D&D General If you were made president of D&D, what would you do?

[Reynard]

Burden of proof is on you. You made a statement about WotC ownership about all settings. I'm pretty sure they own Blackmoor, Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, and Eberron outright. I think they probably own Mystara. Really don't know past that.

You simply do not understand how work for hire works, and how TSR conducted its business. just because you don't understand a thing doesn't mean other people are forced to dig up proof for you. You have access to Google, too.

 

[bmfrosty]

Sorry I haven't responded sooner. I seem to have attracted quite a lot of vitriol and accusation for the last 24 hours or so when I've been sleeping, traveling, or otherwise occupied.

How do you know - those who suggest that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that WotC owns all settings (except the ones that they don't) outright with no legal complications whatsoever that there are no legal complications? Given this assertion, why do you believe that they've dealt with different settings in different ways (the different ways being yes you can, and no you can't) for dmsguild? Really? The system is basically set up for them to take a cut. If I write a document that references Eberron or Ravenloft and sell it there, and they get a cut, but if I do the same about Dark Sun, it's not allowed? Why might they do that other than a legal complication to their ownership?

They very clearly say that they you can use specific ones but not others. https://help.dmsguild.com/hc/en-us/articles/12776909822615-Content-and-Format-Questions

At the same time, they'll also sell me a copy of the 2e Dark Sun boxed set - Dark Sun Boxed Set (2e) - Wizards of the Coast | AD&D 2nd Ed. | Dark Sun | AD&D 2nd Ed. | Dungeon Masters Guild

The answer that it isn't in question or that I don't know what I'm talking about is not compelling in the least.

I think the only thing that I can say is that they've been cleared by legal to allow publication of the titles incorporating the settings they've listed in dmsguild.

 

[Reynard]

The answer that it isn't in question or that I don't know what I'm talking about is not compelling in the least.

Except that is the answer. You don't know how copyright works. This is understandable if you aren't from the US, I suppose, but it still doesn't excuse your refusing to listen to what people are explaining to you.

I think the only thing that I can say is that they've been cleared by legal to allow publication of the titles incorporating the settings they've listed in dmsguild.

DMs Guild has no impact on the ownership of those settings, nor does WotC selling earlier edition PDFs have any impact on whether they open up those settings for DMsGuild creators. Because they own these things outright, they set the terms. You can't create Dark Sun adventures for DMsGuild not because its ownership is in question, but because they aren't letting you (probably because they don't know precisely what they want to do with it).

If you don't believe me, open up any Dark Sun (or other setting) book to the copyright page and read it. That should be enough explanation right there.

 

[MuhVerisimilitude]

1: I'd split the brand into an old-school retro system a'la D&D 5E, and something more modern and D&D 4E-inspired.

2: I'd make sure there are no combined adventure+setting books. Those are pointless. You want a setting you get a setting and then a short adventure. It's supposed to be a setting book, not a campaign specific guide to this particular setting.

3: I'd attempt to capture more of the virtual tabletop market by setting up a system agnostic VTT and use that to push D&D products.

 

[bmfrosty]

Except that is the answer. You don't know how copyright works. This is understandable if you aren't from the US, I suppose, but it still doesn't excuse your refusing to listen to what people are explaining to you.

DMs Guild has no impact on the ownership of those settings, nor does WotC selling earlier edition PDFs have any impact on whether they open up those settings for DMsGuild creators. Because they own these things outright, they set the terms. You can't create Dark Sun adventures for DMsGuild not because its ownership is in question, but because they aren't letting you (probably because they don't know precisely what they want to do with it).

If you don't believe me, open up any Dark Sun (or other setting) book to the copyright page and read it. That should be enough explanation right there.

You undermine your own arguments by throwing accusation and insult at the head of them. You may want to ask yourself why you're getting so upset that someone thinks that WotC may not have clear ownership of all aspects of all the settings they and/or TSR have published.

If we're using Dark Sun as an example, maybe WotC's lawyers think Timothy B. Brown or Troy Denning may have claim to some aspects of the settings that would prevent them from being free and clear in creating new works, but they do believe that they have clear enough ownership on previously published works that were done for hire in the past well enough to republish them as PDFs and sell copies of them in a web store.

 

[Lanefan]

1: I'd split the brand into an old-school retro system a'la D&D 5E,

Huh?

Wha??

5e is neither old-school nor retro. If going old-school, the more logical jumping-off point would be some combination of BX-1e-RC.

2: I'd make sure there are no combined adventure+setting books. Those are pointless. You want a setting you get a setting and then a short adventure. It's supposed to be a setting book, not a campaign specific guide to this particular setting.

3: I'd attempt to capture more of the virtual tabletop market by setting up a system agnostic VTT and use that to push D&D products.

These I can get behind.

 

[bmfrosty]

Huh?

Wha??

5e is neither old-school nor retro. If going old-school, the more logical jumping-off point would be some combination of BX-1e-RC.

