Kyle Brink (D&D Exec Producer) On OGL Controversy & One D&D (Summary)

The YouTube channel 3 Black Halflings spoke to WotC's Kyle Brink (executive producer, D&D) about the recent Open Game License events, amongst other things. It's an hour-plus long interview (which you can watch below) but here are some of the highlights of what Brink said. Note these are my paraphrases, so I encourage you to listen to the actual interview for full context if you have time.

OGL v1.1 Events

• There was a concern that the OGL allowed Facebook to make a D&D Metaverse without WotC involvement.
• Re. the OGL decisions, WotC had gotten themselves into a 'terrible place' and are grateful for the feedback that allowed them to see that.
• The royalties in OGL v1.1 were there as a giant deterrent to mega corporations.
• Kyle Brink is not familiar with what happened in the private meetings with certain publishers in December, although was aware that meetings were taking place.
• When the OGL v1.1 document became public, WotC had already abandoned much of it.
• The response from WotC coinciding with D&D Beyond subscription cancellations was a coincidence as it takes longer than that to modify a legal document.
• The atmosphere in WotC during the delay before making an announcement after the OGL v1.1 went public was 'bad' -- fear of making it worse if they said anything. The feeling was that they should not talk, just deliver the new version.
• Brink does not know who wrote the unpopular 'you won but we won too' announcement and saw it the same time we did. He was not happy with it.
• 'Draft' contracts can have dates and boxes for signatures. Despite the leaked version going to some publishers, it was not final or published.
• There were dissenting voices within WotC regarding the OGL v1.1, but once the company had agreed how to proceed, everybody did the best they could to deliver.
• The dissenting voices were not given enough weight to effect change. Brinks' team is now involved in the process and can influence decisions.
• The SRD release into Creative Commmons is a one-way door; there can be no takeback.

One D&D

• The intention is that all of the new [One D&D] updates they are doing, "the SRD will be updated to remain compatible with all of that". This might be with updted rules or with bridging language like 'change the word race to species'.
• Anything built with the current SRD will be 100% compatible with the new rules.
• Brink does not think there is a plan to, and does not see the value, in creating a new OGL just for One D&D. When/if they put more stuff into the public space, they'd do it through Creative Commons.
• WotC doesn't think of One D&D as a new edition. He feels it's more like what happened with 3.5. They think 5E is great, but coud be better and play faster and easier with more room for roleplay, so there is stuff they can do to improve it but not replace it.

Inclusivity

• WotC is leaning on the community to discourage bad actors and hateful content, rather than counting on a legal document.
• They are working on an adaptable content policy describing what they consider to be hateful content which will apply to WotC's work (no legal structure to apply it to anybody else).
• They now have external inclusivity reviewers (as of last fall) who look over every word and report back. They are putting old content through the same process before reprints.
• Previously cultural consultances were used for spot reviews on things they thought might be problematic, but not everything (e.g. Hadozee).
• The problematic Hadozee content was written by a trusted senior person at WotC, and very few people saw it before publication.
• 'DnDShorts' video on the internal workings and management culture of WotC is not something Brinks can talk on, but it is not reflective of his team. Each team has its own culture.
• In the last couple of years the D&D team hiring process has made the team more inclusive.
• When asked about non white-CIS-men in leadership positions at WotC, Brinks referred to some designers and authors. He said 'guys like me, we're leaving the workforce, to be blunt' and 'I'm not the face of the hobby any more'. It is important that the creators at WotC look like the players. 'Guys like me can't leave soon enough'.

Virtual Tabletops (VTTs)/Digital Gaming

• Goal is to make more ways to play ('and' not 'instead') including a cool looking 3D space.
• Digital gaming is not meant to replace books etc., but to be additive.
• The strategy is to give players a choice, and WotC will go where the player interests lie.

​

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

that sounded more like a hostile dump on Musk than a hostile takeover by him

It turns out that if you offer a wildly over the top offer to buy a public company, said public company is obligated to treat it as serious.

 

[dave2008]

I do however, also, they got around to yours too

They got around to some of them sure, but they could have gone in more depth. I would rather they have spent 20-30 min how what was happening now / moving forward instead of the 5+/- min. they did.

 

[dave2008]

But they spent a lot more time about how things came to be and not enough time on my questions. There was more to ask on the subject that they didn’t follow through with follow up questions

I agree, they didn't push enough about the SRD and CC and if/when other editions will be added. Also, when is the next playtest packet!

 

[mamba]

They got around to some of them sure, but they could have gone in more depth. I would rather they have spent 20-30 min how what was happening now / moving forward instead of the 5+/- min. they did.

maybe, but given the answers they got I am not sure you would have learned a lot more

My immediate future questions were asked / answered, even if vaguely

There will be more of these, I hope they are not all simply repeats with a different host

 

[dave2008]

maybe, but given the answers they got I am not sure you would have learned a lot more

My immediate future questions were asked / answered, even if vaguely

There will be more of these, I hope they are not all simply repeats with a different host

I wanted to know if they will release other SRDs to CC.

 

[mamba]

I wanted to know if they will release other SRDs to CC.

that sounded pretty much like a yes, at least for future ones.

As to 3e, that no longer is important, maybe WotC will, maybe they won’t, either way they are safe as there no longer is any incentive to revoke the OGL

 

[TerraDave]

There was a lot there.

Behind it all does seem to be the Disney version of the owlbear. But as I said in other threads, at least this was all over something important.

He danced around calling out the other faction--the not his team--that seemed to be driving the proposed OGL and still look like the bad guys. And implying that he and his team had finally gotten more "respect" and used that to finally push back. In any case someone thought that it was good idea to try to bargain for 15% royalties, even if it was not him.

Going forward:

*Commitment to CC, including future additions to the SRD (though the original will of course remain, since cc).

*No desire to touch the OGL.

*1D&D is an evolution of 5e, which could be 5.5, but could be a lot of things.

*Ease of play part of the goals for 1D&D.

*The "3d" VTT is still there. But additive, as in if people still buy books, they will still make them.

*The separate digital team is still there (but are they the bad faction??)

*Reliance on the community to push back against offensive material, or dumb facebook D&D rip-offs.

*Commitment to inclusive language, with dedicated reviews of all future products and reprints.

 

[Clint_L]

*1D&D is an evolution of 5e, which could be 5.5, but could be a lot of things.

He said that oneD&D is 5e, and vice versa.

This does not seem ambiguous. They have used the evolution analogy since the first reveal of OneD&D. It means that 5e will get tweaks and updates over time, but no break as with previous editions. This has already been happening for nine years; it's why you can now play a Tortle Artificer.

 

[darjr]

He said that oneD&D is 5e, and vice versa.

This does not seem ambiguous. They have used the evolution analogy since the first reveal of OneD&D. It means that 5e will get tweaks and updates over time, but no break as with previous editions. This has already been happening for nine years; it's why you can now play an Artificer.

Yea. I think this is important.
Also he didn’t seem to care if people called it 5.5 or 6e.

Also note the community making an influence with Kobold Press on the use of the word race.

 

[I'm A Banana]

*No desire to touch the OGL.

A big mark of the success of this campaign was how tired the man seemed when the idea of touching the OGL again came up.

I also felt that exhaustion in his response about how WotC is relying on the "community" to enforce community standards.

I dunno how long Kyle's gonna stick around, but I think this whole thing was a lot at least for him. It's like he showed up to a new job in month 2 or so and was told to fix the biggest idiot move they've done in at least 5 years. If his level of professionally and politely annoyed is any indication, I trust that no one else wants to open this pandora's box, at least until a true 6e comes around.