If you like that, they also have a
very clear description of exactly what their content guidelines are, which could pretty easily be used word for word in the new proposed OGL 1.2 (or at least a strong basis):
What are other rules or requirements for my content?
More than a platform, Dungeon Masters Guild is a
license of Wizards of the Coast’s fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. Because titles published under the DMsGuild license are strongly associated with Wizards of the Coast, they must follow content guidelines intended to protect the Dungeons & Dragons brand. Please read below for specific guidance for all Community titles added to our catalog December 2020 or later. If you have questions or concerns about these guidelines, please e-mail
dmsguild@onebookshelf.com.
This license does not allow:
- Racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, discriminatory, or other bigoted views or hate speech.
- No mentions or implications of rape or other forms of sexual assault as defined by RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network). Content warning: This link details definitions of assault, rape, force, etc.
- Mentions of overt real-world political organizations or individuals. For example: A parody of a politician is ok, but the exact likeness and name of that politician is not.
- Gratuitously explicit depictions or descriptions of harm being done to children, especially such descriptions that cannot be distinguished from real life. For example: A scene that details how a human bandit tortures a child after kidnapping them is not ok. A reference to monstrous hags luring children into a forest is ok with no “on-screen” depictions of harm. A scenario involving a human bandit restraining but not harming a young prince to abduct him for ransom is acceptable.
- Explicit descriptions of sexual acts. Any reference to sex or suggestive behavior by or targeting creatures under the age of consent in their respective fantasy cultures.
- Sexually-derived or excessive profanity.
- Illegal and Infringing content. It is the content creator’s responsibility to ensure that their content does not violate laws, or copyright, trademark, privacy, or other rights.
- Create, don’t copy. We reserve the right to stop publishing and selling your work if we think it goes against the spirit of the Dungeon Masters Guild program. All authors should respectfully use the content originally created by Wizards of the Coast or other Dungeon Masters Guild creators. For example, if a Dungeon Masters Guild author releases a trilogy of adventures, and another author takes those three adventures, compiles them, and republishes them as a single collection, without substantive original additions or changes, then we would stop publishing and selling that collected work because it adds no value to the Dungeon Masters Guild community content. It’s simply one author copying another author’s work and looking to make a royalty on it.
This license does not allow artwork that depicts:
- Real or simulated sexual acts (including manual, oral, anal, vaginal, etc.).
- Full nudity or exposed genitals. The region of the breast, coded for any gender, that contains the nipple and areola must be covered by an opaque material and not be visible as an outline through that material.
- Extreme gore, mutilation of body parts, and intense violence. Some fantasy and unrealistic violence allowed. For example: Bloodless dismemberment is acceptable.
D&D historically has touched on dark or mature themes. To help you navigate the boundaries of what is listed above, here are just a few examples of what is allowed:
This license allows:
- Alcohol use, tobacco use, and fantasy drug references. For example: A phosphorescent mushroom that produces hallucinatory effects when eaten is allowed. A reference to a real-world drug like cocaine is not allowed.
- Suggestive themes, including references or non-explicit depictions of sexual behavior in written material and any same-sex or gender-queer expressions of said behavior.
- Depictions of disease, physical illness, and mental illness that are respectful of the dignity and personhood of real-life individuals with similar illnesses.
Please keep in mind that your DMsGuild customers will have varying degrees of comfort with these themes and others. When in doubt, we highly recommend including a Content Warning in your product description to list any mature or controversial themes and always treating such themes with thoughtfulness and respect.
This resource gives some instruction on how to give an effective content warning.
If a creator violates one of the guidelines above, a DMsGuild staff member will contact them to address changes, potentially deactivating the title from sale until necessary changes are made or working with the creator to move their title to another platform provided it follows the Open Gaming License. Violations identified by our internal team or reported by customers are reviewed by Dungeon Masters Guild employees. Questionable violations are reviewed by the OneBookShelf team and discussed with the author.
It is always our goal for the guidelines above to be all encompassing of all content produced for all time. However, we must recognize the possibility a future title could shed light on a guideline we had not considered. As such, these guidelines are subject to change, and such changes are made with serious consideration and external feedback/consultation. Creators are expected to adhere to the most recent version of these guidelines.
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