The Day Has Come! It's An OGL! And A Store To Buy & Sell D&D 5E Products!

The day has finally come! WotC has just announced a Dungeon Master's Guild. "There’s a new way to buy and share D&D adventures. With the Dungeon Master’s Guild, you’ll be able to self-publish material set in the Forgotten Realms using monsters, spells, characters, and locations." You can self-publish D&D materials, and buy, sell, and share it. It's a partnership between WotC and OBS (the company which runs DTRPG and RPGNow) and they take 50% of the revenue. The guild is only accepting 5E material set in the Forgotten Realms. Not only that, but there's also a new SRD (System Reference Document) for use with the Open Gaming License (OGL)!

The day has finally come! WotC has just announced a Dungeon Master's Guild. "There’s a new way to buy and share D&D adventures. With the Dungeon Master’s Guild, you’ll be able to self-publish material set in the Forgotten Realms using monsters, spells, characters, and locations." You can self-publish D&D materials, and buy, sell, and share it. It's a partnership between WotC and OBS (the company which runs DTRPG and RPGNow) and they take 50% of the revenue. The guild is only accepting 5E material set in the Forgotten Realms. Not only that, but there's also a new SRD (System Reference Document) for use with the Open Gaming License (OGL)!

So the store, called the Dungeon Master's Guild, is here. It already has some stuff in it. The System Reference Document is here. I'm sure that over the coming days, there will be plenty of in-depth analysis of what all this means. The SRD is an enormous 360-page PDF containing the rules of the game - as yet I haven't had chance to look closely art what's there and what's not. You have two options - publish under the OGL using the SRD, or publish in the Dungeon Master's Guild. The former lets you do more varied stuff, while the latter has tempting nuggets like the possibility of publication by WotC. The OGL route - as far as I can see at first glance - doesn't offer a way to indicate compatibility, or any kind of logo you can use.

There's a bunch of information on the DG (I'll call it that for the moment, because typing out the whole thing is already getting arduous - we need an acronym, and DMG is already taken!), and here are the salient points as far as I can tell:

  • You can use a bunch of WotC's IP, including brand names and other vital stuff.
  • It's affiliated with DTRPG, and if you charge money it costs you 50% of your revenue (DTRPG normally charges 40% or so).
  • There are resources - templates stock art, et. you can use.
  • Your work has to be set in the Forgotten Realms. Additional settings may open up later. [UPDATE - you can publish setting agnostic stuff, but if it's in a setting, that setting must be FR]
  • You have to agree to a Community Content Agreement (below).
  • You cannot sell your stuff elsewhere. It's an exclusive deal.
  • You keep ownership of your own IP, but others can use it.
  • Your work might be selected for use in an official D&D product or video game.
  • There's no approval process, but they reserve the right to withhold payment and pull your content if you break the content guidelines.



DMsGuild-Logo.png


[h=4]The Community Content Agreement[/h]
For those having trouble finding it, here it is:

This Community Content Agreement (this “Agreement”) is a binding agreement between you, the individual identified by your customer account on this website or the legal entity you represent, and OneBookShelf, Inc. (“OBS”) the parent company of website marketplaces including DriveThruRPG, RPGNow and more.


This Agreement covers your participation in and use of the Dungeon Masters Guild and the website, www.DMsGuild.com (the “Program”).
1. Acceptance
You accept this Agreement by clicking “I Agree” to set up and submit a new title (the “Work”) to OBS.


2. Intellectual Property Definitions
(a) Hasbro, Inc. d/b/a Wizards of the Coast LLC (collectively, the “Owner”) has granted OBS the right to use elements of Owner’s Dungeons & Dragon tabletop roleplaying game (“Owner’s IP”) and sublicense certain limited rights to you under the terms of this Agreement.
Owner’s IP includes any and all Dungeons & Dragons tabletop roleplaying materials and content made available to you through the Program including, but not limited to:
Dungeons & Dragons rule sets
Portions and elements of Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings
Artwork and other graphic templates and materials
Owner’s IP may be amended at any time and for any reason whatsoever without liability to you. However, any Work published in the Program prior to the removal of Owner’s IP will not require the removal or amendment of that Work.
(b) “Program IP” shall be defined as any User Generated Content (defined, below) distributed by the Program.
(c) “User Generated Content” shall be defined as the copyrightable elements included in your Work, such as original characters, scenes, locations and events. Per the terms of this Agreement, you expressly agree that your User Generated Content, once submitted to the Program will become Program IP and useable by other members of the Program as well as the Owner as described in this Agreement.

