Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #OGL
Most recents (11)
Dear @DnDBeyond,
I've restarted my #DnDBeyond Auto-Subscription.
But I want to add feedback I was unable to give in the survey (it bugged out). This is going to be quite a thread with praise and critique for you and some explanation into why and how and what to expect.
1/20
I've restarted my #DnDBeyond Auto-Subscription.
But I want to add feedback I was unable to give in the survey (it bugged out). This is going to be quite a thread with praise and critique for you and some explanation into why and how and what to expect.
1/20
You yourselves know best the kind of disaster the #OGL 1.1 / 1.2 / 2.0 rollout was. This has cost you A LOT of goodwill with the community and turned swathes of us permanently away from your products.
But you've decided to do better. Thank you for that.
2/20
But you've decided to do better. Thank you for that.
2/20
I'm sure you received lots of feedback and combed through the noise on social media and in your survey. But after not being able to take that survey, I'd like to add my 2 cents and a little extra to the voices, maybe it'll help you make better, yet profitable decisions.
3/20
3/20
WotC has not "done a 180" or "backed down" or "fixed" the #OGL problem they've created. #DnDBegone
Out of 8 deeply problematic things, they've reversed 2, doubled down on 3, and remained silent on 3.
Alphastream provides a list.
Let's break it down.
alphastream.org/index.php/2023…
Out of 8 deeply problematic things, they've reversed 2, doubled down on 3, and remained silent on 3.
Alphastream provides a list.
Let's break it down.
alphastream.org/index.php/2023…
Deauthorizing OGL v1.0a: The new statement says they're still doing this.
New License is Revocable: No statement.
Approval: The new statement says they're still doing this.
No Mechanism for Sharing of Open Content: No statement.
New License is Revocable: No statement.
Approval: The new statement says they're still doing this.
No Mechanism for Sharing of Open Content: No statement.
Print or PDF Products Only: The new statement says they're still doing this.
Royalties & Reporting: They've reversed this.
WotC Ownership of Your Content: They've reversed this.
Royalties & Reporting: They've reversed this.
WotC Ownership of Your Content: They've reversed this.
Interesting news in the #RPG world:
D&D has been under an open license for 20+ years which has allowed content creators to publish #DnD-compatible material free & clear, but the giant corporation which owns the game (Hasbro) tried yanking the rights & the community is revolting:
D&D has been under an open license for 20+ years which has allowed content creators to publish #DnD-compatible material free & clear, but the giant corporation which owns the game (Hasbro) tried yanking the rights & the community is revolting:
This is an interesting study in a situation where a game really has become community property (socialized, you might say), and a mega-company tries to step in & pocket all of the third-party content -- not just "fan art" but a huge cottage industry of writers, designers, etc #dnd
The D&D third-party content producers range from people making $1/year off of some monster stats to people raising $100K off of a Kickstarter for a major project employing dozens of writers, artists, etc. The license change would've destroyed that overnight -- currently on pause.
WotC's move to end #OpenDnD has created an uproar among fans, and a lot of people are blaming the corporate suits at Hasbro. Here are some thoughts from a former corporate suit, and how I'd try to use business arguments to convince other execs not to "de-authorize" the OGL. 1/🧵 
And to be clear, I never worked at Hasbro. But I did work for three of their key competitors: Mattel, Spin Master, and Moose Toys. In fact, my last big career choice was whether to become the President of @bwisegames or pursue a VP-level position at Hasbro. 2/🧵
I'd start by pointing out what's obvious to fans: that making D&D "open source" took it from around 50% market share in the year 2000 to 85% in 2022. In a highly fragmented market, the #OGL incentivized potential competitors to play *with* D&D rather than against Wizards. 3/🧵
Last week, @Gizmodo's @lincodega caught a killer scoop - a leake Hasbro's plan to revoke the decades-old #OpenGamingLicense, which subsidiary @Wizards promulgated as an allegedly #open sandbox for people seeking to extend #DungeonsAndDragons:
gizmodo.com/dnd-wizards-of… 1/
gizmodo.com/dnd-wizards-of… 1/
The report set off a shitstorm among #DandD fans and the broader #TTRPG community - not just because it was evidence of yet more #enshittification of D&D by a faceless corporate monopolist, but because Hasbro was seemingly poised to take back a #commons. 2/
Another thing to remember about the #OGL is how I think it was shaped by two events of the 1990s.
First was the start of Wizards of the Coast. The Primal Order, their first product, resulted in a lawsuit from Palladium Games because they included conversion appendixes for a
First was the start of Wizards of the Coast. The Primal Order, their first product, resulted in a lawsuit from Palladium Games because they included conversion appendixes for a
variety of RPG systems. (TPO was a "capsystem" product meant to be added on your game of choice.) This is exactly the sort of thing that people are now claiming is obviously fair use. It was not so obvious, as Wizards well knew!
