WotC To Give Core D&D Mechanics To Community Via Creative Commons

Wizards of the Coast, in a move which surprised everbody, has announced that it will give away the core D&D mechanics to the community via a Creative Commons license.

This won't include 'quintessentially D&D" stuff like owlbears and magic missile, but it wil include the 'core D&D mechanics'.

So what does it include? It's important to note that it's only a fraction of what's currently available as Open Gaming Content under the existing Open Gaming License, so while it's termed as a 'give-away' it's actually a reduction. It doesn't include classes, spells, or magic items. It does include the combat rules, ability scores, and the core mechanic.

 

[Voadam]

That was the Dungeon Master's Guild and people at DriveThruRPG.
WotC weren't consulted.

I can't speak to whether WotC was consulted or not, but it appears that it is WotC's morality clause for DM's Guild products that was being enforced. OBS as pointed out does not have such a clause for hosted materials on DriveThru.

It is entirely possible that WotC delegated dealing with their morality clause enforcement to DMsGuild. Which bottom line ended up with the product being pulled for the morality clause.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Ultimately, it puts into CC that parts they couldn't even try to copyright.

It's really a rubbish 'deal' that's still obfuscated what they're digging for in the old SRDs.

But what it ultimately does, barring us getting something better by keeping the pressure one AND them actually adding the skeletons of the old SRDs, is buy time.

It would allow time for companies to still keep a production schedule going while they flee to ORC or a boutique system of their own or work out a contract for 5.5e.

Time to test their chest on the OGL in court for those prepared to step up.

It's not good. It's not right. We shouldn't stop putting on the pressure until they just admit what they're really so desperate to kill the OGL for and stop lying.

But I feel like right now, if they do all they're offering, even with the traps laid in, we're at a point that isn't instantly destructive to the people who were under direct threat two weeks ago. We've bought them time.

The work's not done yet. Not by far and I urge people not to give up or become complacent with this offer that's decent on the surface, but hollow underneath. But I want us to all understand that we have accomplished something and that should be inspiration to forge on.

 

[Scribe]

I guess I'm just pretty cynical about companies (including ones I really like) saying they're going to "look into adding" something, because cut to LITERALLY 10 YEARS LATER in some cases and it still hasn't happened and they're still "looking into adding" it.

I'm guessing 'looking into it' for the 3.5 SRD is considering how many of the doc's they need to cut. I dont think they provided a nice PDF for it.

 

[GreyLord]

I think it allows more than the OGL actually allowed in many ways. This is putting the core mechanics outside of WotC or Hasbro's control for the most part, and giving it or allowing it to the public with no threat of it being remanded or a lawsuit coming into effect.

For most of those who are using the OGL currently, with the exception of a few items which were unique to D&D, it allows them to continue to make their games and such.

I know many probably would not agree with my take or my opinion.

Make sure to note it on the survey when it goes live tomorrow.

 

[Scribe]

I think it allows more than the OGL actually allowed in many ways. This is putting the core mechanics outside of WotC or Hasbro's control for the most part, and giving it or allowing it to the public with no threat of it being remanded or a lawsuit coming into effect.

For most of those who are using the OGL currently, with the exception of a few items which were unique to D&D, it allows them to continue to make their games and such.

If they throw 3.5 in there, fully, we are talking.

 

[kenada]

Ugh, probably, at least under the terms in this draft. I don’t know about you, but that’s not a power I’m comfortable with WotC having.

Actually, after thinking about it, the clause is even worse than I thought. It prohibits obscene conduct, so does that mean WotC could categorically terminate the license of anyone who has engaged in sex work or produces adult content (even if not D&D-related)? Even if that’s not their intent, can we count on them to withstand a pressure campaign (like how James Gunn was initially fired from directing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3)? I definitely don’t think that’s a power WotC should have. At the very least, they need to clean up the language and provide a fair process (like decent codes of conduct do).

 

[MostlyHarmless42]

Sure you do. the level progression table and terms like feats are all included.

But are the specific formulas covered?

I.e. abilities that grant an ability mod or a flat bonus to AC? Abilities that have "proficiency uses per short or long rest"? Hell the entire concept of abilities that can be used x times rest period? Or adding your ability modifier to abilities? What about the existing spell schools? Formatting like range, Spell components? Etc.

