Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) – Wizards of the Coast (WotC)’s latest attempt to update the decades-old Open Gaming License (OGL) still included the controversial statement that “The Open Gaming License 1.0a is no longer an authorized license”. The news comes after the company’s first attempt to create an OGL update with a similar language (and other controversial changes) was met with controversy. The fans were pretty much angry And Alienation from the creative community.
WotC says this is a “delicensing” proposal. OGL v1.0a This will not affect any original content published under this prior license since it first appeared in the early 2000s, and such content will not need to be updated or re-licensed for compatibility with any new OGL. But not post any content after after according to Update as formulated.
In the Explanatory post on the D&D Beyond blogWotC executive producer Kyle Brink said that WotC recognizes that the planned decentralization is a “major concern” for the community. But, he added, it’s a necessary step in enforcing OGL’s new restrictions on illegal and/or hateful content, including “harmful, discriminatory, illegal, obscene, or harassing conduct” as defined by WotC.
“We can’t use the protection options in 1.2 if someone could choose to post harmful, discriminatory, or illegal content in 1.0a,” Brink wrote. He added that ensuring an “overall gaming experience” in this way was a “very important” goal that was not included in the original OGL.
Whether WotC actually had the legal authority to completely cancel the previous OGL version remains an open question. This is because the original OGL contained a provision that clearly stated that players may “use any authorized version of this license to copy, modify, and distribute any open game content originally distributed under any version of this license”.
The original OGL does not contain any specific language that says it is non-nullable. But in The FAQ was posted when the original OGL was publishedWotC directly stated that “Even if the wizards make a change [to the license] that you did not agree to, you may continue to use an accepted earlier version at your discretion. A recent interview with board games website En WorldOriginal OGL architect and former vice president of WotC Ryan Dancey said the company “doesn’t have the power to revoke a license to a version of OGL. If that’s the strength we wanted to maintain for Hasbro, we’ll include it in the license.”
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In addition to revoking the license for OGL v1.0a, the new draft scales back many of the most controversial parts of the original leaked update, including plans to require revenue reports, collect royalties for key content creators, and force relicensing to WotC for original content. The new draft also explicitly states that the new license is “perpetual, non-exclusive, and irrevocable”, with only certain technical sections eligible for future modifications.
D&DThe underlying mechanics will be licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0), which WotC says “imposes absolutely no restrictions on how this content can be used.” Although this License is not entirely correct, it grants a “worldwide, royalty-free, non-sublicensable, non-exclusive, irrevocable license” to such content which governs on condition that the licensor gives WotC due credit for its creation.
in essence D&D content” published by WotC (for example, classes, spells, monsters, and other creative content made by the company), the new license will allow use, modification, and distribution with some restrictions. Content, as discussed above, the draft language prohibits anything that infringes on a third party’s IP address or Has official approval from WotC.
WotC said a poll allowing members of the public to comment on this new OGL draft will be publicly available on Friday and available through February 3. This kind of interaction, Brink wrote in the comments, “will last as long as he needs it…until we get it right.”