3. Account Information; Account Suspension.

(a) Account Information; No Multiple Accounts. You must have an active user account in order to participate in the Program. You must ensure that all information you provide in connection with establishing your account, such as your name, address and email, is accurate when you provided it, and you must keep it up to date as long as you use the Program. You may maintain only one account at a time. You will not use false identities or impersonate any other person or use a username or password you are not authorized to use. You also consent to our sending you emails related to the Program and other publishing opportunities. This consent regarding contacting you by email takes precedence over any contrary directions you may have given us, including through a Wizards website.
(b) Account Security. You are solely responsible for safeguarding and maintaining the confidentiality of your account username and password and are responsible for all activities that occur under your account, whether or not you have authorized the activities. You may not permit any third party to use the Program through your account and will not use the account of any third party. You agree to immediately notify OneBookShelf.com of any unauthorized use of your username, password or account.
(c) Account Suspension. We may suspend your account or your participation in the Dungeon Masters Guild at any time. You acknowledge that if we do so, you may be prevented from accessing communications and content on the Dungeon Masters Guild. If we suspend your account, you must stop using all Dungeon Masters Guild accounts and you will not create any new accounts.

4. Rights Granted to You.

(a) Subject to your compliance with the terms of this Agreement, OBS grants you the limited, nonexclusive, nontransferable, personal, worldwide and revocable right to use and otherwise incorporate Owner’s IP and Program IP into your Work(s) for distribution through the Program or other platforms and channels at the sole discretion of Owner.
(b) Except for short promotional excerpts used to promote your Work, you may not display, recreate, publish, distribute or sell your Work (or derivatives thereof) outside of the Program administered on OBS websites or through other platforms or channels authorized or offered by Owner.

5. Rights You Grant to OBS

(a) No Reversion. Due to our licensing arrangement with the Owner and the collaborative nature of the Program, you are granting us broad licenses in your Work and your User Generated Content included in your Work, and the rights to your Work will not be reverted once it is published in the Program. You will have the ability through online tools at OBS websites to stop public display and sale of your Work on OBS marketplaces, but not to stop the sale of works of other authors in the Program even when such works use your User Generated Content that you originally created in your Work and thereby became part of the Program IP for other authors to use.
(b) Exclusive License to your Work. Effective as of the date you setup your Work through the Program on OBS’s website, you grant us the exclusive, irrevocable license for the full term of copyright protection available (including renewals), to develop,
license, reproduce, print, publish, distribute, translate, display, publicly perform and transmit your Work, in whole and in part, in each country in the world, in all languages and formats, and by all means now known or later developed, and the right to prepare derivative works of your Work.
(c) Exclusive License to all User Generated Content in your Work. Effective as of the date we first make your Work available through the Program, you grant us the exclusive, irrevocable license for the full term of copyright protection available (including renewals), to all User Generated Content included in your Work. You agree that the User Generated Content is available for unrestricted use by us without any additional compensation, notification or attribution, including that we may allow other Program authors, the Owner and other third parties to use the User Generated Content.
6. Waiver of Claims; Waiver of Moral Rights.
In order to prevent legal claims that could be disruptive to the Program participants or impede the ability of you and other Program authors to participate in the Program, you irrevocably waive any legal claim you may have under any theory of law in any territory that your rights were infringed due to any use of your User Generated Content by us, the Owner or its affiliates, licensees and sublicensees, and/or any other Program authors, including copyright infringement. This waiver does not apply to royalty payments we may owe you under Section 7. You also irrevocably waive any moral rights in your Work and agree not to assert any moral rights in your Work against us, the Owner, and/or other Program authors. If, under any applicable law, this waiver of moral rights is not effective, you acknowledge that your Work is subject to the licenses you grant in Section 4 without any credit obligation, that you intend for your Work to be used in this way, and that this form of use will not be contrary to your moral rights.

