Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
News Digest for the Week of January 13, 2023
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Abstruse" data-source="post: 8893749" data-attributes="member: 6669048"><p>Hello everyone, Darryl here with this week’s gaming news! The OGL debacle continues, Paizo announces the ORC License, Dungeons & Dragons TV series greenlit, and more!</p><p></p><p>For a quick summary of the week’s news, Jessica Hancock will bring you up to speed with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaZ7ByBXPqZRg-Q-J-_0YEA" target="_blank">EN Live's <em>This Week in TTRPG</em> every Friday</a>.</p><p></p><p>Don’t forget, you can keep up with all the week’s gaming news in detail with <em>Morrus’ Unofficial Tabletop RPG Talk</em>. <a href="http://morrus.podbean.org/" target="_blank">The first new episode of 2023 is coming on Saturday</a>! I wonder if they’ll have anything to talk about…</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]272350[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>In case you missed it elsewhere on EN World this week:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">EN Publishing announced <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/dungeon-delver%E2%80%99s-guide-available-in-pdf.694270/" target="_blank">they are moving forward the release date for the <em>Level Up: Advanced 5e </em>sourcebook <em>Dungeon Delver’s Guide </em>to…now</a>!</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Speaking of new <em>Level Up </em>products, <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/enworld/level-up-a5e-gate-pass-gazette-annual-2022" target="_blank">the Kickstarter for <em>Gate Pass Gazette Annual 2022 </em>is now live collecting all the issues of the official <em>Level Up </em>zine into a single hardcover volume</a>.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><em>Not DnD </em>is back after the holiday hiatus <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/not-dnd-fragments-of-the-past.694343/" target="_blank">featuring the rules-lite Bronze Age RPG <em>Fragments of the Past</em></a>.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The first episode of <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/against-the-dragonlords-tuesday-7pm-gmt-2pm-et.694302/" target="_blank">the new <em>Level Up: Advanced 5e </em>stream <em>Against the Dragonlords </em>is out</a> featuring a <em>Level Up </em>playthrough of the classic <em>Dragonlance </em>module <em>DL1: Dragons of Despair</em>.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">EN5ider #493 is a new Monstrous Menagerie entry with <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/en5ider-493-monstrous-menagerie-consecrated-cultists.694367/" target="_blank">a collection of crazed cultists to challenge capable companies of champions, “Consecrated Cultists”</a>.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Multiple former staff members of <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/ex-d-d-beyond-staffers-criticize-relationship-with-wotc.694266/" target="_blank">D&D Beyond criticize the company’s relationship with Wizards of the Coast</a>.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Charles Dunwoody reviewed <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/new-year-new-campaign-vaesen-mythic-britain-ireland.694155/" target="_blank">the dark fantasy world of <em>Vaesen </em>and its campaign book <em>Mythic Britain & Ireland </em>from Free League</a>, which just so happens to be <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/books/vaesen-forbidden-lands-free-league-books?partner=gamerstavern" target="_blank">part of a bundle on Humble Bundle right now</a>.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Rob Wieland looked <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/warhammer-soulbound-artefacts-of-power-review.693782/" target="_blank">at <em>Artefacts of Power</em>, the new magic item sourcebook for <em>Warhammer: Age of Sigmar: Soulbound </em>from Cubicle 7</a>.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Dawn Dalton goes over the <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/paizo-news-january-organized-play-update.694232/" target="_blank">Paizo News covering the January Organized Play Update for <em>Pathfinder Society </em>and <em>Starfinder Society</em></a>.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Echohawk continues the <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/monster-encyclopedia-will-o-wisp.694244/" target="_blank">Monster ENCyclopedia with the Will-o’-wisp in a detailed examination of the history of the monster across the decades</a>.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Michael Tresca looks back at <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/looking-back-at-my-gaming-goals-for-2022.694225/" target="_blank">his gaming goals from 2022 and sees how many of them he accomplished</a>.