Scrying The 4e Crystal Ball: GSL Requires Choice

We're bringing you a special edition of Scrying the 4e Crystal Ball today.

Discussions are raging across the various rpg boards concerning the news that there is a mutual exclusivity clause in the GSL. Now, no one has actually seen the GSL yet to say just how tight this little piece of writing is, but word from Clark Peterson of Necromancer Games, who has been in contact with Wizards of the Coast about the provision, is that it may be very tight indeed.

That said, we do know some things for sure from Linae and Scott, who gave up part of their weekends to post some responses to everyones' concerns:

• The new GSL will not permit a dual statted book.
• The new GSL will not allow a publisher to print both a 4e and a 3.5 edition of a product.
• The GSL will allow an update of existing OGL material to the GSL (though there may be a provision requiring the OGL version no longer be sold)
• The publishers who were given early access to the GSL were respected PRINT publishers. This was done, according to Scott, to allow for the greater lead time required for a print publisher to get something into the market place.
• The new starting date for the GSL precludes any non-wizards D&D system material for 4e this GenCon.
• The new GSL has some wording allowing use of the D&D branding itself... it's likely that it will be actual D&D branding with some sort of alternate logo that is only used by third party publishers.

In addition, Clark made one very important assertion that went unchallenged by the wizards folks, even though they responded directly to a lot of other misinterpretations:

• Printing something using the GSL requires a company wide switch to the GSL. It's a company by company choice (as Clark put it), not a publication by publication choice. This suggests that there is a clause in the GSL that causes the automatic revokation of the license if you subsequently print something using OGL.

I've read a lot of posts on a lot of messageboards to condense this all, but the bulk is from this forum thread at ENWorld.