#opend&d

[dailyadventureprompts]

Alright, guess it’s time to address the apocalyptic legal elephant in the room:

For those who might not know, WotC plans were leaked to “update” the OGL in what is basically a scorched earth policy with regards to 3rd party material/creators in the hopes of cutting out the competition and forcing people to use their new products. 

As someone who lived through the 4th edition/pathfinder schism, the situation is laughably similar:  D&D is flourishing more than it ever has (thanks primarily to the OGL) but the execs at Hasbro want more of the money spent on the hobby to wind up in their pockets. Oblivious to the fact that the opensource nature of the game is what draws people to it,  they task the design team with creating a proprietary virtual tabletop through which they can sell d&d content without having to worry about books or pdfs being pirated. This rightfully outrages the fandom and burns every scrap of good will they had towards WotC, resulting in a dead edition that’s maligned years afterword as folks hop to the newer, easier game system. 

The thing that’s different this time is that the d&d playerbase has grown exponentially since the days of the first OGL, with 5th edition being the easiest version of the game to run/pick up and so many resources online, there’s almost no barrier to entry besides finding a stable/accommodating group.   Hell, with the explosive popularity of liveplay series you don’t even need to be actively playing in order to be in the fandom.  All of these people are networked together in a fandom hivemind spread across twitter/reddit/youtube and WotC just made an enemy of every single one of them with its shameless and destructive cashgrab.  No streamer or 3rd party publisher wants to give Hasbro 25% of their revenue, to say nothing of having their project “cancelled” if WotC sees it as a threat to any of their current projects ( see the huge number of spelljammer materials published after the company dropped the ball). 

It took about two years after the announcement of 4th edition for Paizo to come out with pathfinder, and I have no doubt the OGL leak kickstarted every major 3rd party publisher brainstorming some legally distinct version of the 5e ruleset. In the coming months I expect to see a number of these surrogate systems floating around the internet in much the same way that the onednd playtest content, but spurred on with the added “fuck you Hasbro” energy. After that, it’s only a matter of time till one of the big streamers picks up one of these systems and popularizes it, not wanting to pay the 25%tithe to WotC. Personally my money’s on Critical Role: they were one of the major factors in popularizing 5th edition and they’ve got the fandom pull to legitimize any claimant to the throne. 

To step away from playing oracle for a bit, I’d like to finish up this post by dunking on WotC:  

*ahem*

HOW FUCKING DUMB TO YOU HAVE TO BE TO TURN YOUR ENTIRE CUSTOMER BASE AGAINST YOU IN ONE NIGHT? This is some new coke/Reynolds pamphlet/invading Russia in winter levels of shooting yourself in the foot. Wizards was on shaky ground to begin with given that they’re coming off a series of notably disappointing products AND trying to launch a new edition/virtual tabletop/battlepass system, but to follow that up with a retroactive rules change that lets them outright steal from or shut down creators? It’s laughable.  Maybe, MAYBE they could have made this work if they were knocking it out of the park with new releases every year and cultivating a base of diehard WotC loyalists, but the fact of the matter is that aside from the brand name, the hobby has largely passed them by. Everything that Wizards does, from player options to settings to monsters to rules modules, someone else does better because they’re willing to take risks and put in the effort. Aside from the elegant simplicity of 5e’s base system, I can count maybe two pieces of actual game design (piety from Theros, ship combat from Saltmash) that I consider usable at my table, which is SAYING SOMETHING considering we’re nearing the end of the game’s ten year golden age. 

I know we’ll weather this storm, we always have, and regardless of what happens I still know my friends and I will enjoy gathering around the table and slinging dice even though we might not be playing “dungeons and dragons” in a couple years time.  I’ll keep my eye on the horizon, and let you know where I find safe harbour.

[aspencrown]

OneD&D, the OGL 1.1 Leak, and the Grim Future of Dungeons & Dragons

Hey folks, long time no talk. While I know that this account is more or less a place for me to put up pretty pictures or to comment on political issues nowadays, I figured I may as well rant talk about a topic I'm pretty passionate about: D&D and tabletop roleplaying in general. Or to be more precise, the changes looming in the distance.

On the chance that this is the first time you (the reader) have heard about this OGL 1.1 stuff, I'll try to sum up what's been happening in the world of D&D and its Open Game License. In short? It's bad. Very bad.

What's Going On?