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Michael also brings up some relevant history from when <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/this-sounds-familiar.694368/" target="_blank">Patreon proposed several changes in 2017 they were forced to back down from following backlash</a>. Gee, wonder why that’s relevant right now…</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Mike Myler’s newest ENterplanetary DimENsions takes us to <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/enterplanetary-dimensions-ruthless-resvree.694286/" target="_blank">the hunting ground of Resvree where the souls of warriors who failed to die in battle get one last chance for glory</a>.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Don’t miss out on <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/rpg-crowdfunding-news-%E2%80%93-nirvana-on-fire-western-5e-preposterous-potions-and-more.694314/" target="_blank">the newest RPG crowdfunding projects ending soon with Egg Embry’s RPG Crowdfunding News</a>.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Keep up with all <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/rpg-print-news-%E2%80%93-free-league-and-more.694263/" target="_blank">the new print RPG releases with Charles Dunwoody’s RPG Print News</a>.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Find the big <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/rpg-freebies-bundles-and-sales-news-january-8-2023.694262/" target="_blank">TTRPG sales, bundles, and charity fundraisers with the RPG Bundles, Freebies, and Sales News</a>.</li> </ul> <p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]272351[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>So did you hear that there’s been some controversy about the leaked update to the Open Gaming License? You might have seen it talked about by the <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/01/beware-gifts-dragons-how-dds-open-gaming-license-may-have-become-trap-creators" target="_blank">Electronic Frontier Foundation</a>, <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/latest-fantasy-news-hasbro-faces-a-potential-lawsuit-over-dnd-as-viewers-grow-increasingly-convinced-dwayne-johnson-was-in-the-way-of-water/ar-AA16cv7f" target="_blank">MSN</a>, <a href="https://doctorow.medium.com/good-riddance-to-the-open-gaming-license-8902f4aa69d2" target="_blank">Cory Doctorow</a>, <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/3ad9kn/dungeons-and-dragons-is-jeopardizing-its-greatest-strength-its-ubiquity" target="_blank">Vice</a>, <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2023/01/12/dungeons-and-dragons-ogl-wizards-of-the-coast/" target="_blank">Tech Crunch</a>, <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/01/rpg-fans-irate-as-dd-tries-to-shut-its-open-game-license/" target="_blank">Ars Technica</a>, <a href="https://www.polygon.com/23540640/dnd-ogl-1-1-leak-dungeons-dragons-pathfinder-2e-wotc-hasbro" target="_blank">Polygon</a>, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/robwieland/2023/01/10/whats-happening-with-the-dungeons--dragons-open-gaming-license/" target="_blank">Forbes</a> (hi Rob!), <a href="https://gizmodo.com/dnd-wizards-of-the-coast-ogl-1-1-open-gaming-license-1849950634" target="_blank">Gizmodo</a>, and other more mainstream news sources. The controversy exploded once again after <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/battlezoo-shares-the-ogl-v1-1.694293/" target="_blank">the YouTube channel Battlezoo shared the full text of what is purported to be a draft of the OGL v1.1</a>. This document is split into two different licenses – Non-Commercial and Commercial – with both the legally-binding language of the license and non-legally-binding commentary explaining the purpose of each clause.</p><p></p><p>This document does not “revoke” the OGL v1.0a, the current version of the Open Gaming License, but does state that it “is no longer an authorized license agreement”. Under these terms, the only way the OGL v1.0a would become invalid is upon agreement to the OGL v1.1. Other terms in the commercial license include:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Mandatory reporting of all products published under the OGL including title, venue of sale, price, contact information, and other information as part of an online form.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Reporting of sales for all products with gross sales of $50,000 or greater in a single year.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Royalty payments of 25% for all gross sales of a single product greater than $750,000 (meaning if sales are $800,000, the OGL publisher would owe royalties on the $50,000 of sales and not the full $800,000).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Crowdfunding efforts are considered as a single product regardless if multiple products are offered that are not covered by the OGL (which would include things like miniatures, maps, t-shirts, personal games, etc.