Ryan Dancey -- Hasbro Cannot Deauthorize OGL

I reached out to the architect of the original Open Gaming License, former VP of Wizard of the Coast, Ryan Dancey, and asked his opinion about the current plan by WotC to 'deauthorize' the current OGL in favour of a new one.

He responded as follows:

Yeah my public opinion is that Hasbro does not have the power to deauthorize a version of the OGL. If that had been a power that we wanted to reserve for Hasbro, we would have enumerated it in the license. I am on record numerous places in email and blogs and interviews saying that the license could never be revoked.

Ryan also maintains the Open Gaming Foundation.

As has been noted previously, even WotC in its own OGL FAQ did not believe at the time that the licence could be revoked.

7. Can't Wizards of the Coast change the License in a way that I wouldn't like?

Yes, it could. However, the License already defines what will happen to content that has been previously distributed using an earlier version, in Section 9. As a result, even if Wizards made a change you disagreed with, you could continue to use an earlier, acceptable version at your option. In other words, there's no reason for Wizards to ever make a change that the community of people using the Open Gaming License would object to, because the community would just ignore the change anyway.

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[Dias Ex Machina]

The OGL was written before Hasbro took them over. It was intended to be irrevocable but that word was missing from the original OGL.

As a result, Hasbro believes they have legal grounds to cancel it and end all 3pp support that is not under their complete control.

The OGL was absolutely intended to be irrevocable, but because the people who wrote it failed to add that language, we are now in this mess twenty three years later thanks to a parent company that had decided to naughty word over a large aspect of the industry.

 

[TheSword]

Well it’s an open license - in so far as it’s open to anyone. Not that it is unfettered by obligations.

 

[Scribe]

I dint think either of those Paizo video games use the OGL or any SRD material.

They certainly do.

And Wrath of the Righteous is better than anything Wizards has been associated with in the gaming space for decades, and its not even close.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

What I strongly dislike is that they're doing it in a way that pretends to be open. Calling this new restrictive license "OGL"

I will say that I would be MORE lenient on my dislike of how this is going on if they came out and said "We found a loophole to close the ogl, and are putting up a new more restrictive license"

 

[Alzrius]

The OGL was written before Hasbro took them over. It was intended to be irrevocable but that word was missing from the original OGL.

Was it? Hasbro acquired WotC in 1999, and I don't think they'd drafted the OGL before then.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

They certainly do.

And Wrath of the Righteous is better than anything Wizards has been associated with in the gaming space for decades, and its not even close.

are they computer or consul and do you have links (I am googling wrath of righteous now) even as conflicted as i am, I feel I should buy SOMETHING from piazo today

 

[Scribe]

are they computer or consul and do you have links (I am googling wrath of righteous now) even as conflicted as i am, I feel I should buy SOMETHING from piazo today

I play on PC, not sure about consoles, but I cannot recommend it more if you are into this style of game. Its fantastic.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Was it? Hasbro acquired WotC in 1999, and I don't think they'd drafted the OGL before then.

You are correct. WotC got D&D in 97 (I thought it was 99) and Hasbro got them in 99 (I for some reason thought it was 2002)

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I play on PC, not sure about consoles, but I cannot recommend it more if you are into this style of game. Its fantastic.

for $50 I would buy it today even if I didn't play it... not a fan of pathfinder, but I want to support them today more then ever. Just in case.

 

[Reynard]

for $50 I would buy it today even if I didn't play it... not a fan of pathfinder, but I want to support them today more then ever. Just in case.

Alternatively buy a Pathfinder Beginner Box and a Starfinder Beginner Box and donate them to a local library or school game club. Same money and longer impact.