2023 – January 9 – WotC OGL v1.1 update

This past week has brought a slow rolling crescendo to a head. Please read and understand that Wizards of the Coast is seeking to destroy all third party developers and their works. Their “de authorization” of OGL v1.0 & 1.0a eliminates all the value of my current work as it exists. Their inclusion of unlimited and uncompensated theft of others creations along with a 25% tax on successful creators shows that their hubris and greed have reached levels that make Greek gods roll their eyes. Business contracts almost always favor one side or the other. But this 1.1 OGL gives them the right to censor works, revoke with a 30 day notice, mandates giving them your work, and most importantly destroys any faith or good will in Hasbro or Wizards of the Coast. Version 1.1 gives you access to D&Done and their promise of shiny new toys. But it destroys any hope of stability or security in the OGL as a development platform.

I have come to full stop. A review of options is currently underway. I am most likely to migrate to Creative Commons By Attribution or Public Domain Licensing. So this puts a stop to play testing, module development, and design work. Updates to follow.

Question: Steve, aren’t you over reacting?

Answer: No. I respected their intellectual property and they don’t respect mine.

Question: But they’re a business and can update contracts.

Answer: That’s really a statement, not a question. But I will answer it anyway. The OGL 1.0 and 1.0a creators stated publicly and included in the OGL FAQ that the OGL’s could not be voided, cancelled, or forced on you. That was one of the main selling points. A stable, secure base on which to develop products. One of the official answers on the FAQ states that if the license is changed in the future and I don’t like the changes; then I can use any older version of the license that I prefer. Note: They have removed the OGL FAQ’s from their web site. Use the Wayback machine, here to see it in it’s original state.

I understand corpos got to corp and to them this is just about the money. No problem. I understand to them it’s not personal. But to me, this is my hobby. I did not endure the taunts of society and the great satanic panic to calmly sit by while you burn down my village.

I do not intend for that to sound in any way ominous or threatening, that would be illegal. I am not illegal. But I will be back in a creative form that will never be in Hasbros or Wizards of the Coasts claws again. I sincerely hope their short term gain is worth the long term enmity they are earning.