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Kickstarter is the “preferred crowdfunding platform” and will have a royalty rate of 20% rather than 25%.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The license can be revoked if, in the opinion of Wizards of the Coast, the OGL work is “harmful, discriminatory, illegal, obscene, or harassing”. These terms are not defined, and the license specifically states that the decision of Wizards of the Coast cannot be contested “via any suit or other legal action”.</li> </ul><p><a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/community-posts-open-letters-to-wotc-about-new-ogl.694283/" target="_blank">An open letter protesting the new license</a> under the social media hashtag #OpenDND has amassed at the time of writing over 60,000 signatures, while a second open letter from Jon Brazer signed by several industry professionals. <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/ogl-what-are-the-publishers-saying-updated.694318/" target="_blank">EN World has also catalogued statements made by roleplaying game publishers</a> including Cubicle 7, Matt Colville, Monte Cook Games, Kobold Press, former Executive Producer of <em>Dungeons & Dragons </em>Ray Winninger, and multiple OSR publishers about their reactions, opinions, and plans. <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/ogl-kobold-press-raising-our-flag-for-new-open-rpg.694324/" target="_blank">Kobold Press in particular stated their intention to “Raise the Black Flag”</a> by creating a brand new core fantasy game system. <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/support-the-ogl-v1-0a-sign-this-change-org-petition.694396/" target="_blank">There is also a Change.org petition</a> created by the originator of the OGL, Ryan Dancey that has over 5000 signatures at the time of writing. EN Publishing, the RPG publishing arm of EN World, also made a statement of their intent to refocus on their house system <em>What’s OLD is NEW </em>with a new starter set and that the company is exploring options to “de-OGL-ify” the text for <em>Level Up: Advanced 5e </em>along with its SRD to be released under “the most open, non-revocable license we can find”.</p><p></p><p>So far, the only official statement from Wizards of the Coast about the controversy is <a href="https://twitter.com/DnDBeyond/status/1612871896759926784" target="_blank">a single tweet on the D&D Beyond Twitter account</a> on Tuesday, January 10, stating:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/rumours-wotc-announcement-today-insider-email-reveals-plans.694392/" target="_blank">Leaks on social media on Thursday</a> claimed that an announcement was due at 12:00 noon Pacific time via a video statement, but no video was posted and the scheduled Twitch stream at that time on D&D Beyond was canceled at the last minute on the channel’s schedule. Meanwhile, YouTuber Ginny Di recommended that people cancel paid subscriptions to D&D Beyond, which caused so much traffic that the cancellation site suffered server errors throughout the afternoon and evening on Thursday.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]272353[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p><a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/paizo-announces-new-irrevocable-open-rpg-license-to-replace-the-ogl.694404/" target="_blank">Paizo announced they are leading an initiative to create a new open license titled the Open RPG Creative License</a>. Y’know, I wanted to make a “The time of the ORC has come!” joke, but all of Twitter, Facebook, and Mastodon apparently beat me to it. This perpetual, irrevocable license will be created by Azora Law, an intellectual property law firm co-founded by Brian Lewis, who was part of the legal team who wrote the original Open Gaming License for Wizards of the Coast. ORC will not be owned by Paizo but managed by a non-profit under the stewardship of Azora Law to ensure that those managing the license will have no financial interest in the RPG publishing industry. In addition to Paizo, multiple other companies have stated their support for the new license and intention to use it including Kobold Press, Chaosium, Green Ronin, Atlas Games, Legendary Games, Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Rogue Genius Games, and others.</p><p></p><p>As part of the statement, Paizo also commented on the ongoing controversy directly:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>RPG publishers who would like to receive updates and provide feedback for drafts of the license can <a href="https://email.paizo.com/p/4XTJ-7AU/thank-you" target="_blank">sign up to join the email list at this link</a>.