Third Party Character Creation iOS App Removed

The d20 Fight Club for D&D 5th Edition iOS app has been removed from the Apple App Store by its creator at the request of WotC. The creator reports that he received a Cease & Desist demand (although it's worth noting that some supposed recent C&Ds appear to have turned out to be amicable requests). This follows on from the removal of the D&D Tools website and the more recent online character generator.

The creator reports that "I received a cease and desist order from Wizards of the Coast. All D&D apps will be removed from the App Store as they weren't compliant with WotC's copyrights and trademarks. Hopefully they'll be back in some form someday. Til then, thanks for all the support."

Nobody has actually shared one of these C&Ds yet, and others have indicated that what they actually received was simply a friendly email asking that they respect WotC's trademarks, so it's not entirely clear what is happening. Hopefully somebody will share one soon!

It does look like this particular app contained text and stat blocks copied directly from the D&D books. Below is the DM version of the app (the companion to the character creation app).

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[DaveMage]

correct me if I'm wrong, but that fan site policy would let me open up a page, and put my house rules, and homebrew on it no problem...as long as I wasn't charging...

Which you could do without a policy.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

In summary, I think it is wrong for people to sell Wizards content in an app.

yes, wrong on every level...

I think it is wrong for Wizards to force fans to take down free apps that Wizards has no official app for.

why? Do you think that it is OK to take something and use it as if it was your own even though there is a legal owner of it?

Pathguy's app was so useful. I could not keep track of all the class feature details without his character generator.

Spell summary lists were also vital and saved me a lot of prep time. But all the lists were taken down.

they were taken down by pathguy though... nobody forced him to, he was just asked to only do legal things and his answer was to take it down...

The attitude of some of you, you know who you are, is just terrible.
D&D is just a job to you. You spit on the fans. When I ask you to play-test your own modules you wrote, you argue with me and make excuses saying it ain't your job. Honestly, you smoke too much pot when you should be working.

I have never smoked anything, nore do I plan to. I don't belive that insulting anyone even with no names is right. WotC will grow the 5e line it will be the best selling RPG if it isn't already. They are expanding the brand to include games and movies and other things... they are doing a good job and no one has the right to take what they are doing and do anything with it with out permission...

No names, but you are the reason 5E won't grow.

if you really need tools, maybe you should start by asking WotC for them, instead of demanding that other people get to infringe on there rights...

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Which you could do without a policy.

but people up thread claimed they could not do so without fear of a lawsuit... so this ends that right? No one can complain they can't hombrew adventures and classes and races and put it up on the web for free...

 

[Dannager]

I think it is wrong for Wizards to force fans to take down free apps that Wizards has no official app for.

Pathguy's app was so useful. I could not keep track of all the class feature details without his character generator.

Spell summary lists were also vital and saved me a lot of prep time. But all the lists were taken down.

This juvenile attitude needs to go. Yes, it was useful to you. Yes, your life is worse now that it's taken away. No, that doesn't give you any moral standing whatsoever to claim that you've been somehow wronged. "But it made my life better!" isn't justification for taking someone else's content without their permission.

The attitude of some of you, you know who you are, is just terrible.

Fix your own, first.

D&D is just a job to you. You spit on the fans. When I ask you to play-test your own modules you wrote, you argue with me and make excuses saying it ain't your job. Honestly, you smoke too much pot when you should be working.

It sounds like you're talking about someone specific, and doing a fair amount of character assassination in the process. Wouldn't this be better suited to being handled off a public message board, where you can actually talk to the people you're (frankly, pointlessly) angry with? The tone of your post makes it sound like you're personally familiar with the people who make D&D, but you very clearly aren't, because there is essentially no one working on D&D at WotC for whom it's "just a job."

 

[Rune]

I don't believe I am psychotic...or that I have any moral issues, I just don't believe in proportional responders, I believe if someone does something against you, you have to hit them back harder to try to stop people from starting things with you .

Wow. Spoken like every great D&D villain I've ever run.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Wow. Spoken like every great D&D villain I've ever run.

so most of your villains are only going after people who provable and demonstrably have committed a crime against them?!?!? sounds kind of weird....


edit: no wait, It was just explained to me that you were not really making an observation, but an insult. So I take that back. What your really mean is that I am an Evil SOB... thanks, I am very sick of this kind of stealth insult though. I think that you should be ashamed of yourself.... comparing someone to a villain in your game, let alone EVERY villain in your game is pretty insulting the more I think about it...

2nd edit: I would expect that most villains are more like the jerk who a few days before Christmas broke into my house and stole stuff, including gifts for my then 4 year old and 1 month old niece and nephew. The people who did series damage to a house and took presents from 4 different people In what should be the giving time of year... that sounds more like most villains in my games... or people who think that laws should only be obeyed when it suits them... you know like people pirating and stealing...

 

[Morrus]

OK, time to calm it down, people. This is starting to turn ugly.

 

[Rune]

so most of your villains are only going after people who provable and demonstrably have committed a crime against them?!?!? sounds kind of weird....


edit: no wait, It was just explained to me that you were not really making an observation, but an insult. So I take that back. What your really mean is that I am an Evil SOB... thanks, I am very sick of this kind of stealth insult though. I think that you should be ashamed of yourself.... comparing someone to a villain in your game, let alone EVERY villain in your game is pretty insulting the more I think about it...

2nd edit: I would expect that most villains are more like the jerk who a few days before Christmas broke into my house and stole stuff, including gifts for my then 4 year old and 1 month old niece and nephew. The people who did series damage to a house and took presents from 4 different people In what should be the giving time of year... that sounds more like most villains in my games... or people who think that laws should only be obeyed when it suits them... you know like people pirating and stealing...

I mean no insult. Being wronged hurts. I've been wronged before. I feel your pain (well, more accurately, I feel my own pain, but I can recognize a parallel).

I was merely pointing out that a doctrine of disproportionate response is...disproportionate (also, many of my villains are not evil).

I do not, however, intend any comment on your character, which is something I am in no way qualified to comment on.

I therefore have little else to do, but appologize to you. I am sorry.

 

[Shasarak]

But wotc doesn't have to add anything. They are the sole legal source of ANY product. That's the point you are missing. If the want to offer a chargen program at any price point, that is entirely their right.

Why do they have to compete with someone who is outright stealing their IP?

Maybe they should focus on trying to grow their own brand by offering products and value add ons.

Try it. Try selling a Big Mac, named a Big Mac with golden arches outside your restaurant and see how long you last.

Because McDonalds value isn't in the recipe. It's in the brand. You could sell burgers that exactly copy a Big Mac without a problem. But the second you call it a Big Mac, you're boned.

I dont need to because I could go to Burger King, Wendies or the Burger Fast Food place and get the exact same product right now.

If you say that the value is in the brand then it is up to WotC to grow that brand and if they want my $10 then they have to earn it the old fashioned way.

 

[Derren]

Strange how it is so super obvious that WotC would go against 3rd party apps to save the brand, yet other RPGs have no problem with fan made character generators (Chummer for Shadowrun for example).