Statement on OGL from WotC

Wizards of the Coast has made a short statement regarding the ongoing rumors surrounding OneD&D and the Open Gaming License. In a short response to Comicbook.com, the company said "We will continue to support the thousands of creators making third-party D&D content with the release of One D&D in 2024. While it is certain our Open Game License (OGL) will continue to evolve, just as it has since its inception, we're too early in the development of One D&D to give more specifics on the OGL or System Reference Document (SRD) at this time."

Dungeons & Dragons Clarifies Support for Third-Party Material as New Edition Draws Near

Wizards of the Coast has responded to rumors of changes to the Open Game License and System [...]

comicbook.com

It's not clear what WotC means when they say that the OGL will 'continue to evolve' -- while there have been two versions of the license released over the years, each is non-rescindible so people are free to use whichever version of the license they wish. Indeed, that is written into the license itself -- "Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version of this License."

During the D&D 4th Edition era, WotC published a new, separate license called the Game System Licence (GSL). While it was used by third party publishers, it was generally upopular.

 

[mamba]

What was Morrus' advice?

use the OGL 1.0 before 1/13 if you want to publish anything under it

 

[Art Waring]

Just so I’m clear - offering an ‘anything’ now, so that if things play out certain ways, we would be party to the license for other arbitrary projects in the future?

I can't say that anything is a certainty right now, all I know is that it is possible that if you can show prior use of the 1.0a license you can theoretically keep using it, depending on their future course of action. Nothing is certain or clear right now until we get an official statement.

Until then, if you want to keep using the 1.0a, best start on that.

 

[ersatzphil]

I can't say that anything is a certainty right now, all I know is that it is possible that if you can show prior use of the 1.0a license you can theoretically keep using it, depending on their future course of action. Nothing is certain or clear right now until we get an official statement.

Until then, if you want to keep using the 1.0a, best start on that.

Hrm. I actually have been working on and off on an OSR game where you play as 1880s ghosts - maybe I should polish up an art-less quickstart and upload it to DTRPG this weekend, just so it has a nice, bright origin timestamp on it.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

quoted from @Morrus

I'm not sure if anyone here can answer this, but hopefully @Morrus would know better than I.

I've had just over a handful of my articles published for EN5ider. Would my ability to write OGL content in the future be protected through this, or would I personally have to publish something on my own before the new OGL is released?

 

[overgeeked]

Hrm. I actually have been working on and off on an OSR game where you play as 1880s ghosts - maybe I should polish up an art-less quickstart and upload it to DTRPG this weekend, just so it has a nice, bright origin timestamp on it.

I posted part of a PDF I was working on here just to have something up and out. It would be hilariously bad if that’s all it took. But we are in the dumbest timeline.

 

[Riley]

use the OGL 1.0 before 1/13 if you want to publish anything under it

I’d like to take this opportunity to announce the imminent release of my life’s work: “Kobold and Pie.”

 

[ersatzphil]

I posted part of a PDF I was working on here just to have something up and out. It would be hilariously bad if that’s all it took. But we are in the dumbest timeline.

I mean - I totally agree, but I don’t really see a downside. If putting something out this weekend means I get to publish ‘The Haunted Hack’ down the line? Great! If it doesn’t? Then I’ll probably never try to publish a Black Hack derived game. I either lose little or gain quite a bit.

 

[Scribe]

I posted part of a PDF I was working on here just to have something up and out. It would be hilariously bad if that’s all it took. But we are in the dumbest timeline.

I may throw together some scraps of notes and do just that as well.

naughty word em.

 

[Starglim]

use the OGL 1.0 before 1/13 if you want to publish anything under it

Done (and various others, but I think that's my earliest)

 

[Charlaquin]

They are being slammed in the MSM as well like IGN. Oh heck even their Spokes woman for D&D One, Ginny Di is opposed to OGL 1.1! Said so on Twitter.

You say “their spokeswoman” like she’s in their pocket. She’s just a popular D&D YouTuber who happens to like what’s been shown of 1D&D so far. And far from the only one, I know XP to Level 3 also praised the playtest material.