Well…it’s official. 4th edition is out next year. WOTC boards have crashed under the load, but when they come up they have a whole new section with lots of info.
Hmmm… the press release is at http://ww2.wizards.com/Company/Press/?doc=20070816b. Doesn’t say much but spin and timing.
I guess that might explain why WotC wants to know what old worlds the fans want resurrected/reprinted in some way shape or form (see thread at http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?p=12892146#post12892146).
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Sorontar
Do they promise to print less books and simplify the rules - AGAIN.
If you have been following the podcasts in mailbag, I think there is a lot there about what will be improved in a 4th edition. Monsters were origianlly constructed with an unwieldy system, whereas now a system of benchmarks is being used behind the scenes and is described as much easier. I look forward to it.
It seems that they will be using a bit of the mechanics from Star Wars Saga Edition, but we’ll have to wait and see…
It interesting to note that they put up a 4th Edition subforum, and Game_ZerO posted a “what old settings do you want to see” thread there too! 
Hmm…I have extremely mixed feelings about this…
I have not been following all the threads lately about gleemax and the 4th ed, but from what I have read I got some concerns about the continuality of the official websites.
I have noticed a fairly amount of threads by moderators on several forums about reviving old settings.
It seems gleemax will get the functionality that can incorporate everything of what the official websites offer now (even a wikilike thing like we got on Birthright.net)
It seems wotc is trying to build a new center of focus where all fans of all created world and settings will have a home together and not a spread community as it is now, where each fan site follows his own direction and ideas.
This means official websites will not have a purpose anymore.
Aside from that 4th ed will not be an open gaming license, so even if we want we cannot convert our beloved setting to the 4th edition.
Yes it will. They’ve even specifically mentioned there will be a 4e SRD.
Here we are: (I grabbed this from EN World)
Open Gaming Licence:
3rd party publishers will be able to get licenses to create 4e material from Wizards. (source)
Fans will be able to publish material on Gleemax under (free) license from Wizards. (This material will be available to Wizards to republish; see discussion on Gleemax TOS).
The OGL/SRD/d20 Licenses will still exist - details still to come (Source)
On 8/17/07, Arjan <brnetboard@birthright.net> wrote:
> This means official websites will not have a purpose anymore.
Doesnt mean your website cant continue, Arjan. There are a ton of
fan websites, and only a handful are “official”.
> Aside from that 4th ed will not be an open gaming license, so even if we want we cannot
> convert our beloved setting to the 4th edition.
Report from wotc is that it will.
Regardless: there is no OGL for Hero System, GURPS, etc. But you
would be able to post stats for Birthright characters and creatures in
those systems. People do it all the time- half of RPG.net is “I want
to run this game using this other game system, help me stat it up.”
So even if 4e had no OGL content (which it will), you`d still be able
to come up with 4e stats for BR things.
Daniel McSorley
well it depends on what they do with the official website license. Current activities are pretty much in the direction that wotc wants to get everything back to one single point of interest.
the gleemax forum is going to be a major hub for everything D&D related.
loosing the license will mean the end of BRnet.
ps, this aint my website.. just keeping it alive 
there was already a discussion on the official website webmasters mailinglist whether we were able to continue or we have to worry and have to prepare for some kind of transition.
wotc couldnt give us a straight answer to that (back in may)
now that gleemax has been launched and the 4th edition has been announced i have reopened that discussion on the webmasters mailinglist
Why? Even without a license I doubt you’ll get some kind of cease and desist letter. WOTC seems to be pretty savvy about not angering the fans with stuff like that.
quite simple..
take a look at the license.
http://www.birthright.net/brwiki/index.php/Birthright_license_agreement
I can see a couple of areas for concern, namely:
Official sites must not create their own community sections that duplicate those services and features offered by the Wizards of the Coast website.
So, I guess you’re worried you’d be considered in competition with gleemax
And probably this as well:
Have only a single source for all official content, that being your site. Other sites that wish to be listed as part of the IP will be directed to the official website.
I don’t know. I still don’t see the reason to worry really. Gleemax is already up and running and it’s not like they’re telling you you’re now competing. I just don’t think WOTC will shoot itself in the foot by closing the fansites or anything.
reply from WotC to my concerns:
Yep, that’s about what I figured. The “official” tag goes away but the site remains and all is well.
Wizards needs our free labor to maintain interest in stuff they can’t pay someone to work on.
Riggswolfe wrote:
> Yep, that`s about what I figured. The “official” tag goes away but the
site remains and all is well.
Not to toss this in anybodys face or anything, but that would seem to mean the "official" tag would also go away from fan produced materials created under the aegis of sites that are themselves no longer "official" doesnt
it? I mention this because it seems as if that`s been a big motivator for
folks, so it could interefere with the amount of fan-produced (or, at least,
fan-posted) materials and the ability to organize through a particular site.
I should note that personally a 4th edition wont affect me in particular. Its just another rules set. From my POV the “4th” edition is really
somewhere in the neighborhood of the 12th edition if one were to number all
the incarnations of the system that have come out properly. Ill take what I want and discard what I dont. Come to think of it, that`s what I do with
“official” materials too…
Gary
Does this mean that I better get off my butt and get my BRCS MRQ conversion finished. Before they go changing more rules on ogls.