Beholders, Mind Flayers, and Strahd von Zarovich Released Into Creative Commons (Kinda)

In the 5.1 SRD that just got released into the Creative Commons is a bunch of IP including Count Strahd von Zarovich, the Feywild, the Shadowfell, the City of Brass, Palace of Dispater, Street of Steel, Gate of Ashes, and the Sea of Fire. The beholder is also specifically referenced by name in the Deck of Illusions, and Mind Flayers and Slaad are also referenced--at least by name--repeatedly in the document.

Here's a link to the content released to CC.

WotC Backs Down: Original OGL To Be Left Untouched; Whole 5E Rules Released as Creative Commons

Hundreds of game publishers sigh in relief as, after extensive pressure exerted by the entire open gaming community, WotC has agreed to leave the original Open Gaming License untouched and put the whole of the 5E rules into Creative Commons. So, what's happened? The Open Gaming Licence v1.0a...

www.enworld.org

What does that mean? Under OGL v1.0a terms like this were generally designated as ‘Product Identity’ and were unavailable for use. The CC license has no such provision. This means that those using the OGL cannot (still) use terms designated as PI, but those using the CC can use the full content of the document released under it.

Only the names of these creatures and places are contained in the document--so you can't use Strahd's image or stat block or description, nor can you use those of the beholder, etc. But it does appear that you can refer to these items.

 

[Haplo781]

You had my interest, but now you have my attention.

It's called Bloody Willie.

 

[Scribe]

good question but the investors certainly made some noise along those lines.

 

[niklinna]

It's called Bloody Willie.

If I could give that two emojis, I would. You can guess which ones!

 

[Steampunkette]

good question but the investors certainly made some noise along those lines.

Alta Fox is part of the reason this whole thing happened. Capitalizing on the calamity their domino set off is just par for the course with jerks like them.

 

[Haplo781]

Alta Fox is part of the reason this whole thing happened. Capitalizing on the calamity their domino set off is just par for the course with jerks like them.

WotC would be better off without Hasbro leeching off their success.

 

[Dungeonosophy]

Kudos to the true gamers within WOTC who slipped this through. Well done, fellow adventurers!

I'm still sticking to my lifetime boycott anyway.

Because when I see the Wizards or Hasbro brand, I immediately picture 6-figure-execs and cigar-smoking absentee investors who are thinking:

"You smarty-pants tabletop gamers may've won this time, but we'd backstab and gaslight you, and turn you into micro-transaction-plugged-in chumps, so that we could effortlessly extract our money from your pockets, if we could. We tried before, and we'll try again."

And also because: I have $120 worth of Level Up: Advanced Fifth Edition products already on the way, being shipped from Britain.

And I've already announced to my players that I'm switching the whole campaign over to A5E...so: see ya WOTC!

Note: since surly WOTC refused to affirm the word "irrevocable", OGL 1.0a is still gonna be forever shakey. Even though we can be pretty sure that Hasbro will "leave it untouched" for awhile (e.g. 10 or 20 years). It's broken. Trustwise.

So I cannot picture the ORC Alliance backing down from their aim to make a new open license. Speaking as the CEO of Twelvefold Works Publishing, we’re not gonna turn on Hasbro’s dime.

What will change though, is that the CC content will make it easier and clearer for the ORC Alliance members to discern what terminology to use when publishing their own SRDs under the ORC License.

I'm glad that the CC 5.1 SRD will forever be there for us in making non-WOTC 5E-adjacent RPGs, OSR RPGs (modeling any and all editions), Strahd spin-off novels, etc!

Thanks to the "hidden Ryan Danceys" (Bothan spies) on the D&D creative team who finally pushed this through, tumbling through the shieldwall of the oafish execs.

To Jeremy Crawford, Chris Perkins, and other creative allies: someday when you're old and gray, and no-one cares about NDAs/serverance agreements anymore, let's gather round the World Serpent Inn (or will it be the Inn of the Last Home, the Yawning Portal, the Shady Dragon Inn, the Green Dragon Inn, or the Comeback Inn?), and tell us the whole story!

 

[Steampunkette]

WotC would be better off without Hasbro leeching off their success.

Is a perfectly valid position to have.

But Alta Fox can go eat the south end of a north bound catoblepas. If they hadn't done their ridiculous "Activist Investor" schtick in an attempt to get more control and more money for themselves in the short-term we might not have -had- this entire situation.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Speaking of losing jobs, I wonder if there will be a shakeup among WotC executives over this?

I suspect this dramatic change in direction means someone already has.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Big speech

Ok bye.

 

[Steampunkette]

Kudos to the true gamers within WOTC who slipped this through. Well done, fellow adventurers!

I'm still sticking to my lifetime boycott anyway.
Because when I see the Wizards or Hasbro brand, I immediately picture 6-figure-execs and cigar-smoking absentee investors who are thinking:

"You smarty-pants tabletop gamers may've won this time, but we'd backstab and gaslight you, and turn you into micro-transaction-plugged-in chumps, so that we could effortlessly extract our money from your pockets, if we could. We tried before, and we'll try again."

And also because: I have $120 worth of Level Up: Advanced Fifth Edition products already on the way, being shipped from Britain.

And I've already announced to my players that I'm switching the whole campaign over to A5E...so: see ya WOTC!

Note: since surly WOTC refused to affirm the word "irrevocable", OGL 1.0a is still gonna be forever shakey. Even though we can be pretty sure that Hasbro will "leave it untouched" for awhile (e.g. 10 or 20 years). It's broken. Trustwise.

So I cannot picture the ORC Alliance backing down from their aim to make a new open license. What will change though, is that the CC content will make it easier and clearer for the ORC Alliance members to discern what terminology to use when publishing their own SRDs under the ORC License.

I'm glad that the CC 5.1 SRD will forever be there for us in making non-WOTC 5E-adjacent RPGs, OSR RPGs (modeling any and all editions), Strahd spin-off novels, etc!

Thanks to the "hidden Ryan Danceys" (Bothan spies) on the D&D creative team who finally pushed this through, tumbling through the shieldwall of the oafish execs.

To Jeremy Crawford, Chris Perkins, and other creative allies: someday when you're old and gray, and no-one cares about NDAs/serverance agreements anymore, let's gather round the World Serpent Inn (or will it be the Inn of the Last Home, the Yawning Portal, the Shady Dragon Inn, the Green Dragon Inn, or the Comeback Inn?), and tell us the whole story!

As long as you're picking up $120 of A5e, what's another $50? >.>

Ok bye.

Inappropriate. Please leave the thread.