The WotC OGL Release on DDB today was edited in real time!

[Steel_Wind]

This GEM comes from this post on the DNDnext subreddit:

WotC was actually editing this post on DDB in real time as it went live. Look at the tracked changes that were made to it. Amazing!

 

[Alzrius]

Good to see that they're approaching this whole situation with so much careful planning and forethought.

 

[Konrad13]

Oh sweet lord this is just getting more and more juicy.

 

[Haplo781]

That doesn't happen with carefully considered and prepared statements...

 

[Greg Benage]

Are we sure it was edited in real-time, or was it just copy-pasted from Word so someone could extract the tracked changes in the document?

 

[Steel_Wind]

Are we sure it was edited in real-time, or was it just copy-pasted from Word so someone could extract the tracked changes in the document?

Real-time. That was the work of someone who had it under watch via RSS alerts. The user created the tracked changes. See the post here.

My guess is that PR went with the post it thought was fine, it was approved by a more junior lawyer at WotC's in-house counsel, and then a more senior lawyer looked at it and made more changes to what had been approved for posting shortly after the fact.

Looking at the changes, there would have been quite an uncomfortable discussion between junior and senior counsel after this. I've been on the receiving -- as well as the initiating end of those moments. NOT FUN, lemme tell ya. Taking out the reference to the NDA screams "senior counsel" to me.

It's just a guess, but that's my take on what likely explains it best.

 

[Steel_Wind]

That doesn't happen with carefully considered and prepared statements...

It can, when there is a difference in opinion by the boss of who approved it. I expect that is all it is.

 

[FormerLurker]

Oh. My. God. They edited a blog after it was posted?!? Is that ALLOWED??!!
Next they'll write a comment and edit it.


As someone who writes for spare change, a piece is never finished. You always want to revise and will always find something you can improve or punch up. I'm not going to fault someone for posting a blog and deciding they wanted to do another editing pass.

 

[JEB]

There are a few interesting changes in there:

• they changed "enhance our ability" to block hateful content to "the ability" (presumably to make OGL 1.1 sound that much more necessary)
• they cut the detail that 3PPs that received the OGL 1.1 were under an NDA
• the already infamous "rolled a 1" was a late addition
• they cut a line about how lots of third parties have games with dungeons, and dragons (did they think it could be used in litigation as an admission that such things are common tropes?)

 

[Lidgar]