We WON!

As many of you might already know, WotC has finally conceded to the community in regard to the OGL update madness, leaving the OGL 1.0a alone and ALSO placing the content in Creative Commons. 

WotC's official statement can be found here: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1439-ogl-1-0a-creative-commons

It is absolutely worth the read.

This proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that WotC has finally admitted that they were on the wrong track and that the community OVERWHELMINGLY responded. 

So What Does This Mean? 

This means a LOT, but here's a breakdown some of the major points:

1. A Path Forward: The content from the OGL 1.0a is remaining in place, meaning products created under it are NOT going to be under a "deauthorized" license. In addition, the entire OGL has been placed into Creative Commons, meaning it cannot be altered or revoked: It is safe, essentially forever, for us and thousands of other creators to use without a dragon of a corporation breathing down our necks or demanding tribute.

2. A Fractured Community: This OGL upset and WotC's earlier decisions have fractured our community, not only breaking our trust but breaking the fanbase into a number of new systems coming out as alternatives to 5e: Kobold Press's Black Flag, Pathfiner's ORC, and DM Dave's Endless Journeys are merely a few in an ever-growing number of products splintering off from the core 5e system. In light of recent events, many feel that they can't trust the industry as it is or, simply, don't want to be associated with "the dragon" anymore. The community needs time to recover from the OGL upset, and each person needs to decide what is right for them. For some people, that might mean trying out some new systems. 

For us, we are sticking with 5e and will continue to make awesome content for all of you amazing people. While we do not agree with many of the tone-deaf decisions made by the corporate suits at WotC over the past few weeks (...or months ...or years), 5e is now safely in the Creative Commons and available for us to use without fear of a lawful evil corporation messing with it. 

We appreciate your support SO much through all of this, and I cannot tell you how happy we are to be able to continue making content for a game that we know and love without fear of a shadow from above, the flap of corporate wings crashing down on us like thunder. As of today, the future looks a bit brighter.

3. YOU Did It!: You made your voices heard, as a community. We didn't back down. We took on a dragon, and WE won. I cannot express enough how much we appreciate your support through all of this. The team and I have had many sleepless nights these past few weeks worrying about the fate of our small but burgeoning company; and this is a huge relief for us, the community, and the industry as a whole.

In Summary 

We did this, as a community. You did this, as individual voices. I have never been prouder to be part of a community, nay, an adventuring party several thousand strong, so strong they can disrupt a dragon sitting on a hoard of a multi-billion-dollar corporation. 

You are truly dragon slayers. 

We will continue sharpening our swords, prepping our spells, and scribbling scrolls of content for you to enjoy; because YOU ensured that we could keep doing it. 

With more gratitude than I can express, thank you.

-Dillon and the Critical Crew

(... and Ol' Chap Ettercap says, "Hats off to you!!!")