WotC quietly deleting access to the 3e SRD

[Ruin Explorer]

The WotC website has quietly deleted access to the 3e SRD. This was earlier in the context of switching over to the 5e SRD. It gains new significance because of the recent legal hostility by Hasbro against the D&D community.

The 3e SRD is significant because it grants the D&D community legal access to most of the D&D tradition, such as the player character Drow from the 3e Monster Manual, ultimately innovated by Gary Gygax. One can legally modify this content.

The 3e SRD is for the Open Gaming License 1.0a.

As ENWorlders are beginning to realize: get these vital legal documents now while one can.



The 3e SRD (System Reference Document 3.5) exists as a collection of documents, each to a section. They can be found as .rtf files or .html webpages. They are made available

here

Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 System Reference Document (SRD) : Wizards of the Coast : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

The System Reference Document is a comprehensive toolbox consisting of rules, races, classes, feats, skills, various systems, spells, magic items, and monsters...

archive.org

in this file

https://archive.org/download/dnd35srd/SRD.zip

here

The Hypertext d20 SRD (v3.5 d20 System Reference Document) :: d20srd.org

here

System Reference Document v3.5

dndsrd.net

and here

SRD:System Reference Document - D&D Wiki

www.dandwiki.com

The Open Gaming License 1.0a itself can still be found here along with the 5e SRD (v5.1)

Systems Reference Document | Dungeons & Dragons

Read the Systems Reference Document (SRD) with guidelines for publishing content under Creative Commons and the Open-Gaming License (OGL).

dnd.wizards.com

in this document

http://media.wizards.com/2016/downloads/DND/SRD-OGL_V5.1.pdf

Holy jesus.

That is... wow. WOW. WotC just doubling down on this, huh?

 

[Vaalingrade]

I remember Rules Lawyer saying on his channel how hard it was to track down the 4e GSL now.

They called me made to download all of them at the outset. Mad, I tells ya.

 

[AnotherGuy]

Apologies I'm a bit slow with all this - was this document available on their website prior?
And the reason they have not uploaded it is because we believe they want to everyone new to move to the newer license agreement?

 

[Ondath]

Holy jesus.

That is... wow. WOW. WotC just doubling down on this, huh?

Just to be clear, they took the 3E SRD down a long time ago - this probably wasn't related to the switch to OGL v1.1, but in light of what's happening recently, preserving these documents became more important.

 

[Yaarel]

Just to be clear, they took the 3E SRD down a long time ago - this probably wasn't related to the switch to OGL v1.1, but in light of what's happening recently, preserving these documents became more important.

Hasbro has been attempting to legally kill the OGL 1.0a and its 3e SRD ever since 4e and its "poison pill" version of the 4e GSL.

Deleting the 3e SRD from the WotC website relates to that Hasbro deathwish.

Notably, the popular websites that publish the 3e SRD still have in their webpage of legal notices, the link to the WotC source (wizards .com/d20) that is now dead.

The soon-to-come OGL 1.1 is an other attempt at a "poison pill", but additionally seeks to do worse harm by assaulting the OGL 1.0a itself.

 

[Morrus]

Holy jesus.

That is... wow. WOW. WotC just doubling down on this, huh?

They did it years ago.

 

[Yaarel]

They did it years ago.

Do you happen to know what date Wizards .com deleted the 3e SRD?

 

[Morrus]

Do you happen to know what date Wizards .com deleted the 3e SRD?

Nope. But I do know that my dog is trying to lick my foot. Which is weird.

 

[Nikosandros]

Nope. But I do know that my dog is trying to lick my foot. Which is weird.

Maybe your dog knows.

 

[Morrus]

Maybe your dog knows.

Maybe! But he's not telling.