The threat was so grave and existential that a new corporation, Garfield Games, was formed just to publish Magic: The Gathering, so that it could get investment that would not be threatened by the possibility of the whole company being destroyed by the Primal Order litigation.
This EFF article making the rounds is well worth reading, but I think it has some significant shortcomings in understanding the #OGL and its role in RPG publishing.
eff.org/deeplinks/2023… via @eff
eff.org/deeplinks/2023… via @eff
I think it missed the boat on understanding the role of both Product Identity and Open Game Content. The original D&D 3.0 SRD contained ZERO product identity. Designating it ALL as OGC meant that no one had to parse the legal minutiae of "is this specific thing protected by
copyright?" -- just use it.
The trade-off was that we agreed to designate Open Game Content in our material in turn.
Product Identity, in contrast, was a term that gave publishers confidence to add their own material to the body of OGC without for example diluting trademarks or
The trade-off was that we agreed to designate Open Game Content in our material in turn.
Product Identity, in contrast, was a term that gave publishers confidence to add their own material to the body of OGC without for example diluting trademarks or
Was asked what I thought might happen next with #WotC and the #OGL. Here it goes.
1) IT’S UNLIKELY THEY CAN WALK THIS BACK: The new #CEO is hanging his hat on this, so I just don’t see them going “just fooling’!” without him being canned.
1) IT’S UNLIKELY THEY CAN WALK THIS BACK: The new #CEO is hanging his hat on this, so I just don’t see them going “just fooling’!” without him being canned.
2) LARGE COMPANIES USING THE OGL WILL MOVE AWAY FROM THE OGL AS FAST AS THEY CAN: This is already seemingly happening. Signing OGL 1.1 is like placing a self-destruct in your business and giving the detonator to WotC. They can destroy you at any time.
3) A NEW OPEN GAME WHICH DOES PRECISELY WHAT DND DOES ONLY PROBABLY SLIGHTLY BETTER WILL BE CREATED: Again, already underway in multiple places, and it won’t take long. The ranks of those designing such things will be filled with people who helped make #DND what it is today.
Frustrated for a non-medical reason! 😲
The leaked #OGL update (1.1) from WoTC looks to do some real damage to the #DnD community. It's going to deter independent content creators: threatening royalties and ability to claim this content as WoTC/Hasbro.
The leaked #OGL update (1.1) from WoTC looks to do some real damage to the #DnD community. It's going to deter independent content creators: threatening royalties and ability to claim this content as WoTC/Hasbro.
It looks to replace OGL 1.0, so even content out there now could be affected.
@Wizards_DnD @Hasbro - seriously reconsider this. DnD has had the biggest resurgence because of these content creators that you're after. Think!
@Wizards_DnD @Hasbro - seriously reconsider this. DnD has had the biggest resurgence because of these content creators that you're after. Think!
First starts off with books, campaigns and other content. Next it will be online tools. It will close the community right down!
Full support behind #OpenDnD project. Strongly considering cancelled #DnDBeyond sub! Don't want to know anymore about #OneDnD until this is sorted!
Full support behind #OpenDnD project. Strongly considering cancelled #DnDBeyond sub! Don't want to know anymore about #OneDnD until this is sorted!
WOTC's NDAs expired Jan. 4, when the new " #OGL " was supposed to drop. #wotc is wavering and might be in negotiations with larger 3rd parties to make separate licenses, to legally bind them before dropping new language. Let's put CR and other creators on BLAST to announce (1/3)
they will NOT make any agreement with WOTC before the language affecting the majority of third parties drops. #2: After the final language is out and if it is predatory, these creators should NOT make a separate peace w WOTC: this concedes the principle that one doesn't (2/3)
need to submit to WOTC's terms to publish compatible content. It leaves littler guys out to dry. #OpenDnD (3/3)
This 👇
On #hospitals, @NHSEngland maintains/publishes a list of NHS Hospital #Trusts, each of which may have several actual hospitals (which TBF are linked):
england.nhs.uk/publication/nh…
Though it doesn't seem to have updated the #OGL version on data.gov.uk since 2015.
On #hospitals, @NHSEngland maintains/publishes a list of NHS Hospital #Trusts, each of which may have several actual hospitals (which TBF are linked):
england.nhs.uk/publication/nh…
Though it doesn't seem to have updated the #OGL version on data.gov.uk since 2015.
As the statutory regulator, you'd hope @CareQualityComm would have a complete and up-to-date list of #CareHomes - but all its site appears to allow you to do is search for individual ones:
cqc.org.uk/what-we-do/ser…
Which, as a public #register, is less than helpful...
cqc.org.uk/what-we-do/ser…
Which, as a public #register, is less than helpful...
Mind you, speaking of statutory regulators, it's pretty appalling that @ICOnews - the #DataProtection regulator itself! - publishes a #register, supposedly under #OGL, that contains a whole *bunch* of #PersonalData it doesn't even bother to redact...
ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/…
ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/…