These I can get behind.

I take what he's saying is being something resembling both TSR games and 5e. Think Shadowdark. Like a B/X with modern mechanics and some adjustments. I've been comparing TSR editions lately, and I'm a bit bummed that fighter/warriors/fighting men at level 1 are almost as terrible at hitting things as clerics and magic users. I like that Shadowdark has basically said that 1st level fighters are just plain better at hitting things than 1st level everything else - usually at a +5 to start with.

 

[Baron Opal II]

1) Attempt to have the various sliders mentioned during roll-out, probably as supplements to the main books (Tech level, Spell powers, Item rarity, &c.)

2) Focus on usability of VTT and asset purchase with adventure sales.

3) Absolutely kill even the faintest trace of NFTs or AI production of assets.

4) Test the waters on a "Black Dog" line of products so as to re-issue Dark Sun. Want to be edgy? There you go.

5) Figure out what the issues are on translating the books into other languages.

 

[Dire Bare]

I haven't read all 16 pages (so far) of the thread . . .

WotC purchased from Hasbro by a techbro?!?! That's a nightmare scenario, IMO! Much worse than WotC being a subsidiary of the mega-toy-corp Hasbro!

But to make things (more) profitable, I would try to emphasize long-term thinking over short-term thinking . . . which is hard for humans to do, and even harder for profit-focused corporations.

Put a focus on community building . . . both the fan community but also the creator community, both amateur, semi-pro, and pro. Including "open gaming" (OGL, CC) and organized play (OP). Show fans that their (emotional) investment in D&D is safe and worth doing!

• Update the OGL to have unambiguous language that it is an irrevocable license.
• Release a new SRD for 5E 2024.
• Release all existing SRDs (with updates, perhaps) to the OGL, CC, and ORC licenses.
• Create SRDs for classic editions that don't have them yet, and . . . as above.
• Open the DM's Guild to all editions, all settings. Perhaps update the terms to make creating Guild content more worthwhile for semi-pro creators.
• Update the back catalog of D&D titles (and "sister" games like Gamma World, Star Frontiers) to both web format (like D&D Beyond) and PDF. Perhaps EPUB and other formats as appropriate. Fill in the blanks of the back catalog as best as possible.
• Update D&D Beyond with not only more tools, but each book should be implemented fully. All rules subsystems introduced in each book should be supported by the toolset.
• I would slow down the release schedule to something similar to 2014 and the early 5E years. I would release at least one hardcover adventure a year, but also some sort of themed book such as a campaign setting book, environment book, genre book or subsystem book. Some of the old classics, like Deities & Demigods, Manual of the Planes, Draconomicon, would be fantastic to get an update.
• More digital only releases (gasp!) of small monster compendiums, short adventures, maybe even more character options. The sort of thing we used to get in Dragon and Dungeon magazines.
• Experiment with a new magazine both in print and digital. Doesn't have to be monthly. A new Dragon Magazine!
• Develop a "basic" D&D that is a real product line (not just a free PDF) that gives a streamlined, simplified D&D experience that is fully compatible with 5E. This would be for kids, newcomers, and OSR enthusiasts. As a part of this I would love to see:
  • "Basic" versions of each class . . . essentially a new subclass baked in, with as much streamlining as possible. In the basic rules, no subclasses.
  • No subraces (subspecies). No feats, other than perhaps with background.
  • Simplified character creation/management and character sheets. Drop much of the subsystems that clutter and confuse. Significantly smaller spell selection. Spells should be on cards and in a rulebook.
  • Class playbooks might be a neat idea.
  • This should not be a cutesy "kid-focused" product, but one that would appeal to both kids and adults equally.

But really, if I was made "king" of D&D rather than president . . . I would make the new D&D company a non-profit company with zero shareholders. A guy can dream . . .

 

[Dire Bare]

Burden of proof is on you. You made a statement about WotC ownership about all settings. I'm pretty sure they own Blackmoor, Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, and Eberron outright. I think they probably own Mystara. Really don't know past that.

Nope.

With the exception of just a handful of TSR's earliest releases (mostly Dragon magazine articles), all of D&D (and the other games published by TSR) was "work-for-hire". Meaning that TSR, and now WotC, owns them lock, stock, and barrel.

WotC owns the Forgotten Realms, not Ed Greenwood.

WotC owns Eberron, not Keith Baker.

WotC owns Greyhawk, not the Gygax Estate. Gygax got some of his characters, perhaps just Gord the Rogue.

WotC owns Mystara, Birthright, Dark Sun, and all other settings . . . other than perhaps some micro-settings from early Dragon magazine articles.

Blackmoor . . . I am less sure about. WotC certainly owns the Blackmoor products released for D&D, but Dave Arneson (and later his estate) produced additional Blackmoor titles. Arneson retained some rights when he was forced out of TSR back in the day.