D&D (2024) D&D Player's Handbook Video Redactions & Takedowns

There's a lot of YouTube videos looking at the brand new Player's Handbook right now, and some of them include the YouTuber in question flipping through the new book on screen. A couple of those video creators have been asked by WotC to redact some of the content of their videos, with one finding that their video had been taken down entirely due to copyright claims from the company. It appears to be the folks who are flipping through the whole book on-screen who are running into this issue which, it seems, is based on piracy concerns.

Jorphdan posted on Twitter that "Despite fulfilling [WotC's] requests for the flip through video I was issues a copyright strike on my channel. Three strikes TERMINATES your channel. I don't think going over the 2024 PHB is worth losing my channel I've been working on since 2017. I'm pretty upset as none of this was said up front and when notified I did comply with their requirements. And I see other creators still have their videos up. Videos that are not unlike mine. Covering WotC is not worth losing my channel... Meanwhile please subscribe to my D&D free channel the Jocular Junction, where I'll most likely be making the majority of my TTRPG videos."

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Mike Shea, aka Sly Flourish, also posted a walkthrough of the Player's Handbook. While he didn't receive a copyright takedown action, after an email from WotC he has blurred out all the page images. "Note, I blurred out pictures of the book after Hasbro sent me an email saying they worried people would take screenshots of the book and build their own. Yes, it's complete b******t, but we must all do our part to ensure four billion dollar companies maximize shareholder value."

Popular YouTuber DnD Shorts had a video entitled 100% Walkthrough of the New Player's Handbook in D&D. That video is no longer available. However, his full spoilers review is still online.

 

[Minigiant]

Again most small publishers don't have to deal with an influencer who is naively at best and maliciously at worst posting every page of their new book slowly in front of a camera at the same time a dozen of influencers are does normal responsible flip-throughs.

WOTC really should have been clearer on their guidelines due to their size. You're not some little 10 man game publisher. You have to be more professional and straight.

But this feels like it is one or two guys ruining it for everyone by poking the bear.

I can't get into their minds to say if it was on possible to cause WOTC harm. However modern social media pushes some influencers to be irresponsible or harmful and if allowed to do it too often, innocents will get caught in the crossfire.

And if people use WOTC's bad actions to gloss over that, the mindset will eventually roll down and hit a small publisher.

And then what?

 

[SlyFlourish]

Ah thank you! Will watch that.

I am already curious about City of Arches.

Yay! Check it out. It's awesome =)

 

[SlyFlourish]

So here is the SlyFlourish video that is blurred:


And the problem for my trying to measure the percentage is with the blurring, I can't really tell how many pages he had shown initially. From a brief fast forward I can say it's a lot of pages. But I don't know how many it was. Seemed like more than half the book but I can't even confirm that.

I think he made a good video full of worthwhile content though, for what that is worth.

I wonder if the distinction here is all three videos which we know WOTC had issues with them showed the full screen full pages. However guys like Alphastream had it in a small side window, where you never had a page take up 75% of the screen?

I didn't count. I barely covered classes or subclasses which is a huge chunk of the book. I barely went into spells at all which is the other big chunk of the book. The amount of material i went over didn't go beyond what I would expect to be able to preview for any book.

 

[mamba]

epic video on the 2024 PHB from the alexandrian after picking one up at gencon

2 Ennies, good for him, and good for him to talk about other TTRPGs instead, clearly WotC does not want any help promoting their books anyway

 

[Arilyn]

Yay! Check it out. It's awesome =)

I'm really excited for your City of Arches. It looks so cool and fun. And very generous preview packet.

 

[Nightfly]

You know, I've given WotC the benefit of the doubt. As bad as the OGL debacle was, I defended them for backing more than 100% of the way off, making the game more open than it was previously. I'm not a torch and ptchfork guy.

But I've had it with WotC. They're treating my local FLGS like crap. They're treating Sly Flourish like crap. They're the villains of this adventure. They won't get another dime out of me.

I really like 5e, and I like what I've seen of 5.5. Even though I have everything I need digitally nowadays, I would certainly have bought the new PHB, MM, and DMG just to have them in physical form, and to support my game store. But no longer. Besides, my local group is considering switching to Pathfinder because WotC is refusing to support our store which has hosted multiple 5e tables for a decade, so it might be a moot point.

They don't seem to want my business and I'm happy to oblige.

 

[JonM]

Yay! Check it out. It's awesome =)

Just backed it. It looks great! Good preview, too. And only one click.

 

[Corinnguard]

DnDShorts probably shouldn't have done a flip through of every page, but his was a mistake of the amateur content creator and a passionate fan.

Most of DnD Shorts' videos have him enthusiastically talking about character builds, classes, species, etc. His videos also have him talking about upcoming Kickstarters. It was because of him that I learned about Ryoko's Guide to the Yokai Realms Kickstarter and decided to back it.

I'd still like the details of what happened with SlyFlourish but I don't think they were burning anything with DNDShorts. And I like DNDShorts, and I got something valuable from his videos about D&D. But he's not WOTC's partner or fan.

You have a really interesting way of liking DnD Shorts. Why would he go and hurt his own reputation as a content creator by doing what you claim him to be doing?

 

[Mistwell]

You have a really interesting way of liking DnD Shorts. Why would he go and hurt his own reputation as a content creator by doing what you claim him to be doing?

How is his reputation being hurt?

Are you suggesting he views himself as a fan and partner of WOTC?

 

[Cergorach]

How is his reputation being hurt?

Are you suggesting he views himself as a fan and partner of WOTC?

Possible copyright strike on YouTube (have three of those and you're out!)? This behavior might influence other (potential) partners from ever working with him in the future. And whether or not he views himself a WOTC partner or not, he effectively is by accepting the early access to PHB and accepting/signing the NDA he got with that. Many viewers will also look at it that way... WotC gave him a special position, he could just not have accepted that if he's that much anti-WotC. And he might not be earning any money from the videos directly, but it will have attracted new viewers that might stay for videos he will earn money on. And without this leak of a full D&D PHB pdf made from DnDShorts screenshots I would never even have heard on the DnD Shorts channel...

Don't be naive DnD Shorts is reaping a benefit from this, it's all hype/marketing. He might not have intended it that way, he might not see it that way, but it's the reality of the matter.