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]272354[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p><a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/paramount-orders-8-episode-d-d-tv-show.694325/" target="_blank">Deadline reports that a <em>Dungeons & Dragons </em>television series has been greenlit by Paramount to air on their streaming service Paramount+</a>. Rawson Marshall Thurber (<em>Red Notice, Easy A, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story</em>) wrote the pilot episode and will also direct it. Paramount won a bidding war between multiple networks for the rights to the show. This will be a co-production between Paramount+ and eOne, Hasbro’s entertainment studio which they are currently in the process of preparing to sell. No information is available at this time about the story, casting, or release date, but we do know that the first season has received an eight episode order.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]272355[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/3QD434i" target="_blank">Amazon posted the pre-order page for the <em>Dungeons & Dragons </em>heist-based adventure anthology <em>Keys from the Golden Vault</em></a>. The page currently doesn’t have a cover image (as you can see from the placeholder above), but the item’s description offers a small hint:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>The book has a scheduled release date of February 21, 2023, which places it just a few weeks before the release of <em>Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves</em>. Considering the heist theme and the set-up to the plot of the film centering on heists, this adventure book may be a tie-in prequel to the events of the film. We’ll know for sure in just over a month, and you can secure your copy for a retail price of $49.95.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]272358[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p><a href="https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6si7s?Introducing-the-Gatewalkers-Player-s-Guide" target="_blank">Paizo released the <em>Gatewalkers Player’s Guide </em>for <em>Pathfinder 2nd Edition </em>as a free PDF download</a>. This spoiler-free guide features information and new character creation options for the <em>Gatewalkers Adventure Path</em>. From the description:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>The PDF includes information about the Missing Moment that drew your character into the events of the campaign, information on the deviant abilities from <em>Pathfinder Dark Archive</em>, character suggestions, new backgrounds, and more. <em>The Seventh Arch</em>, the first of the three adventures in the <em>Gatewalker Adventure Path</em>, is set for release through <a href="https://paizo.com/products/btq02dsq?Pathfinder-Adventure-Path-187-The-Seventh-Arch" target="_blank">Paizo’s online store on January 25</a> and <a href="https://amzn.to/3QA16Bs" target="_blank">mass market outlets on February 7</a>.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]272359[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p><a href="https://www.modiphius.net/pages/2d20worldbuilders" target="_blank">Modiphius officially launched the 2d20 World Builders Community Content Program on DriveThruRPG</a>. This program, similar to Dungeonmasters Guild, Storyteller’s Vault, and other licensed programs, will allow creators to publish their works on DriveThruRPG under license from Modiphius. So far, there are two licenses, <a href="https://support.drivethrurpg.com/hc/en-us/articles/12215713341588-2d20-World-Builders-Guidelines" target="_blank">one for generic 2d20 System products</a> that do not use any licensed material and <a href="https://support.drivethrurpg.com/hc/en-us/articles/12215713341588-2d20-World-Builders-Guidelines" target="_blank">a separate licensed…err, license…</a>that will allow creators access to material from Modiphius’s published settings. So far, the only setting allowed is <em>Achtung! Cthulhu </em>but there are plans to add others in the future. In addition, there are two incentive programs for creators. Modiphius will match the first $100 in royalties to the first five creators with products of 10,000 words or more in either program, with an additional $500 in matching royalties for the submissions Modiphius thinks is the most impressive piece of content available by June 1, 2023. The publisher has also committed to promote select works each month as part of the 2d20 Newsletter.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]272360[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p><a href="https://www.gencon.com/press/gen-con-2023-badge-registration" target="_blank">Gen Con announced badges for the 2023 convention will go on sale on January 29</a>. Four-day passes will be $135, single-day passes for Thursday or Friday are $70, Saturday passes are $85, and Sunday is $17. Trade Day passes will be $235. Additional important dates: Housing registration begins at 12:00 noon Eastern time on February 12, 2023, while event registration for ticketed events start at 12:00 noon Eastern on May 21, 2023. One important note is the change in the health and safety protocols:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Gen Con 2023 will take place in Indianapolis, Indiana, from August 3-6.