About Wizards of the Coast’s rug pull and about covering my own butt
Chapter 1 – Beware The Greedy OGL
I am sure some of you have heard about the recent Open Gaming License (OGL) controversy that has blown up on social media. As someone who has been following this story closely, I wanted to take a moment to break down what this controversy is all about, and explain why it is something that all DD fans should care about.
First, let me give you a little background on what the OGL is. The OGL is a legal framework that allows creators to make and sell content based on DD, but with certain restrictions. This license has been in place for many years, and has allowed for the creation of a vast array of unofficial DD content, such as books, modules, and even entire campaigns. However, recent changes made by Wizards of the Coast, the company that owns DnD, have caused a stir among the DnD community.
These changes include canceling the previous OGL, significantly reducing what content creators can make, and forcing those who profit from their creations to report it directly to Wizards of the Coast. This has caused a lot of concern among content creators, as it limits their ability to profit from their work and puts more power in the hands of Wizards of the Coast. Additionally, the new OGL also encourages the use of Kickstarter over any other platform, and any non-Kickstarter revenue over $750K will incur a 25% royalty. This means that the new OGL is directly encouraging the use of kickstarter over any other platform.
Another major concern is that the new OGL retroactively unauthorizes and discontinues the older OGL 1.0 license. This means that old third-party publications that had been published under the OGL 1.0 license become illegal and will in the future violate copyright after the OGL 1.1 publication. This is a huge problem for creators, as it means that their previously legal work is now considered to be in violation of copyright law.
As a fan of DD, I understand why these changes have caused so much concern among the community. The OGL has been a vital tool for the creation of unofficial DD content, and these changes significantly limit the ability of creators to profit from their work. Additionally, the new OGL’s encouragement of Kickstarter over other platforms, the discontinuation of the older OGL and the retroactive unauthorization of previous legal work, all these limit the freedom of creators and put more power in the hands of Wizards of the Coast.
Chapter 2 – A Boy Indestructible
Meet Indestructoboy, also known as Taron Pounds, a professional freelance graphic designer, and Platinum Best-Selling author. He’s a dedicated content creator for DnD. He has created a variety of DnD-related materials and supplements, such as the widely popular Magic Item Cards 5e, which can be found on his website. Likewise, he also shares his experiences and insights about DnD on his YouTube channel, where he engages with a sizable community of TTRPG enthusiasts. Recently he took a very critical stance of the OGL1.1 wizards anounced.
Indestructoboy may have discovered a loophole in the recent updates to the Open Gaming License. According to a Reddit post [5], Indestructoboy suggests that the OGL 1.1, which was recently leaked and caused a lot of controversy within the DD community, may contain a loophole that allows creators to continue making and selling DD-related content with fewer restrictions.
In this video, he talks about the possibility, that if you ever published a piece of content under the original OGL there might be a chance, that you actually do not have to switch to the new one. And thanks to him, everybody can quickly publish his Viva la Revolution Document.
If you want to publish your own „Viva la Revolution – Document“, simply make a copy of the following Google Docs Document, edit the yellow sections make a PDF, watermark it and release it somewhere on the Internet.
However, it’s important to note that I couldn’t find any official confirmation on this information and the authenticity of this claim is not confirmed. The OGL 1.1 is a complex legal document, and it’s possible that Indestructoboy has found a way to interpret the rules in a way that allows for more creative freedom. But it’s also possible that this information is not accurate, and it’s important to wait for official confirmation from Wizards of the Coast before jumping to any conclusions.
Chapter 3 – Covering My Own Butt
And here you Go:
Thank you Indestructoboy!
Post Mortem
It’s now Friday the 10th of February 2023 and it’s over. The monster retreated back from whence it came.
DnD`s Executive Producer Kyle Brink while apologized for the fiasco and the original license says untouched and moves to creative commons. Here is a good article from Polygon further explaining the fallout. In the meantime, a few projects to counter the vile castings of wizards have developed.
For example, Paizo the publishers of the popular game Pathfinder announced their system neutral open license Open RPG Creative License (ORC).
Kobold Press announced their own RPG system Project Black Flag.
Nicely done everyone.
Caspar Bankert 