7. Royalties and Payments

(a) Royalties. As full consideration of the rights you grant us under this Agreement, we will pay you a 50% royalty of the price paid on digital download format sales of your Work, and a 50% royalty on the print margin of print-on-demand sales of your Work. Print Margin is the amount paid less the print cost to physically manufacture the book as listed on OBS websites.
(b) Sales taxes and freight charges are not considered part of the price paid.
(c) No royalties accrue on sales resulting in consumer refunds, charge backs, or fraud.
(d) Royalties are computed in US dollars.
(e) Royalties are paid via PayPal. You shall have access on OBS websites to a webpage that allows you to withdraw accumulated royalties to your PayPal account. OBS may deduct a fee of $2 or PayPal’s prevailing fee for its MassPay service from each payment to you.
(f) OBS or Owner may send complimentary copies of your work for reasonable promotional and administrative purposes. No royalties shall be paid to you on such copies.
(g) You shall set the sale price of your Work. OBS may include your Work in site promotional sales events at discounts up to 40% off your normal sale price.
(h) Royalties on a sale of your Work shall be eligible for your withdrawal 60 days after the sale.

8. Representations, Warranties and Indemnity.

You represent and warrant that:
(a) You are old enough to form a legally binding contract.
(b) If you are accepting this Agreement on behalf of a company or other legal entity, you represent that you have the legal authority to bind that company or legal entity.
(c) Excluding the Owner’s IP and Program IP which we license to you, you are the sole owner of all rights in your Work.
(d) Your Work does not contain material that is libelous; that violates the copyrights or trademarks of another party; that violates the law; or that the general public would classify as pornography.
You will indemnify and hold OBS and Owner harmless from any liability or cause of action arising from any breach of your representations and warranties including all reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs.

9. No Obligation to Make Available or Sell. You acknowledge that we have no obligation to market, distribute, or offer for sale your Work, or to continuing marketing, distributing or selling your Work after we have started doing so. We may remove your Work from the Program and cease further exploitation at any time in our sole discretion without notice to you.

10. Disclaimers; Limitation of Liability. THE PROGRAM IS PROVIDED "AS IS." WE AND THE OWNER WILL IN NO EVENT BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OF DATA, LOSS OF PROFITS, COST OF COVER OR OTHER SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT, EXEMPLARY OR RELIANCE DAMAGES ARISING FROM OR IN RELATION TO THIS AGREEMENT, OR FOR ANY EQUITABLE REMEDY OF DISGORGEMENT OR OTHERWISE, HOWEVER CAUSED AND REGARDLESS OF THEORY OF LIABILITY. IN NO EVENT WILL OUR (OR OWNER) LIABILITY UNDER THIS AGREEMENT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (I) THE AMOUNT OF FEES DUE AND PAYABLE BY US TO YOU UNDER THIS AGREEMENT FOR THE TWELVE-MONTH PERIOD PRECEDING THE CLAIM AND (II) FIFTY DOLLARS ($50.00). WE SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM, WITH RESPECT TO ALL SERVICES, SOFTWARE, CONTENT OR PRODUCTS PROVIDED BY OR ON BEHALF OF US IN CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT OR THE PROGRAM, ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. YOU AGREE THAT WE CANNOT ENSURE THAT EDITIONS OF YOUR USER GENERATED CONDITIONS WILL BE PROTECTED FROM THEFT OR MISUSE OR THAT CUSTOMERS WILL COMPLY WITH ANY CONTENT USAGE RULES. ONEBOOKSHELF WILL HAVE NO LIABILITY ARISING FROM A FAILURE OF ANY SECURITY SYSTEM OR PROCEDURE OR OF ANY CUSTOMER TO COMPLY WITH ANY CONTENT USAGE RULES. WE CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT OUR SYSTEMS WILL ALWAYS BE AVAILABLE, AND WE WILL HAVE NO LIABILITY ARISING FROM SYSTEM OR PROCESS FAILURES, INTERRUPTIONS, INACCURACIES, ERRORS OR LATENCIES.
SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE DISCLAIMER OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES; AS SUCH THE FOREGOING DISCLAIMER MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU IN ITS ENTIRETY.

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12. No Rescission or Injunctive Relief. All rights granted to us (and Owner) under this Agreement are irrevocably vested. No breach by us (or Owner) of this Agreement will entitle you to equitable relief, whether injunctive or otherwise, against or with respect to your User Generated Content or any other works produced pursuant to the rights granted under this Agreement or their exploitation. If the rights granted to OBS (or Owner) under this Agreement should revert to you under any copyright law or similar law, and if you are at any time thereafter prepared to enter an agreement with a third party for the license, exercise or other disposition of all or any of those rights, you will, before entering into the agreement, give OBS and Owner notice of the proposed terms (and all modifications of the terms) and the party involved. In each case, both OBS and Owner will then have 10 business days in which to elect to acquire the rights involved on the terms you offered to that third party.

