More Information:
https://youtu.be/WXTdoUW8nxo
https://youtu.be/lGbcHyQ2v3c
What is the Open Gaming License?
The Open Gaming License (OGL) is a legal framework that allows creators to use the rules and ideas of roleplaying games in their own works. Initially released in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast, it has become a pillar of the tabletop gaming industry, fueling the popularity and accessibility of games such as Pathfinder, 13th Age, and Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition.
The OGL has done more to foster creativity and innovation in the tabletop gaming ecosystem than any other element. By allowing creators to use and collaboratively build upon the core mechanics and concepts of existing games, the OGL has created a wide variety of new games and game products, ranging from minor independent releases to large, commercially successful titles.
End of an Open Era
However, Wizards of the Coast (WotC) has announced an updated OGL (version 1.1)—an attempt to dismantle the entire RPG industry. This new license intends to completely revoke the old OGL, a perpetual license designed by WotC themselves to be irrevocable.
Nothing about this new license is “open.” It chokes the vibrant community that has flourished under the original license. No matter the creator, it locks everyone into a new contract that restricts their work, makes it mandatory to report their projects and revenues to Wizards of the Coast, and gives WotC the legal right to reproduce and resell creators’ content without permission or compensation. The new license can also be modified with worse terms or terminated at any time without any recompense by creators.
For the largest creators in the industry, WotC is imposing an impossible tax of 25%—based on their total sales above $750K, not profit. This is anti-competitive, monopolistic behavior designed to crush small businesses that collectively employ hundreds of designers, writers, and artists. Under this tax, it becomes impossible for creators to put books on game stores’ shelves or run Kickstarters for large audiences. Even though this only affects some companies in the space, those targeted are still tiny compared to Wizards of the Coast, which made $1.3 billion in 2021.
On top of that, games such as Pathfinder 1E and 2E, 13th Age, Fudge, and Traveller—which use the 1.0 OGL as the backbone of their existence—will need to cease sales of upcoming products or give WotC 25% of their revenue to stay in compliance with the new license.
Furthermore, under the new license, virtual tabletops (VTTs) cannot operate. They can no longer support OGL systems, and creators can no longer release modules and adventures on popular digital platforms such as Foundry, Alchemy, or Shard.
If this new license gains wide adoption, the tabletop landscape will fracture and lose its biggest onboarding mechanisms, shuttering the small businesses that populate your local cons and putting a stop to their creations. Innovation in the gaming industry will evaporate; your favorite games will be trapped in the past, instead of being allowed to migrate to your phone, virtual reality, and beyond. Diversity in the industry will shrink away, as projects from marginalized creators are effectively written out of the future.
We expect Wizards of the Coast to attempt expensive and illegal lawsuits to enforce compliance with their new agreement. Even if they aren’t successful in court, they will irrevocably damage the tabletop industry.
#OpenDnD
#OpenDnD is a rallying cry under which creators and fans have unified to demand that WotC revoke the draconian 1.1 OGL and pledge to support the existing 1.0 OGL into future editions of their games. This isn’t an opportunity to litigate and tinker with a new license, but to return to the values of open gaming. Our community deserves an open future if we want our favorite games to not only survive, but thrive!!
If you are a creator, #DontSign the new agreement. If you love roleplaying games, let WotC know we won't support them without an #OpenDnD!
WotC has shown that they are the dragon on top of the hoard, willing to burn the thriving village if only to get a few more gold pieces. It’s time for us to band together as adventurers to defend our village from the terrible wyrm.
So 90% of the ttrpg community. Got it.
have you just never played anything but dnd?
there are a shitload of games that aren't WotC controlled or adjacent
I meant 90% of player and revenue. Obviously there’s a ton of games out there.
:doubt:
It is saddening to know that a huge portion of RPG players have only played D&D. I did a survey with about 400 respondents, and 85% of people had only ever played D&D. It's not a very good system, maybe this will move people away from what I think is a pretty garbage system.
I have no idea why fudge or whatever indie game almost totally unrelated to D&D would be affected by this.
Many players, my own group included, can play other tabletop settings but prefer D&D or Pathfinder most of the time. Scoffing at what they want to play with a dismissive gesture toward drastically different rulesets and settings is kind of an uncool take.
It is a bit of snobbery on my part which I should divest myself of, but I still don't understand how fudge system is being affected by this.
