WotC Backs Down: Original OGL To Be Left Untouched; Whole 5E Rules Released as Creative Commons

Hundreds of game publishers sigh in relief as, after extensive pressure exerted by the entire open gaming community, WotC has agreed to leave the original Open Gaming License untouched and put the whole of the 5E rules into Creative Commons.

So, what's happened?

• The Open Gaming Licence v1.0a which most of the D&D third party industry relies on, will be left untouched for now.
• The whole of the D&D 5E SRD (ie the rules of the game less the fluff text) has been released under a Creative Commons license.

OGL 1.0a & Creative Commons

Over the past few weeks you, the community, have made your voices heard. And we’ve listened. OGL 1.0a will remain untouched AND the entire SRD 5.1...

www.dndbeyond.com

WotC has a history of 'disappearing' inconvenient FAQs and stuff, such as those where they themselves state that the OGL is irrevocable, so I'll copy this here for posterity.

When you give us playtest feedback, we take it seriously.

Already more than 15,000 of you have filled out the survey. Here's what you said:

• 88% do not want to publish TTRPG content under OGL 1.2.
• 90% would have to change some aspect of their business to accommodate OGL 1.2.
• 89% are dissatisfied with deauthorizing OGL 1.0a.
• 86% are dissatisfied with the draft VTT policy.
• 62% are satisfied with including Systems Reference Document (SRD) content in Creative Commons, and the majority of those who were dissatisfied asked for more SRD content in Creative Commons.

These live survey results are clear. You want OGL 1.0a. You want irrevocability. You like Creative Commons.
The feedback is in such high volume and its direction is so plain that we're acting now.

1. We are leaving OGL 1.0a in place, as is. Untouched.
2. We are also making the entire SRD 5.1 available under a Creative Commons license.
3. You choose which you prefer to use.

This Creative Commons license makes the content freely available for any use. We don't control that license and cannot alter or revoke it. It's open and irrevocable in a way that doesn't require you to take our word for it. And its openness means there's no need for a VTT policy. Placing the SRD under a Creative Commons license is a one-way door. There's no going back.

Our goal here is to deliver on what you wanted.

So, what about the goals that drove us when we started this process?

We wanted to protect the D&D play experience into the future. We still want to do that with your help. We're grateful that this community is passionate and active because we'll need your help protecting the game's inclusive and welcoming nature.

We wanted to limit the OGL to TTRPGs. With this new approach, we are setting that aside and counting on your choices to define the future of play.
Here's a PDF of SRD 5.1 with the Creative Commons license. By simply publishing it, we place it under an irrevocable Creative Commons license. We'll get it hosted in a more convenient place next week. It was important that we take this step now, so there's no question.

• SRD 5.1-CC

We'll be closing the OGL 1.2 survey now.

We'll keep talking with you about how we can better support our players and creators. Thanks as always for continuing to share your thoughts.

Kyle Brink
Executive Producer, Dungeons & Dragons

What does this mean?

The original OGL sounds safe for now, but WotC has not admitted that they cannot revoke it. That's less of an issue now the 5E System Reference Document is now released to Creative Commons (although those using the 3E SRD or any third party SRDs still have issues as WotC still hasn't revoked the incorrect claim that they can revoke access to those at-will).

At this point, if WotC wants anybody to use whatever their new OGL v1.x turns out to be, there needs to be one heck of a carrot. What that might be remains to be seen.

Pathfinder publlsher Paizo has also commented on the latest developments.

We welcome today’s news from Wizards of the Coast regarding their intention not to de-authorize OGL 1.0a. We still believe there is a powerful need for an irrevocable, perpetual independent system-neutral open license that will serve the tabletop community via nonprofit stewardship. Work on the ORC license will continue, with an expected first draft to release for comment to participating publishers in February.

Over 1,500 Publishers Support Paizo's Upcoming Open RPG Creator's License

Paizo has revealed some of the 1,500+ tabletop RPG publishers who have expressed an interest in their new Open RPG Creator's License (ORC), describing the group as the 'ORC Alliance'. The license itself is still being worked on, so these 1,500 publishers have not actually seen it or signed...

www.enworld.org

 

[Maxperson]

That sounds more than reasonable.
Safety of 3PP was the most important thing for me too. I just put more trust in WotC to come to their mind, actually listen to feedback, and opted to leave the door open.

I thought that it was possible that WotC would back off completely and allow 1.0a to just continue on, but I'm very shocked that it happened so quickly. I thought there would be another round or two of attempting to meet in the middle before they might do it.

 

[Justice and Rule]

We warned you about racist Owlbear porn, but you wouldn't listen!

 

[Umbran]

Excellent! Now they just have to open up DnDBeyond to 3PP...

For some things that's easy. For other things, that is a technical challenge.

Like, they couldn't get Artificer Steel Defenders to ever work properly, to the point that they stopped trying. Since D&D Beyond also does automation of mechanics, new classes that aren't built on the chassis of a current class, and other variant rules are a technical challenge.

 

[Staffan]

I think for OneD&D he will go through sage advice and change everything where his rules interpretations are obviously dumb but RAW, so that the good ruling is actually RAW.
He knows that some interpretations are not good.

Give us one damage roll per dart in a magic missile spell, dammit!

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Prepare for 4E 2: Electric Boogaloo

I wish...

Take 4e but bring the HP down to 2e levels (keep them front loaded though) and some 5e inventions like adv/disad and you have a 6e I would sing for

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Tome of Horrors and its later-edition versions would likely be a particularly sticky point. I don't know what Necromancer Games' deal with Wizards was regarding the monsters in it, but I wouldn't be surprised if they (and their successor Frog God Games) don't have the rights to release it under CC even if they wanted to.

Well, the names for most of it are for creatures from myth and legend, so there's nothing stopping anyone from taking the ones that aren't in the 5.1 SRD and writing them up for under 5E and shoving them into CC as well. The remaining number of creatures not covered are pretty small, and are things like the trapper and lurker above, which while they have their fans, are hardly integral to D&D-like games nowadays.

 

[niklinna]

Now the question is whether all those who said their trust in WotC was irrevocably broken and that they were forever done with WotC-owned D&D actually follow through and never play it again?

Well they already bought all those other D&D-alike books (and a few non-D&D-alikes, I'm sure), they might as well get some value for their dollar.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I thought that it was possible that WotC would back off completely and allow 1.0a to just continue on, but I'm very shocked that it happened so quickly. I thought there would be another round or two of attempting to meet in the middle before they might do it.

Me too. I thought they would make an acveptable 1.2 that is close enough. But now I think they made the right choice and will offer something like an optional GSL or STL to differentiate between OGL/CC unofficial stuff and Creator Badge approved half official stuff like they already have on DM's guild.

 

[Maxperson]

To me, it's more about taking a stand. They screwed up. I'm leaving. I'm not coming back just because they apologized, because I can't trust that they're sincere. Especially since we know they apologized because they were losing money, not because they really accept that they screwed up.

That's what corporations do. They make decisions because of money. It's their job. That said, I'm not going to be leaving, because the people running the corporation might be very different in 6 months. People come and go, but what they did today will remain, and that's what is really important.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Give us one damage roll per dart in a magic missile spell, dammit!

Psst... don't tell anyone. I have been doing this all along.