</p><p></p><p></p><p>That’s all from me for this week! Don’t forget <a href="https://www.patreon.com/enworld" target="_blank">to support our Patreon</a> to bring you more gaming news content. If you have any news to submit, email us at <a href="mailto:news@enpublishingrpg.com">news@enpublishingrpg.com</a>, and you can get <a href="https://morrus.podbean.com/" target="_blank">more discussion of the week’s news on <em>Morrus’ Unofficial Tabletop RPG Talk</em></a> every week. You can <a href="http://twitch.tv/gamerstavernshow" target="_blank">follow me on Twitch to get notifications when I go live,</a> <a href="http://chirp.enworld.org/@abstruse" target="_blank">follow me on Mastodon for RPG chat and general nonsense</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/meetinatavern" target="_blank">subscribe to <em>Gamer’s Tavern</em> on YouTube for videos on gaming history, RPG reviews, and gaming Let’s Plays</a>, or you can listen to <a href="http://gamerstavernshow.com/" target="_blank">the archives of the <em>Gamer’s Tavern</em> podcast</a>. Until next time, may all your hits be crits! <em>Note: Links to Amazon, Humble Store, Humble Bundle, and/or DriveThru may contain affiliate links with the proceeds going to the author of this column.</em></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Abstruse, post: 8893749, member: 6669048"] Hello everyone, Darryl here with this week’s gaming news! The OGL debacle continues, Paizo announces the ORC License, Dungeons & Dragons TV series greenlit, and more! For a quick summary of the week’s news, Jessica Hancock will bring you up to speed with [URL='https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaZ7ByBXPqZRg-Q-J-_0YEA']EN Live's [I]This Week in TTRPG[/I] every Friday[/URL]. Don’t forget, you can keep up with all the week’s gaming news in detail with [I]Morrus’ Unofficial Tabletop RPG Talk[/I]. [URL='http://morrus.podbean.org/']The first new episode of 2023 is coming on Saturday[/URL]! I wonder if they’ll have anything to talk about… [CENTER][ATTACH type="full"]272350[/ATTACH][/CENTER] In case you missed it elsewhere on EN World this week: [LIST] [*]EN Publishing announced [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/dungeon-delver%E2%80%99s-guide-available-in-pdf.694270/']they are moving forward the release date for the [I]Level Up: Advanced 5e [/I]sourcebook [I]Dungeon Delver’s Guide [/I]to…now[/URL]! [*]Speaking of new [I]Level Up [/I]products, [URL='https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/enworld/level-up-a5e-gate-pass-gazette-annual-2022']the Kickstarter for [I]Gate Pass Gazette Annual 2022 [/I]is now live collecting all the issues of the official [I]Level Up [/I]zine into a single hardcover volume[/URL]. [*][I]Not DnD [/I]is back after the holiday hiatus [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/not-dnd-fragments-of-the-past.694343/']featuring the rules-lite Bronze Age RPG [I]Fragments of the Past[/I][/URL]. [*]The first episode of [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/against-the-dragonlords-tuesday-7pm-gmt-2pm-et.694302/']the new [I]Level Up: Advanced 5e [/I]stream [I]Against the Dragonlords [/I]is out[/URL] featuring a [I]Level Up [/I]playthrough of the classic [I]Dragonlance [/I]module [I]DL1: Dragons of Despair[/I]. [*]EN5ider #493 is a new Monstrous Menagerie entry with [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/en5ider-493-monstrous-menagerie-consecrated-cultists.694367/']a collection of crazed cultists to challenge capable companies of champions, “Consecrated Cultists”[/URL]. [*]Multiple former staff members of [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/ex-d-d-beyond-staffers-criticize-relationship-with-wotc.694266/']D&D Beyond criticize the company’s relationship with Wizards of the Coast[/URL]. [*]Charles Dunwoody reviewed [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/new-year-new-campaign-vaesen-mythic-britain-ireland.694155/']the dark fantasy world of [I]Vaesen [/I]and its campaign book [I]Mythic Britain & Ireland [/I]from Free League[/URL], which just so happens to be [URL='https://www.humblebundle.com/books/vaesen-forbidden-lands-free-league-books?partner=gamerstavern']part of a bundle on Humble Bundle right now[/URL]. [*]Rob Wieland looked [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/warhammer-soulbound-artefacts-of-power-review.693782/']at [I]Artefacts of Power[/I], the new magic item sourcebook for [I]Warhammer: Age of Sigmar: Soulbound [/I]from Cubicle 7[/URL]. [*]Dawn Dalton goes over the [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/paizo-news-january-organized-play-update.694232/']Paizo News covering the January Organized Play Update for [I]Pathfinder Society [/I]and [I]Starfinder Society[/I][/URL]. [*]Echohawk continues the [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/monster-encyclopedia-will-o-wisp.694244/']Monster ENCyclopedia with the Will-o’-wisp in a detailed examination of the history of the monster across the decades[/URL]. [*]Michael Tresca looks back at [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/looking-back-at-my-gaming-goals-for-2022.694225/']his gaming goals from 2022 and sees how many of them he accomplished[/URL]. [*]Michael also brings up some relevant history from when [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/this-sounds-familiar.694368/']Patreon proposed several changes in 2017 they were forced to back down from following backlash[/URL]. Gee, wonder why that’s relevant right now… [*]Mike Myler’s newest ENterplanetary DimENsions takes us to [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/enterplanetary-dimensions-ruthless-resvree.694286/']the hunting ground of Resvree where the souls of warriors who failed to die in battle get one last chance for glory[/URL]. [*]Don’t miss out on [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/rpg-crowdfunding-news-%E2%80%93-nirvana-on-fire-western-5e-preposterous-potions-and-more.694314/']the newest RPG crowdfunding projects ending soon with Egg Embry’s RPG Crowdfunding News[/URL]. [*]Keep up with all [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/rpg-print-news-%E2%80%93-free-league-and-more.694263/']the new print RPG releases with Charles Dunwoody’s RPG Print News[/URL]. [*]Find the big [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/rpg-freebies-bundles-and-sales-news-january-8-2023.694262/']TTRPG sales, bundles, and charity fundraisers with the RPG Bundles, Freebies, and Sales News[/URL]. [/LIST] [CENTER][ATTACH type="full"]272351[/ATTACH][/CENTER] So did you hear that there’s been some controversy about the leaked update to the Open Gaming License? You might have seen it talked about by the [URL='https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/01/beware-gifts-dragons-how-dds-open-gaming-license-may-have-become-trap-creators']Electronic Frontier Foundation[/URL], [URL='https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/latest-fantasy-news-hasbro-faces-a-potential-lawsuit-over-dnd-as-viewers-grow-increasingly-convinced-dwayne-johnson-was-in-the-way-of-water/ar-AA16cv7f']MSN[/URL], [URL='https://doctorow.medium.com/good-riddance-to-the-open-gaming-license-8902f4aa69d2']Cory Doctorow[/URL], [URL='https://www.vice.com/en/article/3ad9kn/dungeons-and-dragons-is-jeopardizing-its-greatest-strength-its-ubiquity']Vice[/URL], [URL='https://techcrunch.com/2023/01/12/dungeons-and-dragons-ogl-wizards-of-the-coast/']Tech Crunch[/URL], [URL='https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/01/rpg-fans-irate-as-dd-tries-to-shut-its-open-game-license/']Ars Technica[/URL], [URL='https://www.polygon.com/23540640/dnd-ogl-1-1-leak-dungeons-dragons-pathfinder-2e-wotc-hasbro']Polygon[/URL], [URL='https://www.forbes.com/sites/robwieland/2023/01/10/whats-happening-with-the-dungeons--dragons-open-gaming-license/']Forbes[/URL] (hi Rob!), [URL='https://gizmodo.com/dnd-wizards-of-the-coast-ogl-1-1-open-gaming-license-1849950634']Gizmodo[/URL], and other more mainstream news sources. The controversy exploded once again after [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/battlezoo-shares-the-ogl-v1-1.694293/']the YouTube channel Battlezoo shared the full text of what is purported to be a draft of the OGL v1.1[/URL]. This document is split into two different licenses – Non-Commercial and Commercial – with both the legally-binding language of the license and non-legally-binding commentary explaining the purpose of each clause. This document does not “revoke” the OGL v1.0a, the current version of the Open Gaming License, but does state that it “is no longer an authorized license agreement”. Under these terms, the only way the OGL v1.0a would become invalid is upon agreement to the OGL v1.1. Other terms in the commercial license include: [LIST] [*]Mandatory reporting of all products published under the OGL including title, venue of sale, price, contact information, and other information as part of an online form. [*]Reporting of sales for all products with gross sales of $50,000 or greater in a single year. [*]Royalty payments of 25% for all gross sales of a single product greater than $750,000 (meaning if sales are $800,000, the OGL publisher would owe royalties on the $50,000 of sales and not the full $800,000). [*]Crowdfunding efforts are considered as a single product regardless if multiple products are offered that are not covered by the OGL (which would include things like miniatures, maps, t-shirts, personal games, etc.) [*]Kickstarter is the “preferred crowdfunding platform” and will have a royalty rate of 20% rather than 25%. [*]The license can be revoked if, in the opinion of Wizards of the Coast, the OGL work is “harmful, discriminatory, illegal, obscene, or harassing”. These terms are not defined, and the license