Matt FreemanJan 27, 2023
Scalzi

I don't play RPGs enough to get entirely personally wrapped up in this, but I know a whole lot of people who do, and it's been stunning to see just how quickly Wizards of the Coast blew off their own feet here. No one trusts them to do the right thing, nor should they. This is a classic "we're sorry we got caught" situation, and everyone one in that space knows it.

https://gizmodo.com/dungeons-and-dragons-dnd-ogl-goodwill-1-2-feedback-1850036746

Dungeons & Dragons Has Burned Up All the Goodwill

Fans will have to fight for what they want, keep what they have, and determine when their fight will end.

Gizmodo
Jan 27, 2023 at 7:07pmWeb
Show threadraphaelJan 27, 2023

@scalzi yup, wotc’s maneuvering, from the start, should now be in the dictionary under ‘unforced error’.

and all that when they have a rival in paizo whose biggest business model is ‘just exist while wotc messes things up.’

Show threadKevinJan 27, 2023
@scalzi it’s such an own goal. They could have kept riding the wave of Stranger Things-inspired popularity, but no, they had to fiddle with it
Show threadrhetorical answersJan 27, 2023

@scalzi

The summary of events is good, but the article surrenders to "capitalist realism" at the end, putting responsibility on the individuals in the TTRPG space, not the owners of the corporation that are clearly trying to set up a system where they can extract rent eternally for creative work made by others.

WOTC's decision is Hasbro's decision, and that's not even mentioned. Standard inadequate and unexamined ethics underlying the article, but good intent -- which is always frustrating to read.

Show threadRavenfeederJan 27, 2023
@scalzi The story moved on further today! Looks like WotC have walked back everything:
https://gizmodo.com/dungeons-dragons-will-no-longer-deauthorize-its-open-1850041837
Dungeons & Dragons Scraps Plans to Update Its Open Game License

In a surprise statement today, Kyle Brink announced that Wizards of the Coast will preserve the OGL 1.0a and move more of D&D into the Creative Commons.

Gizmodo
Show threadDan Curtis JohnsonJan 27, 2023
@scalzi And now they've folded.
Show threadSolarbird Jan 27, 2023
@scalzi What this reminds me of is how Borland destroyed themselves virtually overnight. Exactly the same kind of bullshit, too.
Show threadOggieJan 27, 2023

@scalzi
I am very far out of that space, and I'm genuinely upset-by-proxy how bad this is for so many people. It's just a straight up torch of all goodwill. I'm slightly more bothered that -some- people are going with the stance of 'Well, not giving them money at all would require me to spend a tiny bit of effort, so...'

We'll see how this all resolves.

Show threadOggieJan 27, 2023

@scalzi
Well. This is an interesting take.

https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1439-ogl-1-0a-creative-commons

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...

OGL 1.0a & Creative Commons
Show threadEricJan 27, 2023
@scalzi to be fair, legal eagle seems to think it was mostly a nothing burger because of the way rights work around the rules of games.
Show threadCrow Girl AnjaJan 28, 2023
@djotaku @scalzi With all respect to Legal Eagle, his opinion doesn't take into account the ability of WotC to destroy the vast majority of those producing D&D with the costs of getting a case through the courts, which is something that had happened history with D&D
Show threadOraymwJan 27, 2023
@scalzi Did your post cause them to reverse the decision and put the SRD into Creative Commons?!? (jk i know it's the collective action of millions of fans)
Show threadJohnJan 27, 2023
@scalzi Really amazing that WotC walked this all back this afternoon, leaving the original license 1.0a completely in place and rolling out their #DnD 5th edition (current) game to a Creative Commons license. After all the craziness of the past couple of weeks there couldn’t have been a better outcome.
Show threadJohnJan 27, 2023
@scalzi Link to update from DnD Beyond / Wizards of the Coast (“edit post” seems to be broken for me atm):
https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1439-ogl-1-0a-creative-commons
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...

OGL 1.0a & Creative Commons
Show threadskyislandJan 27, 2023
@b3john @scalzi yeah it’s honestly crazy. I’ve never seen a corp roll back a bad idea this fast.
Show threadDynomooseJan 30, 2023
@scalzi I’m so glad got this on kindle and audible. It’s so entertaining both ways!
Show threadDynomooseJan 30, 2023
@scalzi oh sorry, I was talking about KPS. But, for some strange reason, you haven’t posted about the awards it won recently here.
Show threadBradAtlantaJan 30, 2023
@scalzi Pathfinder and don’t look back.