It's not, but that doesn't do anything for my game group and what they wanted and were hoping to continue having.
Ok, this comment thread was about how unrelated systems would get affected. If WotC can force the fudge creators to hand over 25% of revenue, then that is absolutely relevant (which is what the article is claiming). It would also probably deserve some sort of explanation as to how they would be able to.
Yeah that's well and good, but what good does that intended thread do for people interested in D&D or Pathfinder or related systems? What's the goal? Is it to tell them "too bad, I don't like your game anyway, play another"?
Some people do like having updated "official" products that will have ongoing support. I can do other systems, but my players tend to prefer updated stuff with official support.
Ok, I rescind my mild hope that people move away from D&D. If you enjoy D&D and want official support, this is bad, and is also bad for independent writers of splats and stuff.
We'll probably move back to Pathfinder, again, and hope that Paizo survives this power grab for future product releases.
I own other game books for other systems, but they're a stubborn lot that just wants to enjoy a game they enjoyed without being told "too bad, play something else or pay the rent seekers."
Good luck, and rent seekers suck.
2.0 was kind of a dud though... I hope they put out a fixed 2.5 or 3.0.
huh, guess i got lucky with my groups, most i've come across play other systems more than 5e
they won't, it's a misunderstanding of how licensing works
My experience has been that people at gaming clubs tend to play a wider variety of games, whereas more insular groups that started because they enjoyed critical role or because there aren't any available clubs in the area play only D&D. That's entirely anecdotal.
fair
outside of home games, my main ttrpg thing for a while was the Axe and Sickle, the 3.5 west marches server in the ttrpg comm sidebar
Mine was a university campus club where almost everyone was an "rpg writer" and we had a rotating cast of systems printed out from google docs, as well as official systems. Looking back on it, it was a very hipster-ish "don't play this because everyone else does" kind of environment.
the hipster thing isn't great, but i'm a notorious system hopper myself, so that sounds fun to me lol
I wish my group would be more curious about the other game settings I could run for them, but I have the group that's available to me.
fair, though i don't know why you're saying this to me?
The system hopping thing you said. I'd like to do that sometimes.
ah, fair
That does explain a bit of your perspective. It's a subjective thing, as is mine. Mine tends to be enthusiastic players that want to be entertained and don't want to spend too much time learning new systems, instead focusing on one system at a time.
Yeah, I'm definitely a fan of sitting around a table, taking a pause to discuss what rules are working and what aren't, changing them there and continuing. I'm mostly there to socialise though. It's pretty rare that I actually think a story/roleplay of a particular game is actually engaging, but I enthusiastically create a crazy-board with red string and post-its all the same. I most enjoy playing around with systems, which I feel like comes from a wargaming/engineering background.
We run very different tables, and that's fine.
My group tends to plunge deep into story focused campaigns with lots of individual character input and lasting consequences for choices. I rarely use official settings, but they do want official rules and pre-balanced classes, spells, and other materials, thus their concern.
I am actually in a D&D 3.5 system (Star Wars Saga) atm. I'm having fun and it's probably my most chill social interaction time atm. Absolutely wildly different to what I'd design at home, but because of recent traumas I can't actually GM anymore. Alas
I enjoyed the Fantasy Flight system until a player pointed out that we were all having "badwrongfun" with it. I loved the idea of "success, but" or "failure, but" complications in the event-driven dice rolls, but a lot of the gameplay is supposed to be manipulating and spending those complications in a sort of abstract action economy which was less fun for most of us than the improv that we were doing until that point.
Yeah, my current Blades in the Dark gets bogged down in thinking up complications. The hope is we'll get more used to it over time.
Really, the systems I have the fondest memories of were about the characters I was playing and the people I was with. The systems themselves are pretty ancillary, even though I like designing and playing around with tacticool systems.
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sure thing, will do
:rat-salute:
as someone who's worked TT retail, it is definitely getting better though. Stores have gone from having No Indies to it generally being considered a bad idea to not have at least a shelf of them, maybe more depending on clientile. Wanderhome went viral cuz of a tiktok, and we sold like 30 units in 30 days once. Blades in the dark will move weekly.
Its still bleak, and WOTC aims to make it more so (they're working on "funnel content" rn cuz theyre realizing its cheaper than making game content, collabs with dimension20 and critical role and such