Over the past month or so, after a rather unnerving article published by Dicebreaker about D&D execs feeling the hobby was "under-monetized", there's been a lot of tension building about the future of D&D. It eventually came to a head with rumors floating around Twitter and YouTube about OneD&D was going to do something to the existing OGL and that the new license would be hyper-predatory. This prompted WotC to publish a reply, which was rife with the usual corporate soft-speak that made it clear that they weren't being entirely truthful. But it did what it was meant to and calmed some of the concerned fans.

Then on January 5th, the leaked 1.1 OGL was revealed via an article on Gizmodo and was found to be a 9,000 word document with contracts attached (which, for reference, is 10 times that of the current OGL -- which has far more friendly 900 words). Whoever leaked it to Gizmodo apparently did so under breach of NDA (Though there are theories about it being intentionally leaked) and it appears that WotC was initially intending to launch a shock-and-awe scorched earth campaign against all third-party content creators, big and small, by moving to revoke the long-standing OGL 1.0a.

Why is the OGL 1.1 Bad?

The easier question to answer is what's good about it, which are new protections against publishing creations that contain hatespeech, racism, transphobia, and so on -- on top of protecting the property from NFTs and such.

Though to put it very briefly (and bluntly) on what's awful about OGL 1.1, it seeks to make D&D inhospitable (or outright toxic) to any and all third-party content creators; drive out competition in virtual tabletops like Foundry and Alchemy RPG *; doing away with non-official virtual tools (Kobold Fight Club comes to mind); potentially harm streamers and YouTube content creators; claim ownership over creations from both non-commercial and commercial homebrew; demanding exorbitant royalties based not off of profit, but revenue; and expect creators to report their finances and earnings to them like they're the IRS.

If this OGL is made official, not only will it kill the vibrant homebrew community D&D has, but it will also go after other TTRPGs that utilize the OGL 1.0a out of good faith over these past 23 years. This means Pathfinder 1 & 2, Fate, Mutants and Masterminds, and many more are now in WotC/Hasbro's crosshairs.

Solasta: Crown of the Magister, and other video games like it, is also at risk as it uses elements from D&D's OGL.

Big name streamers like Critical Role and Dimension 20 might also be affected by this, but as they have currently not made any official stance on the matter it is unknown if they will stand with fans or broker some sort of agreement with WotC/Hasbro. (Note: This is not meant as a jab, caution over one's IP and livelihood is always important.)

There's a lot more that's scary about it that others listed below have covered, but know that the verbiage in the new OGL as it stands is belligerent and harmful to everyone. *Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds will likely be safe, as they already have contracts with WotC.

What Can You Do About it?

Honestly, be loud. Don't threaten or curse, of course, but make your displeasure known. Go fill out OneD&D's survey (decline to review the Cleric changes) and voice your concern. Cancel your D&D Beyond subscription, if you have one. Go on Twitter and join in on #opendnd. Sign this petition perhaps.

Remain vigilant to whatever may change, because it's only a matter of time until Wizards does their staged apology to deflect.

Aside from it being a typical tactic when adjusting the Overton Window, it even says in the document that they "will receive community pushback and bad PR" and that "[They're] more than open to being convinced that [They] made a wrong decision."

Keep the pressure on, because whatever changes they will so "graciously" give us will surely still be terrible.

Relevant Reading / Viewing

Dungeons & Dragons executives think 'the brand is really under monetized'

OGLs, SRDs, & One D&D (WotC's milquetoast reply to December's circulating rumors)

Dungeons & Dragons’ New License Tightens Its Grip on Competition (This is where the OGL 1.1 was leaked)

Let’s Take A Minute To Talk About D&D’s Open Gaming License (OGL) (An explanation from an IP lawyer with experience in gaming licenses.)

The Rules Lawyer's commentary and explanation (Video)

Roll of Law's commentary (Video)

Scintilla Studio's OGL 1.1 and the Extinction of D&D (Video)

Closing Thoughts

I'm a relative newcomer to the world of D&D and TTRPGs. I've always wanted to try it, but the idea of playing at a table with random people terrified me. It wasn't until the semi-recent (okay, maybe not so recent anymore) advent of virtual tabletops was I given hope. So when a kind pigeon gave me a spot in her game, I was hooked from then on.

I dove into the world of TTRPGs and haven't looked back since. Though over the past year or so, I've been getting a little disenchanted with WotC as their last couple of publishings have been very lackluster and disappointing. The last one I enjoyed was Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, but even then I wished they did more with it. And don't get me started over the recent Mordenkainen's and Spelljammer...

