Wars fans we were first and we thought that being first guaranteed us Star Wars minis. It didn't. To our horror we got a raffle ticket, raffle tickets they would be giving out for three hours.
So essentially me and my friends woke up at 6AM, to get to a line at 7AM, to get to the convention floor which would open at 10AM, so that we could get a raffle ticket that we could have gotten as late as 1PM, for a raffle to be held at 2PM, for Star Wars minis we woke up at 6AM to get.
We got in line, to get into a line, to get a raffle ticket, to maybe get Star Wars minis.
We, and everyone else who woke up early to get Star Wars minis were horrified when we found out what was happening. The Gencon volunteer gave us the most blaspheming and insulting explanations of the system I've ever heard: 1) This way it's fair for everyone; 2) This is how it works at the movie theatre.
1) How is that system fair? We got there first, we made the effort to get there first, we should get the first crack at Star Wars minis.
2) I don't know what kinds of movie theatres they have up in LA, but everywhere else I've watched movies at, if you get a ticket you get in, it's not getting a ticket for a chance to get in.
To add insult to injury we were not only the first in line at the WotC booth, we were the first in line for the Convention floor, AND THEN we didn't even win the raffle.
Then again at Comic-con: One of the big things I wanted at Comic-con was the Stan Lee action figure. Unfortunately for me, Hasbro was running that dealie and guess what happened. We woke up early, got in line early, stampeded to the Hasbro booth with everyone else and guess what we were greeted with... raffle tickets. This time, however, it was a little more complicated. Try and follow:
1) There are Hasbro people walking around with raffle tickets, no one knows where they are, they're just around handing raffle tickets.
2) They announce at odd intervals the raffle winners
3) Raffle winners won a spot in the line
4) People can buy multiple figures so there's not even a guarantee that you'll get a figre if you get in line.
Try and follow, you get in line, for a chance at a raffle ticket, for a spot in line, to get a chance at a Stan Lee action figure.
Oh and no, we didn't get a figure.
Gencon: My gaming buddies and I woke up at 6AM on the Friday of the con because WotC was selling the new Star Wars starship minis before the official release. So, being the hardcore gamers and Star Wars fans we were first and we thought that being first guaranteed us Star Wars minis. It didn't. To our horror we got a raffle ticket, raffle tickets they would be giving out for three hours.
So essentially me and my friends woke up at 6AM, to get to a line at 7AM, to get to the convention floor which would open at 10AM, so that we could get a raffle ticket that we could have gotten as late as 1PM, for a raffle to be held at 2PM, for Star Wars minis we woke up at 6AM to get.
We got in line, to get into a line, to get a raffle ticket, to maybe get Star Wars minis.
We, and everyone else who woke up early to get Star Wars minis were horrified when we found out what was happening. The Gencon volunteer gave us the most blaspheming and insulting explanations of the system I've ever heard: 1) This way it's fair for everyone; 2) This is how it works at the movie theatre.
1) How is that system fair? We got there first, we made the effort to get there first, we should get the first crack at Star Wars minis.
2) I don't know what kinds of movie theatres they have up in LA, but everywhere else I've watched movies at, if you get a ticket you get in, it's not getting a ticket for a chance to get in.
To add insult to injury we were not only the first in line at the WotC booth, we were the first in line for the Convention floor, AND THEN we didn't even win the raffle.
Then again at Comic-con: One of the big things I wanted at Comic-con was the Stan Lee action figure. Unfortunately for me, Hasbro was running that dealie and guess what happened. We woke up early, got in line early, stampeded to the Hasbro booth with everyone else and guess what we were greeted with... raffle tickets. This time, however, it was a little more complicated. Try and follow:
1) There are Hasbro people walking around with raffle tickets, no one knows where they are, they're just around handing raffle tickets.
2) They announce at odd intervals the raffle winners
3) Raffle winners won a spot in the line
4) People can buy multiple figures so there's not even a guarantee that you'll get a figre if you get in line.
Try and follow, you get in line, for a chance at a raffle ticket, for a spot in line, to get a chance at a Stan Lee action figure.
Oh and no, we didn't get a figure.