So really, at this point? That's it for me. In my estimation, WotC and I are at the fork in the road where we exchange Mutual Screw Yous. It's not new to me -- it's happened twice before during my time as a gamer. Indeed, I have spent much more of the past 43+ years NOT playing D&D (and playing some other FRPG game system) than I have playing a D&D branded product. (Roughly only 1/3rd of that time actively playing some form of D&D branded game).
I actually don't see any dissonance between this response and not giving an inch. I'm largely in total agreement with everything you just shared.
WotC probably
isn't persuadable on the non-negotiable stuff for the community, but that doesn't mean we need to stand outside WotC offices with pitchforks. Honestly, going somewhere else and having a great time sends a stronger message. For myself, I'm either playing
Level Up or
EZD6—I haven't run a game of 5e in years, and I haven't played a game of 5e that wasn't heavily hacked in years. I'm mildly miffed that I might lose some disposable income if the OGL issue prevents me from continuing to write for
Level Up's Gate Pass Gazette, but "mildly miffed" isn't nearly in the ballpark of "spending more than a moment's energy on this particular concern." I also don't have a DnDBeyond subscription, never intended to get one, and I'm going to keep writing content for fun as the whim strikes me, whether or not I have an outlet to monetize that writing.
In essence, I think "fighting the good fight" for most people is literally just, when the situation comes up, saying "OGL 1.0(a) or nothing," and then getting on with their lives. Of course, I very intentionally avoided telling people
how to stick it to WotC in my original post because I think most everyone's different methods are equally "right," at least for that individual, and it wasn't my goal to get everyone on a particular train looking to collide with WotC headquarters. I was just trying to do what I hoped was painfully obvious and raise the standard: OGL 1.0(a). We don't
need WotC to carry on the spirit of the OGL 1.0(a); we sure as heck don't need Dungeons and Dragons as a brand to carry on a culture of sharing and creativity, or to have awesome adventures; so that standard for some people might be a literal, direct goal, while for others it's a mindset that, hopefully, will be carried on elsewhere (ORC, perhaps), and it would be nice if WotC decides to join in and play nice, but certainly not necessary.
I imagine this response isn't nearly as impassioned or combative as some might expect, based on my post that started off this thread, but I don't think this is a fight that needs to be combative. It's best fought by people with a firm commitment to the community and culture we love going where that culture is strongest and where we find the most enjoyment and collaboration. I think the people who are fighting for compromise (with WotC specifically) don't realize they are fighting for an environment that will actively stifle that, and will hurt them more than anyone else if they stay there. (Maybe. I, of course, don't know any of them personally. Perhaps they don't need the warning and enjoy standing in the shadow of surveillance.)