Third-party content, everything from little up-and-comers on the /r/Unearthed Arcana subreddit, to @the-griffons-saddlebag, to big Kickstarters like Heliana's and Steinhardt's were the things that have kept the hobby vibrant for me. I'll always support them over a corporation, especially greedy and vicious ones like WotC-Hasbro. So even if they dial back what has been leaked to something more "tolerable". Hell, even if they leave the OGL 1.0a alone after all, they made their choice with trying to pull the rug out from under us with this.

While my love for D&D will not die, I can certainly promise that WotC will not see another cent from me from here on out.

[foundry-fabrications]

End of an Era

Breathing heavily, the Foreman surveys the damage with a scowl, fists clenched and shaking with fury, knuckles bleeding. The room is in shambles. Splintered wood and twisted metal liter the floor of his workshop, countless blueprints shredded and scattered.

With a heavy exhale, the Foreman slumps into his chair, his normally large frame rendered small by exhaustion. For the first time in ages, the Foundry lies quiet, the silence broken only by the Foreman's weary voice. "Why did it have to end this way?"

Hello friends. I'm sure you're all aware by now of the ongoing situation with WotC and the Open Game License. I won't be going into any details as I have nothing useful to add there are people who can offer better explanations than I ever could. Lunch Break Heroes did a wonderful video breaking down the situation, why it's awful for the community, and why you should care.

I want to preface what I am about to say by this. I love D&D. I love the team behind the game and how much they appreciate us as a community and what we have to say. I've been incredibly excited for One D&D and whatever the future holds for the game. Sure, WotC aren't perfect. Even through their many stumbles and missteps, especially recently, I still supported them. But not anymore. What WotC has done to us is unforgivable and no amount of backpedaling or apologies will absolve them of their crimes against this wonderful community.

But let me be perfectly clear. My anger is directed at the ones in charge, the executives, NOT the designers. This was a business decision made by business people out of greed and I encourage all of you to remember that. I am 100% certain that the designers would be protesting alongside us if they could without fear of repercussions. Their workplace is already a hellscape because of their boss's decisions, we shouldn't make it worse.

With all this in mind, I have had to make an incredibly difficult decision, one I never thought I would have to make. Effective immediately, the Foundry will no longer produce content for 5th edition or for One D&D in the future. Existing content will remain available for as long as it legally can, afterward I will be removing all access to it, so get it while you can. I will of course give notice before this happens.

As for the future of the foundry, I honestly don't know. I don't want to shut everything down permanently and I'll always want to continue making things. The obvious thing is to switch to another system, but I don't know where I'd go. I would love to jump to Pathfinder, and that's likely what I'll play from now on, but I don't know if I'll be allowed to make content for it. I do know, however, that I want to play and make content for Ironsworn, a wonderful solo RPG by Shawn Tompkin. We shall see, it's too early to start making plans and I'm honestly exhausted by all of this. I need more time to think before I start making plans.

What about you all, those who have supported me for so long? I know none of this is easy to swallow, I get that. I would hope that you might stick around and see where I go from here, what I do next, but I know you came here for my D&D content. With that source gone, I wouldn't blame you if you stopped supporting me. I understand fully and I support your decision either way.

It's funny, I always wanted to branch out into other RPGs, but I never thought it would be like this. Thank you for listening and for all of your support over the years. Stay safe, don't forget to love each other, and I'll see you later.

[clarislam]

I’ve been reading up on all the discussion around OneDnD and the possibility of changes to the DnD open game license (OGL for short). Based on what I know now, it does make me concerned about all the various DnD content creators I’ve watched over the years. Not just big ones like Critical Role for example, but other (smaller) creators as well. 

I’m not a DnD content creator, but I can’t imagine how hard of a time those creators are having with trying to figure out how to pivot from this or how they will manage things from here. Whatever they may decide (even if the new OGL doesn’t end up going through), I encourage you to support them however you can. 

For those that don’t know what’s going on regarding OneDnD and Wizards of the Coast possibly implementing a more restrictive open game license that will cancel out the past versions of DnD, I’ll put links below to a couple articles for more details:

D&D’s stricter licensing rules might impact some beloved RPGs - Polygon

The Dungeons & Dragons' OGL 1.1 Tightens Grip On Competition -Gizmodo

Dungeons & Dragons Community Holds Breath as Wizards of the Coast Prepares New OGL - Comicbook

[darkborneplus]

Cancel your D&D Beyond Sub

Hey Rookies, As you all know we do enjoy a lot of TTRPG content in this guild & the leak of the proposed v1.1 oGL for DnD is garbage and WILL hurt the community at large.

