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Message: <blockquote data-quote="SlyFlourish" data-source="post: 9409044" data-attributes="member: 54840">WOTC has done a lot in the last 18 months or so to improve the larger TTRPG hobby while also strengthening their already substantial position in the industry. Adding other 5e publishers to D&D Beyond strengthens their central digital pillar for the game and most everyone seems to think that's universally a good thing. I worry about it but I seem to be one of the few. We don't know the details of their license agreements with these outside publishers but we know they're not exclusive licenses so that's good.<a href="https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1717-2024-core-rulebooks-to-expand-the-srd" target="_blank">WOTC also recommitted to releasing a new 5.2 SRD in the Creative Commons at the end of February 2024</a>. That's fantastic. They've partnered with <a href="https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/bundle/31887/dandd-core-rulebook-bundle-2024" target="_blank">Roll20</a>, <a href="https://foundryvtt.com/packages/dnd-players-handbook" target="_blank">Foundry</a>, and <a href="https://www.fantasygrounds.com/store/productbundle.php?bundleid=WOTC50BUNDLE" target="_blank">Fantasy Grounds</a> to release D&D 2024 rules on all three of those platforms – which could definitely be considered competing platforms to D&D Beyond. That, I think, is great for the hobby. They went through the substantial effort to <a href="https://www.dndbeyond.com/community-update#AutumnCommunityUpdate" target="_blank">release the 5.1 SRD into a total of five languages</a>: English, Spanish, Italian, German, and French. They continue to release their major products as books – the most durable and long-lasting format for games. The licenses they use for other 5e publishers on D&D Beyond is a non-exclusive license. They also put out <a href="https://dnd.wizards.com/resources/educators" target="_blank">free educator resources</a>, free materials, and special deals to after-school clubs – good for them and good for the hobby.So I'd say since the end of the OGL fiasco, they've done a lot of great work – some of which can't be turned back should a new administration come into control and decide to pull things back. Releasing the core books physically and releasing the 5.2 SRD into the CC are good <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_pact" target="_blank">Ulysses pacts</a>. Foundry modules are also hard to pull back since you can download them locally and they don't phone-home for continued access.But lots of people have changed. Kyle Brink isn't there anymore. We have a new <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/new-wotc-president-is-world-of-warcrafts-john-hight.705558/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter" target="_blank">WOTC president, John Hight</a>. I don't know much about <a href="https://www.adweek.com/convergent-tv/dungeons-dragons-50th-anniversary-stranger-things/" target="_blank">Jess Lanzillo, the new D&D Vice President</a>. Lots of things can change. Lots of senior-level decisions can change things. For 20 years WOTC seemed fine with the OGL, even reinforcing its use with the 5.1 SRD in 2016. Then, all of a sudden, they didn't like it. Now they like the CC. Who knows what's going on inside to shift these opinions so much.I think the hobby is stronger now than it's ever been and more resilient to the shifting whims of corporate executives than ever before. I'm really glad things turned out how they did with the SRD going into the CC. I applaud WOTC's recent efforts to expand the hobby beyond their own interests and I hope they continue to do so!</blockquote>

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