So how do we respond?

[Vaalingrade]

An unrevocable, unfettered, completely open license to use someone else’s IP would actually be a pretty terrible thing. ‘Open’ to all sorts of abuse.

Mr. TheSword? The Public Domain is on Line 1.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Mr. TheSword? The Public Domain is on Line 1.

Yeah that really kind of nukes his point from orbit. It's not generally profitable to "abuse" open stuff outside of extremely rare edge(lord) cases. (C.f. upcoming Winnie the Pooh slasher movie lol, but for every one of of those, there are a literally a thousand uncontroversial uses of Public Domain material.)

In fact the worst abuse is usually someone contriving to steal something that's open. Looking at you, Oracle, you utter unmitigated scoundrels.

 

[MoonSong]

I was thinking, has anybody thought of making a complaint to the FTC? I'm not in the position to do so, but those in the US could?

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I was thinking, has anybody thought of making a complaint to the FTC? I'm not in the position to do so, but those in the US could?

I mean, I don't think it would work, but even if it would, that'd need to be "after the fact", so you'd want to wait on that.

 

[Solauren]

I went 'no' to 4e, didn't bother with 5e, and didn't bother with Pathfinder 2e.
I have enough d20/3.0/3.5 stuff that I have never used in game that I've never been concerned about adding new content.

I own all the Paizo adventure paths up to the end of PF1E, and have only played through three of them so far.

I have entire campaign worlds I've never even touched.

So this doesn't really effect me.

My advice for everyone - if WOTC is taking a naughty word on the industry, just get all their pre5e stuff, and get all the OGL stuff you can, and just enjoy that until the end of your natural life. There is more then enough out there already.

 

[CapnZapp]

So what should our actions be? Immediately stop buying products, boycott WotC events, shun the D&D movie, buy 3PP products instead, ignore content creators who stick to D&D products in favor of those supporting other game systems or OGL derivatives, go back to OD&D 1974 with diaglo ... what? What say you?

Doesn't matter what you do. Do continue to consume WotC products if you enjoy them. Or boycott them if you like being up in arms over things.

What will matter is that by the time of D&D One's release at GenCon 2024, there will be several juicy competitors offering a D&D like experience without the trappy legal contracts. And again, this will happen regardless of what you do personally.

Then you can make a difference, by opting to buy and play non-WotC content.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Or boycott them if you like being up in arms over things.

What an awful way to characterize this.

 

[Hex08]

if you like being up in arms over things.

Or if you have a strongly held opinion or a moral stance that you feel obligated to defend. Or any of probably dozens of other reasons people may have.

 

[CapnZapp]

Or if you have a strongly held opinion or a moral stance that you feel obligated to defend. Or any of probably dozens of other reasons people may have.

Sure.

I didn't want to focus on enumerating a complete set. My point was to say that it is the sales of D&D One, and how much of a market share the competitors collectively will steal from it, that will ultimately decide the "success" of this OGL malarkey.