I canceled my D&D Beyond sub becuz I refuse 2b part of a repeat 4.0 situation. I do not support cash grabs.

If they won't listen to our voices then they will have to listen to their wallets

[lesbians-of-the-lake]

Update post!

The past.. week and a half? By now I think? Damn its been fast. ANYWAY

The past week and a half has certainly stirred the pot in terms of drama with the OGL and 5e and things, and that combined with the rules changes of OneD&D and everything else is just. It's not looking good for my career.

So I've decided annoyingly early into the project to put a hiatus on Brewyear 2023.

That said, I am still going to strive to complete at least one, aiming for two or more, creative endeavors each day, to at least satisfy my NYResolution abt the brewyear project. I'll do my best to post a lil update of what I did that day here (both creatively and other endeavorly), and images of what it is if I can figure out how to do it (so homebrew, art I make, etc).

This will also become more of a personal blog for me, too! I may end up making a side-blog for the daily updates in the future, if the need presents itself.

TL;DR - fuck hasbro, OpenD&D, we can always remind Mr Cocks (not even an insult, his real name) upstairs in Hasbro that we have the power over his creation. It's just like that Fjord quote - He needs us. We don't need him.

[entwifeexperience]

I debated about sharing this, despite signing it, both because of still shaking the twitter mentality and shame, and because fuck Hasbro/ WOTC and a lot of the issues in/ around D&D, but it is a reality that many wonderful people make a living and are able to fund their indie work by making #DnD stuff. No one has to like it, but it's true, and while we should be working to combat the ubiquitousness & monopoly of one game and massive companies, but that is an ongoing and slow process.

If everyone drops D&D and Hasbro support that's great, but very unlikely to happen, and, even if it does eventually happen as a result of their constant disrespect to creators and marginalised people (despite snail's pace improvements lapped by 3rd party work that should be more recognised), and unbridled greed, the money won't magically appear in creators' pockets overnight or even necessarily at all.

Please remember this is not about D&D or Hasbro or Wizards of the Coast. Honestly, they can all go fuck themselves & don't deserve a penny from anyone & should suffer from their greed & hubris.

This is about the creators who have worked so hard, only to see it stolen from them and impossible to continue to work.

Don't hate the players/ creators, don't even necessarily hate the game, hate the greedy capitalist fucks ruining lives & hobbies.

[homebrew-bard]

If Wizards of the coast don’t stop this bs, then I’m gonna go make my own system, based around bards.

[lilythdaemon]

Omg I’m so quirky, I’ve made this non friendly agreement for u creators whith nerdy language so I can exploit on your content. Hurray:3 

[ashwolfe3450]

For all my fellow DnD afficianados. Not looking to perpetuate rumors, I recommend reading up on a concerning greed filled money grab attempt by Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast. Hoping this doesn't actually play out in reality.

https://www.ign.com/articles/wizards-of-the-coasts-new-dungeons-dragons-license-ogl-controversy?utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook

[scormey]

First things first. Beoulus and I have been supportive of Wizards of the Coast throughout the previous Kerfuffles regarding OneD&D and whether of not it would have an Open Game License that creators could use to make their own content and profit off of their work. This was because we thought “There is no way...

Read More “WotC attempts Backstab. It was not very effective!” »

[sakurarebin]

For anyone who wants to try new games other than D&D, my gaming company put a bundle of all of our Non-OGL games together. 

[fivetimesaranger]

Hey guys,

I’m not going anywhere lol but I wanted to take a moment to talk about the drama with WotC and D&D.

We role play here on tumblr and tony think too much about it, but imagine if they suddenly decided that these stories we worked so hard on seemed profitable and decided that they were going to take them as their own to sell as IP.

This is what’s going on with WotC and the Open Game license. Essentially they want to revoke their open license to use D&D terms to create new stories,Critical role and the Taldorei setting as an example. WotC’s new OGL would allow for the use of CR’s IP for free to make money not for Cr but WotC.

I know I’m ranting, but I ask if you play or know someone who does and they use D&D beyond, please unsubscribe. It doesn’t have to be permanent but since WotC won’t listen to us any other way maybe they will listen when we leave.

