Hello, I am lawyer with a PSA: almost everyone is wrong about the OGL and SRD. Clearing up confusion.

[Yaarel]

Now, maybe their messaging is just crap, and this IS what they are trying to say, hard to know... If so its all a big stink about nuthin' and we can relax. We shall see, but the second they come after an existing publisher that isn't doing something new, then we know! The other problem being, even if they don't do that now, the mailed fist has been revealed, and it may be hard for them to put it back in the velvet glove very convincingly... Maybe still possible though as of today.

That word "unauthorized" is a smoking gun.

People who look into this, at first cant believe it, then realize something disastrous is in process.

 

[mamba]

as long as we are clear that is a great way to look at it

I was never under the impression that the majority would just up and leave, but hopefully enough do and rally around a new open and permissable center to make a difference.

 

[FrogReaver]

Part of the current mainstreaming success of 5e is because of internet enthusiasm via Critical Role, YouTube, etcetera.

All of this freedom to discuss, enjoy, watch, and promote D&D is self-generated without Hasbro, and comes 100% from the freedom of the OGL 1.0a.

OGL 1.0a = D&D success

I wasn't initially convinced of this but more and more I am.

Part of what happened in the 4e era was that companies that were supporting 3e stopped supporting 4e because of the lack of the OGL 1.0. Instead, they quickly became direct competitors. Many of those companies that become direct competitors wouldn't have done so had 4e remained under OGL 1.0. They would have happily kept creating 4e supplemental material.

Thus, I find the argument compelling that the OGL has actually decreased competition towards D&D while simulataneously increasing D&D's desirability by incentivizing companies to focus more on D&D supplemental products than on full-fledged competing products. Consider the reasons someone may choose a windows machine over a unix one - especially in the earlier days. There was just alot more software available for windows and it tended to work better because they had so many developers developing for their platform. So while Microsoft didn't get Royalities on that software, it did make their OS more desirable.

 

[Xyxox]

Don’t be a slave to the cult of the new. Vote with your wallets if this offends you.

Just talking is worthless. And I would submit that a lot of people grabbing 3rd party’s stuff are not usually the casuals—-and are maybe represented by ENWorld better than other places.

Also keep talking about it on public fora like this one. Word gets around.

And if they don’t listen and bend don’t buy in.

Like I've said, it's D&Done for me. I'll never buy into this, nor will I purchase anything from WotC/Hasbro regardless of how this all turns out. I moved to Pathfinder 1E with the introduction of 4E and can move elsewhere now. I'll carefully consider where and how, because I don't know if I can trust the OGL 1.0a to remain viable after this even without WotC/Hasbro throwing down and declaring Lawfare.

 

[Yaarel]

I wasn't initially convinced of this but more and more I am.

Part of what happened in the 4e era was that companies that were supporting 3e stopped supporting 4e because of the lack of the OGL 1.0. Instead, they quickly became direct competitors. Many of those companies that become direct competitors wouldn't have done so had 4e remained under OGL 1.0. They would have happily kept creating 4e supplemental material.

Thus, I find the argument compelling that the OGL has actually decreased competition towards D&D while simulataneously increasing D&D's desirability by incentivizing companies to focus more on D&D supplemental products than on full-fledged competing products. Consider the reasons someone may choose a windows machine over a unix one - especially in the earlier days. There was just alot more software available for windows and it tended to work better because they had so many developers developing for their platform. So while Microsoft didn't get Royalities on that software, it did make their OS more desirable.

Now, the same thing is going to happen again.

Indies want nothing to do with OGL 1.1. Now indies are even rethinking the need for the OGL 1.0a in the first place, and rewriting their products without it. Because nobody trusts Hasbro-WotC to honor the OGL 1.0a.

These indies will − again − become direct competitors against Hasbro-WotC.

And the creative community will follow the companies that offer legal terms that protect the creative community.

Hasbro-WotC is causing a tidal wave of direct competitors.

It is probably too late. Because now, every one has seen that Hasbro-WotC is acting in bad faith.

No business wants to deal with that.

 

[FrogReaver]

Is there an organization devoted to open RPG licenses? Because if not someone should start one and create an actual open license that can be used by the community that is not dependent on WOTC.

 

[Remathilis]

so no GI joe no power rangers no transformers no playdough... like 1/3 the board games out there...

Sadly, it reminds me of the calls to boycott Disney/EA/Google/Amazon and others I'm probably forgetting. They're so big and ubiquitous that avoiding them is akin to quitting a given market.

Last year, Kellogg went on strike. Boycotts were called for, but trying to avoid all the various subsidiaries and such to honor the strike meant a lot of research into what brands were owned by them. Any similar boycott would be the same or more work. I'm not saying it's not doable, but the fact that you're going to have to convince collectors of dozens of unrelated brands to care is a Herculean task.

 

[mamba]

Is there an organization devoted to open RPG licenses? Because if not someone should start one and create an actual open license that can be used by the community that is not dependent on WOTC.

Why not use Creative Commons ? Heck, I'd say the OGL was a good start too, fix it up a little and you are good

 

[FrogReaver]

Now, the same thing is going to happen again.

Indies want nothing to do with OGL 1.1. Now indies are even rethinking the need for the OGL 1.0a in the first place, and rewriting their products without it. Because nobody trusts Hasbro-WotC to honor the OGL 1.0a.

These indies will − again − become direct competitors against Hasbro-WotC.

And the creative community will follow the companies that offer legal terms that protect the creative community.

Hasbro-WotC is causing a tidal wave of direct competitors.

It is probably too late. Because now, every one has seen that Hasbro-WotC is acting in bad faith.

No business wants to deal with that.

Yep. Used to OGL 1.0a brought peace of mind. Now it brings nothing but doubts and risks. If I was a 3pp I would increasingly limit my exposure to it asap.

In many ways this is worse than 4e because the GSL was indeed a new independent license but only envisioned for 4e material and WOTC wasn't potentially out to kill the OGL 1.0a as the current leaks seem to suggest they are now.

 

[FrogReaver]

Why not use Creative Commons ? Heck, I'd say the OGL was a good start too, fix it up a little and you are good

OGL 1.0a is copyrighted by Wizards. No idea on CC.