13. General Provisions.
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Changelog


We will update this section if/when we make updates to this Agreement.
 

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I find it hilarious that you quoted me, but didn't actually answer the question.


So...you're going to do exactly what WotC wants you to do, while complaining that WotC is making you do it, and that they shouldn't make you do what they want you to do. But you're going to do it.

it's called absurdity.

I get the nervousness of not wanting to make another pathfinder and it's not exactly going to stay my hand for doing it myself, but I'm finding it hilarious that the magic rules themselves are off limits for quoting purposes (at least as far as I can tell, I'd be glad to be proven wrong in this case).
 

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They aren't there because it isn't necessary for them to be OGL in order for someone to creating NEW magic items. Or adventures that include new magic items. It's the same reason all of the class kits aren't there. They aren't necessary for the purpose the SRD5 is made to perform.
 

weldon

Explorer
…but I'm finding it hilarious that the magic rules themselves are off limits for quoting purposes (at least as far as I can tell, I'd be glad to be proven wrong in this case).

I don't understand your reaction either.

Do you think this limits your ability to create new magic items to include in the open game content you create? You should be fine to use the DMG rules and just provide the result as open game content.

Do you want to write your own magic item rules? You should be able to do that. Just write it out in your own words. That should be fine under the OGL.

Do you want to quote the magic item creation rules in your adventure or setting? I can't figure out why you would.
 

Nellisir

Hero
I'm finding it hilarious that the magic rules themselves are off limits for quoting purposes.

Obviously, no one else in this thread gets what the big deal is either. Just rewrite them. I don't even know what the magic item creation rules are in 5e, but I'll bet they're a lot less formulaic than they are in 3e.

I kinda want to start a thread asking what people think the SRD should be, as opposed to what it is. There's obviously a certain percentage that isn't happy that the SRD doesn't include X instead of Y, or X as well as Y, or something, and I can only assume that they want the SRD to be something other than what it is - a set of examples.
 

Reynard

Legend
Supporter
I kinda want to start a thread asking what people think the SRD should be, as opposed to what it is. There's obviously a certain percentage that isn't happy that the SRD doesn't include X instead of Y, or X as well as Y, or something, and I can only assume that they want the SRD to be something other than what it is - a set of examples.

I think there is a not insignificant portion of folks that were looking for "the rules for free" a la 3.x/PF as opposed to "tools for publishers to create support" that was the original intent of the OGL and SRD even back in 2000. I mean, I love that all of the PF rules end up Open and available very shortly after they are published, but Paizo's business model is markedly different than WotC's. Paizo relies heavily on subscribers, and most of those for their Adventure Paths -- which you will note are NOT open content (aside from monsters and whatever). WotC relies more heavily upon core book sales. It is not surprising, then, that WotC does not want the 5E core book content to be entirely free.
 

CapnZapp

Legend
What I want is the incredibly usefulness of a fast hyperlinked rules reference.

I have bought the core books, so this isn't about the rules being free.

I want D&D to catch up with the times. I want WotC to offer sturdy fully-featured stand-alone (things that keep working long after some Web server is shut down) generators for the following:

For players, complete character builder.

For DMs, a quick NPC with class and levels generator. (the same fully featured program, only with an UI geared towards automatic selection rather than manual confirmation for every step)

Treasure generator.

Encounter generator, with complete flexibility between hand-chosen foes and automatic generation.

Spellcaster generator, with several styles predefined: blaster, illusionist, Oracle, Trickster etc. These can be simply spell lists for a complete level 20 caster; then the program picks the relevant parts for a caster of a certain level. Randomization an essential input value: so a non-denominational foe will get the predetermined list, while a 50% random foe will get half the list on average.

All these parts are to be seamlessly integrated: if I equip a PC or monster with a piece of treasure, all relevant statistics is automatically recalculated.

All spells and monster abilities link directly into the rules reference.

All databases are stored in plaintext format (xml is fine), for maximum interoperability and customization friendliness.
 

Nellisir

Hero
What I want is the incredibly usefulness of a fast hyperlinked rules reference.
For players, complete character builder....
For DMs, a quick NPC with class and levels generator....
Treasure generator....
Encounter generator....
Spellcaster generator....
All spells and monster abilities link directly into the rules reference.
That'd be cool.

OK, so so far we've got:

* A reference/example document aimed at publishers (what it is)

* All the rules for free (a la Paizo)

* A fast hyperlinked rules reference with generators.

I'm just curious, so no judgement.
 


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