We All Won – The OGL Three Years Later

[Micah Sweet]

That was the whole point of the OGL, too. As Ryan Dancey famously said in 2010, "I also had the goal that the release of the SRD would ensure that D&D in a format that I felt was true to its legacy could never be removed from the market by capricious decisions by its owners."

Thread 'On the Goals of the Open Gaming License'

Nov 23, 2010

The purpose of the OGL was to act as a force for change. In that sense I think it is an unquaified success.

It changed the relationship of fans to publishers - any person with an idea could participate in the market if they wished.

It changed the relationship of developers to publishers - instead of having to make "Fantasy Heartbreakers", developers were free to show their creativity using a widespread system (which also meant that their talent could more easily be determined instead of having to first decipher a whole new set of notation and rules).

It changed the way TRPGs are...

• RyanD
• Replies: 6
• Forum: *Dungeons & Dragons

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True. But then WotC decided to try to take it back, which to me was a sign of contempt for the rest of the industry.

 

[Reynard]

If theoretically the entire ENWorld community stopped buying WotC products and let them know we didn't like their stuff, I severely doubt WotC would care. At all. I don't think the same is true of any other publisher.

This is what I was saying. WotC is simply far too influential compared to the rest of RPG-dom.

We have seen WotC respond to fan movements on a few occasions. Whether ENWorld matters is really more of a question of whether old fogies matter (hint: we don't, and probably shouldn't).

 

[Micah Sweet]

We have seen WotC respond to fan movements on a few occasions. Whether ENWorld matters is really more of a question of whether old fogies matter (hint: we don't, and probably shouldn't).

Is voting with your wallet and telling WotC what you like and don't like meaningless for us then?

I think every demographic interested in your product should matter, because loyal customers are brand ambassadors, especially the older ones who made TTRPGs a significant part of their lifestyle and can talk it up to others.

And that says nothing about how big and profitable a publisher needs to be for viability (hint: IMO it's a lot smaller than WotC is).

 

[Reynard]

Is voting with your wallet and telling WotC what you like and don't like meaningless for us then?

No because we are still part of the aggregate, and if we along with the redditors and the rest vote with our wallets, collectively we matter.

I think every demographic interested in your product should matter, because loyal customers are brand ambassadors, especially the older ones who made TTRPGs a significant part of their lifestyle and can talk it up to others.

What I was specifically referring to is direction. WotC should not worry about what we -- people playing for 40 years, with 40 years of hard coded preferences -- want to see. I am generalizing, of course, but I think WotC listening to "80s kids" is why we end up with so many retreads. I hate the fact that this year the "new setting" we are getting is going to very likely be Dark Sun.

And that says nothing about how big and profitable a publisher needs to be for viability (hint: IMO it's a lot smaller than WotC is).

Sure, but (and I have said this many times) I LIKE liking official D&D, and it makes me grumpy when I don't.

 

[Micah Sweet]

No because we are still part of the aggregate, and if we along with the redditors and the rest vote with our wallets, collectively we matter.

What I was specifically referring to is direction. WotC should not worry about what we -- people playing for 40 years, with 40 years of hard coded preferences -- want to see. I am generalizing, of course, but I think WotC listening to "80s kids" is why we end up with so many retreads. I hate the fact that this year the "new setting" we are getting is going to very likely be Dark Sun.

Sure, but (and I have said this many times) I LIKE liking official D&D, and it makes me grumpy when I don't.

They're not going to make an official D&D I like (for the reasons you mentioned above; ie, we don't matter to them), so for my part I say scrape 'em off. I just wish the D&D logo on something didn't mean so much to so many in this community. I hate having to push past it so hard.

 

[Artamo]

Is voting with your wallet and telling WotC what you like and don't like meaningless for us then?

Relatively, yes. That’s how much bigger they are now. I’m guessing they are much more concerned with how their brand is perceived by the greater community which is why I think things like Critical Role, Stranger Things, Baldur’s Gate 3, and their forays into movies and streaming matter more to them.

 

[Reynard]

They're not going to make an official D&D I like (for the reasons you mentioned above; ie, we don't matter to them), so for my part I say scrape 'em off. I just wish the D&D logo on something didn't mean so much to so many in this community. I hate having to push past it so hard.

I want to be clear that I am not tied to the brand. I can and do buy and play lots of other games. I just wish I like what Official D&D was doing, too.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I want to be clear that I am not tied to the brand. I can and do buy and play lots of other games. I just wish I like what Official D&D was doing, too.

Me too, but at this point I see no chance of that happening, so I'm not giving them money unless that somehow changes. As has been said, it's not like any of us here or the entire demographic we represent matter to them anymore.

 

[Corinnguard]

I just wish I like what Official D&D was doing, too.

Don't we all. WoTC needs to be run by those who have role-played D&D and who know their base fairly well.

I wonder if any of the people who run WoTC ever chat with the base on the D&D Beyond forums.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Haven't bought a WOTC product or licensed product since the scandal, and have no plans to. After great products like Dolmenwood, the indy / OSR scene is where it's at for me.

Their drift to "digital" and AI integration does not restore any confidence.