What is going to happen to the SR3 ruleset?, the license Options

[Shadow]

Just out of curiosity what is going got happen to the ruleset? Will you allow others to use it for a fee? Say someone wanted to continue to offer books for those hardcore souls who want to continue SR3?

Or if someone wanted to use the rules but in an entirely different universe... Any thoughts?

[Kagetenshi]

Ugh. That would be horrible. At best it would either die quickly or kill off SR4, at worst it would destroy them both. Subdividing a not-that-large market == bad.

And I say this as someone who is looking forward to SR4 with quite a bit of fear and doubt.

~J

[DrJest]

If you want to set a game "somewhen else" in your campaign, that's always been your prerogative. If you're talking about publishing something for SR3 in an alternative world commercially, I'd have to assume that FanPro would retain the rights; and in all honesty, I don't see them looking to support an outdated version of their core rules even with worldbooks for different settings.

[Shadow]

Well the idea was more toward doing a D20 like thing. Where you adapt the ruleset to aocompletly new world.

For instance, Doing a Buck Rogers like setting, just using the SR3 core ruleset.

[Aku]

bleh, i'm sorry, but i just dont see d6=d20...

WoTC did d20 because it made sense... there were already enough "clones" and similar systems to it that it just solidified their market stance.. no longer was it, og thats not dnd, or, oh look, it says dnd so it must be good...

now a much broader market sees d20, and are supposed to assume that it is a solid product, because it's met WoTC whatevers in their licensing agreement to put the d2 label on it.

[Shadow]

Hmm I think I must not be communcating well. All I am asking is what happens to the SR3 ruleset and could iot be used to "power" another game. I like the SR3 rules, I like them alot. And if I ever had the money I think it would be great to use them to create a game, without having to come up with the rules.

So I am sort of asking any freelancers or devs if they are going to allow a OGL on SR3, or is it there ball and bat and no one can ever use it.

[Aku]

well, i guess then, my question to you, is what IS SR3 (as opposed to 1, 2 or 4)?

they've all been (and likely will be) d6... there are no "core classes"str/dex/int etc are common concepts, can't pin that to d6 alone...are you going to say that whoever uses a johnson has to pay royalities to fanpro (and what would it's affects have on the adult industry??)...

d20 is d20 because it was something that people wanted to use and modify, but not call their product dnd of such an such a place... i personally dont see that kind of draw for what is/was SR3.

finally, and key to it all, is, i feel, to strip SR3 from the universe, would kill both, i dont think they're exclusive to one and another. they're like water, alone, they're 2 atoms of hydrogen for every one atom of oxygen. put them together, and you've got something totally different and grander.

[RunnerPaul]

There's a difference between "Use it" and "Publish books that depend on that particular rules set". Anyone who buys a SR3 rule book in either hardcopy or pdf can "use it" at their gaming table for whatever they want. If you want to scrap the whole setting, and replace it with high space opera, where the metavariants are really aliens and magic is really psionic power, that's your right as a consumer. You can even put together homebrew supplements that you can distribute in a non-profit fashion to your gaming circle.

But if you wanted to publish your Psi-Space setting for profit, your lawyers will have to have some long talks with WizKids' lawyers.