#openDnD

Hi folks,

Wizards of the Coast (the Hasbro-owned company who make D&D) recently announced changes to their Open Gaming License. Previously, this license was a big part of what allowed 3rd party content to flourish. Because of its open nature, we got new VTTs, amazing 3rd party monsters, adventures, classes, spin off systems, and more. It’s part of what has made d&d 5e so popular.

Unfortunately, capitalism has a way of ruining things. There is a new OGL on the horizon, one that forces all creators working on 3rd party d&d content to register their income with Wizards of the Coast and give Wizards 25% of any income over $750k (note - this is income, not profit, so even if a creator has barely profited from a project after paying for writers, artists, etc, they could still owe Wizards a ton of cash).

This new OGL prohibits VTTs using d&d mechanics entirely, meaning that unless Wizards are willing to make custom deals with VTT companies (as they have with Roll20) then it will be illegal for a VTT like Foundry to include a d&d system, or any form of digital character sheet for d&d.

Worst of all, this new OGL is designed to overwrite the previous one, rending the original nul and void. That means that creators can’t even make 5e content anymore without agreeing to the new terms, even if this content has nothing to do with Wizards new ‘One D&D’ stuff.

I’m fortunate - besides a couple of track names I may need to change, music isn’t something tied to a specific system. But so many of the amazing creators I’ve collabed with could see their business collapse overnight if these changes go through. Unfortunately, d&d is just infinitely more popular than any other system out there at the moment, so these creators either have to accept the new terms or close up shop, or try to shift to a different, far less popular system for their 3rd party content and thus make far less money to keep themselves afloat.

So, what can be done?

First, it should be obvious that no one should harass employees at Wizards, most of whom are probably just as appalled by this change as we all are. This change comes from the top, most likely someone at Hasbro, so leave the staff of Wizards out of it.

Second, a leaked email from a Wizards staffer said that the only focus of the financial leadership at Wizards/Hasbro is subscribers on DnD Beyond. Yesterday it seemed Wizards planned an announcement about the new OGL, but suddenly changed plans after a massive community effort resulted in loads of people cancelling their d&d beyond subscriptions. If you’re able to be one of those, I encourage you to do it, and to make your opinions known in the feedback section of the cancellation form.

Third, spread the hashtags #opendnd and #dndbegone so more people get the message.

Fourth, sign this open letter here: https://www.opendnd.games

Fifth, support your favourite 3rd party creators, in particular those who rely on the existing OGL (adventure writers, monster designers, etc). They need your love and support right now!

And finally, if you can get your group to come along with you, try out some different systems. Even if Wizards back down on the new OGL, the writing is on the wall in terms of the direction they’re heading. There are so many amazing systems out there, so now is a great time to try them out!

The pressure applied to Wizards/Hasbro so far seems to be working. But we need more of it to force them to turn back from this selfish and disastrous decision. So if you can, be part of that pressure!

Thanks everyone! Back to music soon :)