Lads and lasses, gather round and heed me well, for I bring news of a new Open Gaming License by the Wizards of the Coast for our beloved game of Dungeons & Dragons. In times past, the OGL allowed we players to profit from our own creations, be they modified rules or new content. But alas, those days are now behind us, for this new agreement doth impose heavy restrictions on what we may create and profit from.
The details of this new OGL, which doth cancel out the previous agreement, and requires those who profit from their creations to report it directly to the Wizards themselves. In the past, the OGL allowed for all manner of creations, from printed game content and videos. But now, the Wizards say, “the Open Game License was always intended to allow the community to help grow D&D and expand it creatively. It wasn’t intended to subsidize major competitors, especially now that PDF is by far the most common form of distribution.”
Furthermore, this new OGL 1.1 doth only allow for the creation of roleplaying games and supplements in printed media and static electronic file formats. Nay more shall we be able to create videos, virtual tabletops, computer games, novels, apps, graphic novels, music, songs, dances, and pantomimes. Those who profit from their creations must also fall into one of three revenue tier sets, determining whether they must pay royalties to the Wizards.
“Wizards of the Coast has shown that they are the dragon on top of the hoard, willing to burn the thriving village if only to get a few more gold pieces,” an impassioned open letter published January 8 reads. “It’s time for us to band together as adventurers to defend our village from the terrible wyrm.”
You Can findeth out more here and sign the #OPENDND Petition here.
It remains to be seen how this will impact the many content creators in our community. Already The Kobolds have raised their flag and are busy working away at their own fully open and always free rule set.
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