specifically states that the decision of Wizards of the Coast cannot be contested “via any suit or other legal action”. [/LIST] [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/community-posts-open-letters-to-wotc-about-new-ogl.694283/']An open letter protesting the new license[/URL] under the social media hashtag #OpenDND has amassed at the time of writing over 60,000 signatures, while a second open letter from Jon Brazer signed by several industry professionals. [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/ogl-what-are-the-publishers-saying-updated.694318/']EN World has also catalogued statements made by roleplaying game publishers[/URL] including Cubicle 7, Matt Colville, Monte Cook Games, Kobold Press, former Executive Producer of [I]Dungeons & Dragons [/I]Ray Winninger, and multiple OSR publishers about their reactions, opinions, and plans. [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/ogl-kobold-press-raising-our-flag-for-new-open-rpg.694324/']Kobold Press in particular stated their intention to “Raise the Black Flag”[/URL] by creating a brand new core fantasy game system. [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/support-the-ogl-v1-0a-sign-this-change-org-petition.694396/']There is also a Change.org petition[/URL] created by the originator of the OGL, Ryan Dancey that has over 5000 signatures at the time of writing. EN Publishing, the RPG publishing arm of EN World, also made a statement of their intent to refocus on their house system [I]What’s OLD is NEW [/I]with a new starter set and that the company is exploring options to “de-OGL-ify” the text for [I]Level Up: Advanced 5e [/I]along with its SRD to be released under “the most open, non-revocable license we can find”. So far, the only official statement from Wizards of the Coast about the controversy is [URL='https://twitter.com/DnDBeyond/status/1612871896759926784']a single tweet on the D&D Beyond Twitter account[/URL] on Tuesday, January 10, stating: [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/rumours-wotc-announcement-today-insider-email-reveals-plans.694392/']Leaks on social media on Thursday[/URL] claimed that an announcement was due at 12:00 noon Pacific time via a video statement, but no video was posted and the scheduled Twitch stream at that time on D&D Beyond was canceled at the last minute on the channel’s schedule. Meanwhile, YouTuber Ginny Di recommended that people cancel paid subscriptions to D&D Beyond, which caused so much traffic that the cancellation site suffered server errors throughout the afternoon and evening on Thursday. [CENTER][ATTACH type="full"]272353[/ATTACH][/CENTER] [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/paizo-announces-new-irrevocable-open-rpg-license-to-replace-the-ogl.694404/']Paizo announced they are leading an initiative to create a new open license titled the Open RPG Creative License[/URL]. Y’know, I wanted to make a “The time of the ORC has come!” joke, but all of Twitter, Facebook, and Mastodon apparently beat me to it. This perpetual, irrevocable license will be created by Azora Law, an intellectual property law firm co-founded by Brian Lewis, who was part of the legal team who wrote the original Open Gaming License for Wizards of the Coast. ORC will not be owned by Paizo but managed by a non-profit under the stewardship of Azora Law to ensure that those managing the license will have no financial interest in the RPG publishing industry. In addition to Paizo, multiple other companies have stated their support for the new license and intention to use it including Kobold Press, Chaosium, Green Ronin, Atlas Games, Legendary Games, Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Rogue Genius Games, and others. As part of the statement, Paizo also commented on the ongoing controversy directly: RPG publishers who would like to receive updates and provide feedback for drafts of the license can [URL='https://email.paizo.com/p/4XTJ-7AU/thank-you']sign up to join the email list at this link[/URL]. [CENTER][ATTACH type="full"]272354[/ATTACH][/CENTER] [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/paramount-orders-8-episode-d-d-tv-show.694325/']Deadline reports that a [I]Dungeons & Dragons [/I]television series has been greenlit by Paramount to air on their streaming service Paramount+[/URL]. Rawson Marshall Thurber ([I]Red Notice, Easy A, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story[/I]) wrote the pilot episode and will also direct it. Paramount won a bidding war between multiple networks for the rights to the show. This will be a co-production between Paramount+ and eOne, Hasbro’s entertainment studio which they are currently in the process of preparing to sell. No information is available at this time about the story, casting, or release date, but we do know that the first season has received an eight episode order. [CENTER][ATTACH type="full"]272355[/ATTACH][/CENTER] [URL='https://amzn.to/3QD434i']Amazon posted the