Check out this interesting post at Grognardia, because as far as all the philosophical and political themes bandied about in the old school community – well, I’m the village idiot so don’t ask me what I think. Although I love some things that have come along in the OSR, especially awesome (and free) ones like the Old School Encounter Reference, I really would have been OK plugging away with my games these days just like I did in the old days. Making do with my own adventures in my own game world, occasionally dipping into published adventures.
I got back into gaming two years ago not even aware there was a renaissance going on, but that was just icing on the cake. I love talking about games and sharing my experience, but I have no need to buy lots of the current popular items like Carcosa, or James Raggi’s inspiring efforts of self-publishing. They interest me, but I already have such a huge backlog of my own gaming material I may never get around to everything I want to gamewise. And I’m trying to have less things I own cluttering my life. I ain’t getting any younger, you know? If I don’t need something I don’t really want it.
The new stuff is exciting and inspiring, but I don’t really need it. That is selfish and not really helpful to the community, but that is just how it is. I have plenty of game stuff to last me a lifetime, and if I do buy something new to use that will be once in a blue moon, and is more likely to be something from back in the day, like Tegal Manor or something from Ebay, over something written ,produced, and published by a blogger.
So some scrubs have decided to self-publish, and they are using a copyrighted logo. There are those who are worried this will bring bad attention from WOTC, and they have a point. But I don’t know how much it would affect me personally. I don’t really buy the new material from the OSR, nor do I buy anything from WOTC. Besides the occasional miniature, I don’t go into game shops and buy games. I have not paid money for a new item from the makers of D&D since probably the late 80’s. Something like The Night Below or Dark Sun I have I got from Ebay or something like that. I guess I’m not really supporting anyone. I’m just running my damn games.
Anyway, wherever I stand, I have to say I most admired the words of Will Mistretta on the Grognardia post. Will is a rabble rouser and I don’t often agree with what he has to say, but these are bold words, especially when you consider that most of the self-publishers who actually have something to be worried about read Grognardia. Here, without paraphrasing but not necessarily in order, are some of the comments Will had to make on the thread. Viva le revolution!
"..No, because in many cases Legal Code is shaped and part of the Moral and Ethical values of a culture. I'm not sure how you can sit there and say trying to link the two together is 'immoral', as you try to imply Will…"
“…All I can say is that I'm glad the men who forced the Magna Carta, the American revolutionaries, the conductors on the Underground Railroad, Ghandi, Rosa Parks, and many more weren't of your ilk…”
“…An uncritical "the law's the law" attitude is a lazy cop-out that aids and abets the worst kinds of corruption and tyranny. The idea, if you can call it that, that legality and illegality map directly to ethical right and wrong respectively is as dangerous as it is inane. And that's saying a lot…”
“…The only two men with a rightful claim of ownership over the game or its name are dead and so I don't care what the law says in this case. D&D belongs to gamers everywhere now. I applaud these guys for having the guts to tell Hasbro where to shove it…”
“…You think it's possible to separate the two. I don't. I see some brave (or foolhardy, the only difference is often in the results) individuals challenging the supposed "right" of a faceless corporate entity to exert arbitrary control over a great game loved by millions that they had no part in creating. Good for them. D&D should belong to the world, just like chess, poker, baseball, and all the other great games...”
"D&D should belong to the world, just like chess, poker, baseball, and all the other great games..."
ReplyDeleteIt already does. They just don't see it yet.
Or, perhaps, this will explain WotC's not getting involved. They see their latest, greatest "Dragon-in-Shining-Armour" Edition as the main interest of the current generation of role-players. They're too big to see us ol' grogs as a threat.
End result: we get to continue having fun playing the games we like.
Ciao!
GW
Oi vey. I'm with you, Brunomac. I wish everyone would just shut up and play! WotC is not going to "take its toys and go home" (i.e. rip up the OGL and smite all retro-clones out of existance) over some sub-microscopic thing like this. Even if they wanted to, they could not root out every last scrap of OSR material.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I DESPISE this kerfluffle term. It's the most idiotic word I've ever seen in my life. I know we all play a game as a hobby, but let's talk like adults and call something an "issue" or a "bone of contention" or a "debate" or whatever. But kerfluffle? Please don't give the public at large yet another reason to think of gamers as nerdy pansies!
You make some good points Brun that are lost on the hysterical crowd. First, do you need any of this stuff? Nope. We have enough stuff laying around to game forever. It's cool to have the new stuff, but I have yet to see the empirical evidence that it's selling to anyone but the already or nearly converted. If WOTC made it all go away tomorrow we'd still be around writing, drawing, and using our imaginations to create new worlds.
ReplyDeleteAll the cool OSR stuff out there, and my latest project? Converting the old Dragon magazine adventures from the 80's to work inside my sandbox setting.
Damn, Bruno...that's the first time I've ever read anything that made me feel dirty for being a blogger! Sheesh!
ReplyDeleteI think the root of the problem so many folks are having with this is that, through the OGL, they thought they'd found (and maybe they did find) a 'loophole' that allows them to make some money doing something they'd be doing something they love. And now someone comes along doing it in a way that might interrupt their cash flow. It sounds cynical for me to say that, but I think it is part of it. As was said above- nobody can really stop someone from producing their own D&D stuff. But they CAN stop others from making a profit off of it. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with folks who are doing so. More power to them. But they have a lot more to lose than us regular old players and enthusiasts.
ReplyDeleteJB: that's weird - in the online community I'm known as "Mr. Clean"
ReplyDeleterologutwein:
ReplyDeleteWell said, +1 vote on your opinion.