NONE of those example are covered in any of the sections being put in the CC and it's going to be VERY difficult to be able to make balanced classes or subclasses without them. Likewise it is that uniformity that people rely upon to actually gauge if a product is balanced or good or not and without then every 3rd party content is a complete crap shoot. Don't get me wrong this is a win for people making rules systems from the ground up but it's very likely a death blow to making subclases.

Additionally we need specifics on what the new OGL says in regards to the ability to release non OGL content if you agree to it. I.e. if I ever make a single product under it or through the DMsguild am I essentially signing away the right to ever make non ogl content again? Those hidden clauses matter a lot.

 

[Psikosis]

To repeat:
It's too late to turn back. On to what's next!

 

[Psikosis]

If they weren't such SOBs, I'd feel sorry for Hasbro/WotC. They are trying to negotiate a set of rules with people who collectively have vast experience in creating, interpreting, applying, and, at times, manipulating rules. Someone should be making popcorn. This will be entertaining.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Well that came out of left field! I had to double check the date to make sure it wasn’t April 1st.

Yeah “on or before Friday” was right I guess

The announcement reads like someone on the actual D&D team (as opposed to the WotC/Hasbro “leadership”) finally prevailed in the argument about what “open” means, yanked the keyboard out of a corporate drone’s hands, and is trying to make things right. Curious to see if it’s too late (and what OGL 1.2 truly says), but the Creative Commons move is a massive step in the right direction (even though it’s probably not necessary).

Yeah the more the situation develops, the more I suspect shareholders and board of directors, and maaaybe Cocks, were behind this mess. I mean I’ve read multiple people speaking well of Mrs Williams, for instance.

Idk, it’s too bad we will likely never know for sure. It leaves that tiny taint behind of “are the creatives I like bad, secretly?” And I hate that.

I’m not sure you need it. Nobody can stop you from making a chart with 20 levels and descriptions of powers.

No one could stop you before, but people still were much more willing to do so with the OGL than without it.

Woah, I did not see that coming.

Pass the crow, I guess?

Yeah I was vaguely optimistic and I’m still surprised by this. Haven’t dug deep on the OGL text yet, but a quick read looks good to me. Or rather, close enough to iterate on.

Ok. So, based on what’s in the draft, it looks like what they would be releasing under Creative Commons is very literally the core rules. It includes all the rules for adventuring, combat, spellcasting, downtime, etc. in the SRD. What it does not include is any races, any classes, any monsters or NPCs, the rules for magic items (weird…), or any magic items.

This looks like a good-faith gesture, but saying it doesn’t include “quintessentially D&D stuff like owlbears and magic missile” is misleading. It doesn’t include any specific expressions of the rules at all. I genuinely don’t think anything in the portions of the SRD being released under Creative Commons is copyrightable material anyway. In that light, this looks like a really sneaky PR stunt.

Not only that, this would only be the core rules in the SRD 5.1. It doesn’t include the 3e SRD at all, which OGL 1.0a does.

Sorry, WotC, but this isn’t going to cut it.

Huh. Most of the SRD wasn’t actually copyrightable either, so I don’t really get this.

The community went into a frenzy and people were saying they couldn't take the risk of trying to publish D&D related content without OGL1.0a, even though the OGL was always only necessary for copy-pasting sections of text and using owlbears and whatever other small bits of copyrightable information is in the SRD.

Why? Because the OGL gave them explicit right to publish that stuff, so there was no worry about wotc trying to use “law fare” to stop them using thier protected right to us material that can’t be copyrighted.

Which is also what the CC does, except not at all in wotc’s hands.

Like my feedback will be that they need to at least put the basic framework of races, classes, subclasses, magic items, etc, because those are a big part of what people want to make for D&D based games, and doing so doesn’t mean The Ranger is in the CC (even though they absolutely have no rights over any of the classes, only over the very specific expression of those ideas), but barring some whackery in the feedback process I see no reason to not view this as wotc making a good faith effort to make right the wrong they did, and make their work good for the community again.

And it stops whoever thought up OGL 1.1 in the first place from doing it again.

And the OGL 1.2 terms seem close enough to reasonable that I don’t see why we all wouldn’t provide feedback and see where it goes.

Like KP is gonna drop Black Flag regardless. They started building it before the first news dropped. Paizo and everyone else is gonna do an ORC.

If D&D stays reasonably open, Paizo can still put out new classes for PF with no worries, and I can build a whole D&D system with custom classes and races, and the whole industry leans harder toward open gaming, that’s awesome.

If the final OGL 1.2 allows all the same works as before with the caveat that you can’t make D&D but Nazis, I’m good.