pre-order page for the [I]Dungeons & Dragons [/I]heist-based adventure anthology [I]Keys from the Golden Vault[/I][/URL]. The page currently doesn’t have a cover image (as you can see from the placeholder above), but the item’s description offers a small hint: The book has a scheduled release date of February 21, 2023, which places it just a few weeks before the release of [I]Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves[/I]. Considering the heist theme and the set-up to the plot of the film centering on heists, this adventure book may be a tie-in prequel to the events of the film. We’ll know for sure in just over a month, and you can secure your copy for a retail price of $49.95. [CENTER][ATTACH type="full"]272358[/ATTACH][/CENTER] [URL='https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6si7s?Introducing-the-Gatewalkers-Player-s-Guide']Paizo released the [I]Gatewalkers Player’s Guide [/I]for [I]Pathfinder 2nd Edition [/I]as a free PDF download[/URL]. This spoiler-free guide features information and new character creation options for the [I]Gatewalkers Adventure Path[/I]. From the description: The PDF includes information about the Missing Moment that drew your character into the events of the campaign, information on the deviant abilities from [I]Pathfinder Dark Archive[/I], character suggestions, new backgrounds, and more. [I]The Seventh Arch[/I], the first of the three adventures in the [I]Gatewalker Adventure Path[/I], is set for release through [URL='https://paizo.com/products/btq02dsq?Pathfinder-Adventure-Path-187-The-Seventh-Arch']Paizo’s online store on January 25[/URL] and [URL='https://amzn.to/3QA16Bs']mass market outlets on February 7[/URL]. [CENTER][ATTACH type="full"]272359[/ATTACH][/CENTER] [URL='https://www.modiphius.net/pages/2d20worldbuilders']Modiphius officially launched the 2d20 World Builders Community Content Program on DriveThruRPG[/URL]. This program, similar to Dungeonmasters Guild, Storyteller’s Vault, and other licensed programs, will allow creators to publish their works on DriveThruRPG under license from Modiphius. So far, there are two licenses, [URL='https://support.drivethrurpg.com/hc/en-us/articles/12215713341588-2d20-World-Builders-Guidelines']one for generic 2d20 System products[/URL] that do not use any licensed material and [URL='https://support.drivethrurpg.com/hc/en-us/articles/12215713341588-2d20-World-Builders-Guidelines']a separate licensed…err, license…[/URL]that will allow creators access to material from Modiphius’s published settings. So far, the only setting allowed is [I]Achtung! Cthulhu [/I]but there are plans to add others in the future. In addition, there are two incentive programs for creators. Modiphius will match the first $100 in royalties to the first five creators with products of 10,000 words or more in either program, with an additional $500 in matching royalties for the submissions Modiphius thinks is the most impressive piece of content available by June 1, 2023. The publisher has also committed to promote select works each month as part of the 2d20 Newsletter. [CENTER][ATTACH type="full"]272360[/ATTACH][/CENTER] [URL='https://www.gencon.com/press/gen-con-2023-badge-registration']Gen Con announced badges for the 2023 convention will go on sale on January 29[/URL]. Four-day passes will be $135, single-day passes for Thursday or Friday are $70, Saturday passes are $85, and Sunday is $17. Trade Day passes will be $235. Additional important dates: Housing registration begins at 12:00 noon Eastern time on February 12, 2023, while event registration for ticketed events start at 12:00 noon Eastern on May 21, 2023. One important note is the change in the health and safety protocols: Gen Con 2023 will take place in Indianapolis, Indiana, from August 3-6. That’s all from me for this week! Don’t forget [URL='https://www.patreon.com/enworld']to support our Patreon[/URL] to bring you more gaming news content. If you have any news to submit, email us at [EMAIL]news@enpublishingrpg.com[/EMAIL], and you can get [URL='https://morrus.podbean.com/']more discussion of the week’s news on [I]Morrus’ Unofficial Tabletop RPG Talk[/I][/URL] every week. You can [URL='http://twitch.tv/gamerstavernshow']follow me on Twitch to get notifications when I go live,[/URL] [URL='http://chirp.enworld.org/@abstruse']follow me on Mastodon for RPG chat and general nonsense[/URL], [URL='https://www.youtube.com/user/meetinatavern']subscribe to [I]Gamer’s Tavern[/I] on YouTube for videos on gaming history, RPG reviews, and gaming Let’s Plays[/URL], or you can listen to [URL='http://gamerstavernshow.com/']the archives of the [I]Gamer’s Tavern[/I] podcast[/URL]. Until next time, may all your hits be crits! [I]Note: Links to Amazon, Humble Store, Humble Bundle, and/or DriveThru may contain affiliate links with the proceeds going to the author of this column.[/I] [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
News Digest for the Week of January 13, 2023
Top