WotC Unveils Draft of New Open Gaming License

As promised earlier this week, WotC has posted the draft OGL v.1.2 license for the community to see.

A survey will be going live tomorrow for feedback.

Starting the OGL ‘Playtest’

In this article, you can review a draft of OGL 1.2, submit feedback via survey, and learn about a Creative Commons license that puts D&D's core mech...

www.dndbeyond.com

The current iteration contains clauses which prohibit offensive content, applies only to TTRPG books and PDFs, no right of ownership going to WotC, and an optional creator content badge for your products.

One important element, the ability for WotC to change the license at-will has also been addressed, allowing the only two specific changes they can make -- how you cite WotC in your work, and contact details.

This license will be irrevocable.

The OGL v1.0a is still being 'de-authorized'.

 

[Justice and Rule]

the same thing that stopped them this time
US
I am not suggesting we all go home and let WotC do what ever they like. I am suggesting we say "these are what we are, and these are what we are not willing to compramise on"
Now I may be more liberal with what I will give up, but if they already lost the first 10% (never coming back no matter what) and teh next 5% (cause the line was in a farther place then mine) and they move that line again and lose me too that is starting to add up to what they don't want to lose.

But we didn't stop them. They can just wait, because people like you are willing to take a deal that can be changed at any time with no preconditions. That's the whole point: you're compromising for nothing because there's nothing here that doesn't allow them to change this document whenever they want however they want.

 

[W'rkncacnter]

I wish there was a reaction emojie for the pain on my face as I read this and realized not a single word of it was not true... moments like this I hate knowing some of the things I know

ayo i gotchu:

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Reasons they'd probably say no:

• It's expensive to do so.
• It's not something they already do or similar to something they already do.
• Why would they agree?

now I am bias... I am a TTRPG fan, so grain of salt my answer to all three...

It would fall under the promoting tolerance and education part of there mandate... they would more or less (kind of sort of) be defending the people from the hate speech or the weaponization of the hate speech rider.

 

[Aspirinsmurf]

A quick perusal of the children's video section on Netflix or Prime will show you that there are many, many non-Disney iterations of these fairy tales. It's not a reasonable statement that they are being "stolen" from the public domain.

My statement was hyperbolic and not literally true. But those shows, they’ve all gone out of their way not to infringe on Disney’s IP. And now I would have to go out of my way to avoid theirs, and so on and so forth. It’s all chipping away at the public commons somewhat disproportionate to the originality of all these new creations.

But the reason I brought it up is that this is likely what’s going to happen to the owlbear now. It will be Owlbear™ soon, and the originators will be bought off in a deal or possibly a legal settlement. And the fact that combining an owl and bear isn’t all that creative to begin with will then besides the point, for most practical purposes.

Currently, the OGL 1.0a is blocking this process. I'm not sure that's why Hasbro is dead-set on trying to kill it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was part of it.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

But we didn't stop them. They can just wait, because people like you are willing to take a deal that can be changed at any time with no preconditions. That's the whole point: you're compromising for nothing because there's nothing here that doesn't allow them to change this document whenever they want however they want.

I;m sorry you feel that the last week or so of me arguing and getting some of but not every last drop of what I want is 'doing nothing'.
I'm sorry that you feel like I am 'taking nothing' when I see a compromise I can live with (although some in this thread have given me some feed back I plan on giving)

I am not afraid of them changing it to be bad, cause if they do we will speak out again.

that's the safe guard US.

 

[Matt Thomason]

Royalties
1 week notice
6 month notice (but that was better then 1 week)

Interestingly, Royalties were something I had no problem with. I figure anyone making that much can probably go talk to WotC and negotiate terms for their own specific non-OGL license anyway.

Meanwhile I'm very concerned about where this puts software, including VTTs.
(Not saying you have to be concerned with that, I'm just comparing thoughts and priorities here)

 

[Justice and Rule]

I;m sorry you feel that the last week or so of me arguing and getting some of but not every last drop of what I want is 'doing nothing'.
I'm sorry that you feel like I am 'taking nothing' when I see a compromise I can live with (although some in this thread have given me some feed back I plan on giving)

I mean, if you call giving them a blank check and assuming they won't cash it a "compromise", then that's certainly something to believe in. As it stands, I tend not to trust a company that has been breaking a whole lot of contracts recently.

I am not afraid of them changing it to be bad, cause if they do we will speak out again.


that's the safe guard US.

I mean, not if the original OGL is gone. You've already given up the game in that regard.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Interestingly, Royalties were something I had no problem with. I figure anyone making that much can probably go talk to WotC and negotiate terms for their own specific non-OGL license anyway.

yes and no... I said from the beginning if I were handling the books at Green ROnin or Paizo I would suggest a side deal... my big issue was that @Morrus wasn't even let into the table (and being on his site makes me a bit partial to HIS buisness) and all the people that can't plan for "the next big thing"
The example I gave that drove me nuts was the person who put there new setting book on kickstarter expecting to bring in (revenue not profit) $20,000 or so and it hits it big and scales to 1 mil... now mid crazy celebration they realize, at 20k they made a little profit, at 100k they made a little profit at 1m they lose money.

Meanwhile I'm very concerned about where this puts software, including VTTs.
(Not saying you have to be concerned with that, I'm just comparing thoughts and priorities here)

my concern for VTT (since I use Roll20) is not 100% alleviated, but I think I am about 60-70% there.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I mean, if you call giving them a blank check and assuming they won't cash it a "compromise", then that's certainly something to believe in. As it stands, I tend not to trust a company that has been breaking a whole lot of contracts recently.

I trust "tyr to be tyr" (I found the quote it was andromida)
I don't trust WotC to do what's right because it is the right thing to do. I trust WotC to do the closest they can skirt between right and profit because we the customers threatened that profit.

This doesn't mean I myself will always get my way. I am 1 voice in many. However if they step out of line too much I believe there are plenty of voices here.

I don't need to win everything. I can accept half way and just remain vigilante for next time.

I mean, not if the original OGL is gone. You've already given up the game in that regard.

That wasn't my line in the sand, maybe it is for you. In that case fight on, but I will only fight until a compromise that I think is good enough.

 

[MostlyHarmless42]

Let’s face it for the majority of people on this forum nothing short of nothing will change. all will be the same forever is going to be ok. Not sure how fair that is though. Times change and 20 years is a long time. Much of the rest of the world has shifted dramatically in two decades. Perhaps adjustments aren’t a bad thing.

That's exacarly what people were saying about paid horse armor dlc in gaming and now look where we are, lootbox laden microtransactions and live service hellscapes all around.

Before that? It was said the same about large department stores and grocery chains. Now a days? Countless small businesses gone, near monopolistic digital marketplaces, and good luck finding a single grocery store that isn't owned by the same five or six corporations.