It is time to forgive WOTC and get back onboard.

[darjr]

Paizo was not a problem for them. Or else they'd have tried this during 4e in order to shut Paizo down. What WotC just did was an attempt to control 5e(minor goal) and much more importantly, gain full control over the VTT arena(major goal). The older editions were just collateral damage and not a target of WotC.

Honestly I don't think either of those fit. I don't have a better option to offer as to why they did this, however.

I do think that within wotc there were some that were earnest about the "hate" part and some that thought clawing back revenue from 3pp was a good idea too.

But the essential reason? I don't think we really know yet.

 

[EthanSental]

This post/topic was good in a way as it allowed the people still upset with the OGL fiasco to keep venting as it shows it’s still needed.

Come on guys, we can do better and enjoy this fantastic hobby, focus on the positive and less on the negative. The positive by WoTC over the last 25 years far outweigh this 3 week span.

 

[mamba]

How was the D&D IP not theirs?

The IP part of D&D is not covered by the OGL, so that is irrelevant. What the OGL covers are game mechanics (largely not copyright protected) and their take on public domain stuff like fighters, wizards, lizardmen, dwarves, dragons, trolls.... much of this too would not be copyright protected, but since the OGL shielded it from anyone ever having to find out, we have no idea what part would actually be protected, if any

 

[Maxperson]

Honestly I don't think either of those fit. I don't have a better option to offer as to why they did this, however.

I do think that within wotc there were some that were earnest about the "hate" part and some that thought clawing back revenue from 3pp was a good idea too.

But the essential reason? I don't think we really know yet.

If you look at the leaked language, they were very clear to separate out the media that isn't PDF or paper. Then the revised version very deliberately excluded VTT and kept that in a format where they could change it however they liked and limited what other VTT providers could do by using a very narrow and absurd definition of video game. And all of this not long after they spent 146 million on DDB.

VTT was their primary target. I'm confident of that.

 

[Parmandur]

If you look at the leaked language, they were very clear to separate out the media that isn't PDF or paper. Then the revised version very deliberately excluded VTT and kept that in a format where they could change it however they liked and limited what other VTT providers could do by using a very narrow and absurd definition of video game. And all of this not long after they spent 146 million on DDB.

VTT was their primary target. I'm confident of that.

The VP of Digital, who managed the (stupendously successful) development of Magic Arena and is leading the VTT initiative was picked out by rumors as being the driver behind all this.

 

[darjr]

If you look at the leaked language, they were very clear to separate out the media that isn't PDF or paper. Then the revised version very deliberately excluded VTT and kept that in a format where they could change it however they liked and limited what other VTT providers could do by using a very narrow and absurd definition of video game. And all of this not long after they spent 146 million on DDB.

VTT was their primary target. I'm confident of that.

Yea, that's a good analysis. I don't really have an issue with it. Except the elephant in the room.

Who where they afraid of?

Roll20, the biggest and best fundeded and staffed of the competitors with a huge (and now growing fast) library of content? I don't think so. The threat of pulling the contracts with DMSGuild or the products of wotcs on Roll20 would keep them in line, or at least give them pause. And they are a fraction of WotC, purported now a fraction of just the folks they recently hired, many of them to work on this new VTT, on the software and assets and integration elements etc. Also they are backed by a billion dollar company, two, Magic and the rest of Hasbro.

The other VTTs? Many of them have similar contracts with wotc and the rest are tiny one or two man operations at best.

DNDBeyond? Well they solved that vtt issue, both by applying pressure via their contract to get them to mothball their own, and by buying them outright.

Anybody else with even the remotest capabilities of wotc doesn't seem interested at all. EA? Small potatoes, it's beneath them. Any one else? I haven't heard a peep. Have any of ya'll?

It can't be future competitors, cause if so why pull the trigger now? Why not wait for the new revision to drop?

It doesn't add up.

 

[Maxperson]

Yea, that's a good analysis. I don't really have an issue with it. Except the elephant in the room.

Who where they afraid of?

Roll20, the biggest and best fundeded and staffed of the competitors with a huge (and now growing fast) library of content? I don't think so. The threat of pulling the contracts with DMSGuild or the products of wotcs on Roll20 would keep them in line, or at least give them pause. And they are a fraction of WotC, purported now a fraction of just the folks they recently hired, many of them to work on this new VTT, on the software and assets and integration elements etc. Also they are backed by a billion dollar company, two, Magic and the rest of Hasbro.

Foundry is pretty good. I also don't think they necessarily need to be aimed at someone current. They were likely heading off another Paizo at the pass and/or just wanted to have a monopoly on D&D content on VTT. They want to heavily monetize DDB and that's a way to do that.

It can't be future competitors, cause if so why pull the trigger now? Why not wait for the new revision to drop?

Why now? Because of the pretty solid legal argument that if you are using 1.0a you can continue to use it even if it is deauthorized. For them to head off any future issue, they had to act before that competitor started up.

 

[darjr]

Foundry is pretty good. I also don't think they necessarily need to be aimed at someone current. They were likely heading off another Paizo at the pass and/or just wanted to have a monopoly on D&D content on VTT. They want to heavily monetize DDB and that's a way to do that.

Why now? Because of the pretty solid legal argument that if you are using 1.0a you can continue to use it even if it is deauthorized. For them to head off any future issue, they had to act before that competitor started up.

Foundry is no wotc. Not by a mile. I'm just talking in raw recources however. Just the marketing alone could drown out foundry. I can't really take that as a serious threat to them.

But who? According to what we know the internal 3d vtt has been in the works since at least before the dndbeyond purchase and possibly a lot longer. Who else would even consider a vtt to but heads against wotc?

 

[Maxperson]

Foundry is no wotc. Not by a mile. I'm just talking in raw recources however. Just the marketing alone could drown out foundry. I can't really take that as a serious threat to them.

But who? According to what we know the internal 3d vtt has been in the works since at least before the dndbeyond purchase and possibly a lot longer. Who else would even consider a vtt to but heads against wotc?

Paizo might. But here's another thought. If they truly do monetize DDB in an in-app purchases sort of way and start making big money, you might see a software company like Bethesda or Blizzard look closely. Those places have the money and better resources of the type to build a VTT in order to challenge WotC.

 

[darjr]

Paizo might. But here's another thought. If they truly do monetize DDB in an in-app purchases sort of way and start making big money, you might see a software company like Bethesda or Blizzard look closely. Those places have the money and better resources of the type to build a VTT in order to challenge WotC.

True, but that's a lot of maybes and they'd be years behind. And that's only after the wotc VTT proves a success which might take years as well. And even then for them It'd be a much smaller market and a big gamble. I can't see wotc being this afraid of them right now.

And then they'd only have access to what is in the SRD identified as OGC.