So first off, let me say that I don't want the OGL 1.0(a) going anywhere. However, the sad reality is that we may not be able to stop that happening, and maybe the best we can do is negotiate the best version of a post-1.0(a) license we can get.
With that in mind, here's my proposal for a multi-tiered licensing structure:
Tier 1: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC-BY 2.0) - This would contain the basic rules for the game, minus specific elements such as races, classes, spells, and monsters - comparable to a Rules Compendium or Rules Cyclopedia - and be explicitly irrevocable.
Tier 2: Open Gaming License version 2.0 (OGL 2) - This would cover the specific rules elements such as race, class, spell, and monster stat blocks - but not the fictional concepts behind them. So a Mind Flayer's Tentacle attack, Mind Blast power, and Decerebrate ability would fall under this, but the concept of a Mind Flayer itself, along with the depiction of a purple squid-headed humanoid with 4 tentacles around a toothy maw, would not. This license would also be irrevocable but with more restrictions on how the content can be used.
Tier 3: System Trademark License version 2.0 (STL 2) - This is where you get to use all the D&D IP, including the stuff that was previously covered by the OGL. Sucks, but I don't think WizBro is budging on this one. Anyway, you abide by the terms (including a better version of the morality clause) and you get all this plus the Creator Badge. Violate them, and you can't print any more copies of the book with this tier of content - but you don't have to pulp existing inventory and can sell off what's left.
Tier 4: Dungeon Master's Guild - Either WizBro buys out the site, or they do their own version through Beyond and call it something else. Either way, this tier lets you use registered trademarks like Elminster, Mordenkainen, and Vecna, as well as first-party settings like the Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, and Spelljammer, exactly like now. And you only have to pay 5% of your gross revenue. However, you agree to let WizBro use everything you create - NPCs, monsters, spells, whatever - in future products, as long as they credit you for it.
What do you all think?
With that in mind, here's my proposal for a multi-tiered licensing structure:
Tier 1: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC-BY 2.0) - This would contain the basic rules for the game, minus specific elements such as races, classes, spells, and monsters - comparable to a Rules Compendium or Rules Cyclopedia - and be explicitly irrevocable.
Tier 2: Open Gaming License version 2.0 (OGL 2) - This would cover the specific rules elements such as race, class, spell, and monster stat blocks - but not the fictional concepts behind them. So a Mind Flayer's Tentacle attack, Mind Blast power, and Decerebrate ability would fall under this, but the concept of a Mind Flayer itself, along with the depiction of a purple squid-headed humanoid with 4 tentacles around a toothy maw, would not. This license would also be irrevocable but with more restrictions on how the content can be used.
Tier 3: System Trademark License version 2.0 (STL 2) - This is where you get to use all the D&D IP, including the stuff that was previously covered by the OGL. Sucks, but I don't think WizBro is budging on this one. Anyway, you abide by the terms (including a better version of the morality clause) and you get all this plus the Creator Badge. Violate them, and you can't print any more copies of the book with this tier of content - but you don't have to pulp existing inventory and can sell off what's left.
Tier 4: Dungeon Master's Guild - Either WizBro buys out the site, or they do their own version through Beyond and call it something else. Either way, this tier lets you use registered trademarks like Elminster, Mordenkainen, and Vecna, as well as first-party settings like the Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, and Spelljammer, exactly like now. And you only have to pay 5% of your gross revenue. However, you agree to let WizBro use everything you create - NPCs, monsters, spells, whatever - in future products, as long as they credit you for it.
What do you all think?
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