[foundry-fabrications]

Future of the Foundry

The Foreman stands above a piece of machinery, his fists clenched around a large hammer, arms held high for a strike. He waivers, unsure of his actions. A surge of anger floods through him as memories of greed and deception return to him, causing his to grip to tighten as he brings the raised hammer down. But before the blow connects, more thoughts enter his mind. Memories of satisfied customers and the joy his creations bring them. He relaxes, letting the hammer drop to his side as he gazes upon dozens of other machines, a smile on his lips.

The Foreman returns to his workshop and grabs a dusty catalog from a long forgotten corner of the room. The Foundry only had tooling for producing Coastal Wizard items, but perhaps it was time that changed. He flips though through the booklet, eyes scanning the pages. Golarion. Ironlander. Weyland. Cypher. Countless companies, each offering tooling and licenses for manufacturing, and each less restrictive than his previous supplier. “Well then, looks like I better make a few calls…”

Hello again friends. It’s been over a week since we last spoke and in that time I’ve done a lot of thinking. When I made my last post, I was in a pretty bad place. I was on the verge of tears more than once writing it, and when discussing my decision to cut ties with D&D with my friends. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m an incredibly emotional person and I often have trouble regulating those emotions, especially when things I love are involved. This has gotten me into trouble in the past and will likely do so again in the future, but I’m working on it. I’ve made many poor decisions based on my own fickle feelings and I believe this is no exception. I should have stayed quiet, taken time to think, talk it over with those I trust. Could have, should have, would have, didn’t.

I will say, however, making that decision was oddly freeing. A certain clarity that comes from detachment. Cutting ties with the game allowed me to think clearly as I no longer had any stake in the situation. But I still love the game, nothing will ever change that, and I heard someone say amidst the chaos of it all something that really hit home for me: Don’t let WotC’s greed ruin the game we love. It is clear WotC can’t be trusted so it’s up to us to make sure this wonderful game gets the love and support it deserves while making sure WotC doesn’t get a cent of profit from it. We made this game what it is today and we’ll keep it that way, with or without them.

So, as one can probably guess from my shift in tone, I’m not done with 5e anymore, as a player or content creator. I'm going to continue making content for 5e just as I always have, regardless of how this OGL situation turns out. WotC may be trying to control D&D, but they won't control me. If I ever start selling my content, however, things might change, but for now it will be business as usual. I will, however, be alternating between 5e content and other systems as I explore them. I’ve wanted to play other games and make content for them for a long time and going forward I really want to diversify my content both in terms of what I produce and in what form it's produced. This will be a year of change, growth, and diversity for the Foundry and I couldn't be more excited.

So what can you all expect from me in the future? The homebrew content will continue, but spread across multiple system, namely 5e, Pathfinder 2e, Starfinder, and Ironsworn. They’re currently the systems I either have the most experience with or are the most interested in (mostly the latter). It’s unlikely I’ll make content for games outside of those but anything is possible. I just don’t see it happening anytime soon.

On the topic of other systems, I want to start spotlighting other games that I find interesting. There are thousands of wonderful RPGs out there and I want to share some of them with you and my thoughts on them. I’ll talk about their rules, any fun systems, whatever world they have, that sort of thing. I figure these will be things I can post in between projects.

Speaking of projects, what do I want to work on next? Well sadly, my latest project that I've been working on was a commission and both my client and I decided to scrap it so that project is dead, for now at least. Now free to work on whatever, I would love to release something in honor of the upcoming Dead Space remake, which I could not be more excited for. But on such short notice, I can't do anything too crazy if I want to release in time. After that, I have a big project I want to work on using another game entirely which I'm very excited for.

Anyway, I'm glad to be back and I'm thankful for the support I've received while away. Things are about to get a lot more interesting around here and I'm hoping you'll all come along for the ride. As always, stay safe, don't forget to love each other, and I'll see again you soon.

[matt-bradford]

I like how a lot of people are telling others to cancel their D&D Beyond membership. Meanwhile I'm sitting back thinking, "wait people actually use D&D Beyond?" Seriously was I the only one who skipped all those Critical Role ad reads?

[missedstrange]

Some Tables Ban Counterspell - Let's Find Out Why

I counterspell the counterspell! Whilst scrolling on forums and watching videos on YouTube I discovered that some DMs (or whole tables) ban counterspell. Everyone runs the game differently and there is no right or wrong way to run your game as long as everyone is having fun. However, the main argument I see is either: 1. Counterspell is a powerful mechanic that ruins combat 2. It makes the…