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Many Dungeons & Dragons fans are extremely upset by Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast and the new license they are implementing known as the Open Game License, or OGL 1.1. There has been a lot of criticism about this and how it will affect the future of the RPG industry.

Now an open letter called ‘OpenDND’ has been released condemning the licensing rules saying it will ‘dismantle the entire RPG industry’. Over the past few days, this letter has garnered more than 26,000 signatures from fans along with industry figures and developers from across the community.

The letter calls on D&D studio Wizards of the Coast to “revoke the draconian 1.1 OGL and commit to supporting the current 1.0 OGL in future editions of their games.” It also encourages creators not to sign the alleged license change, which was initially reported by io9 in early January and has caused heated controversy ever since.

The open letter lays it all out, and you can read it below:

What is the Open Gaming License?

The Open Gaming License (OGL) is a legal framework that allows creators to use the rules and ideas of RPGs in their own works. Initially released in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast, it has become a mainstay of the board game industry, fueling the popularity and accessibility of games such as Pathfinder, 13th Age and Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition.

The OGL has done more to foster creativity and innovation in the board game ecosystem than any other element. By enabling creators to use and collaboratively develop the core concepts and mechanics of existing games, the OGL has created a wide variety of new games and game products, ranging from minor indie releases to large, blockbuster titles commercial.

End of an open era

However, Wizards of the Coast (WotC) has announced an updated OGL (version 1.1), an attempt to dismantle the entire RPG industry. This new license intends to completely revoke the old OGL, a perpetual license designed by WotC itself to be irrevocable.

Nothing about this new license is “open”. It drowns out the vibrant community that flourished under the original license. Regardless of the creator, it binds everyone into a new contract that limits their work, makes it mandatory to report your projects and revenues to Wizards of the Coast, and gives WotC the legal right to reproduce and resell creator content without permission or compensation. The new license can also be changed to worse terms or terminated at any time without any compensation from the creators.

For the biggest creators in the industry, WotC is imposing an impossible 25% tax, based on their total sales over $750,000, not profit. This is anti-competitive, monopolistic behavior designed to crush small businesses that collectively employ hundreds of designers, writers and artists. Under this tax, it becomes impossible for creators to put books on game store shelves or run Kickstarters for large audiences. While this only affects a few companies in the space, those targeted are still tiny compared to Wizards of the Coast, which made $1.3 billion in 2021.

Also, games like Pathfinder 1E and 2E, 13th Age, Fudge and Traveller, which use OGL 1.0 as the backbone of their existence, will have to cease sales of upcoming products or give WotC 25% of their revenue to stay in rule with the new license.

Also, with the new license, virtual tables (VTT) cannot work. They can no longer support OGL systems and creators can no longer release modules and adventures on popular digital platforms like Foundry, Alchemy or Shard.

If this new license gains widespread adoption, the tabletop industry will shrink to a fraction of its current size, shutting down the small businesses that populate your local counters and putting an end to their creations. Innovation in the gaming industry will evaporate; your favorite games will be trapped in the past, instead of being allowed to migrate to your phone, into virtual reality and beyond. Diversity in the industry will shrink, as projects from marginalized creators are effectively erased from the future.

We expect Wizards of the Coast to attempt costly and illegal lawsuits to enforce their new agreement. Even if they fail in court, they will irrevocably damage the tabletop industry.

#OpenDnD

#OpenDnD is a rallying cry under which creators and fans have come together to ask WotC to revoke the draconian OGL 1.1 and pledge to support the current OGL 1.0 in future editions of their games. This is not an opportunity to fight and fiddle with a new license, but to return to the values ​​of open play. Our community deserves an open future if our favorite games are to not only survive, but thrive!!

If you’re a creator, #Don’t Sign the new deal. If you love RPGs, let WotC know we won’t be supporting them without an #OpenDnD!

WotC has proven to be the dragon at the top of the hoard, willing to burn down the thriving village if only to get a few more gold chunks. It’s time for us to unite as adventurers to defend our village from the terrible dragon.

I’m not a fan of these changes coming to D&D as they will cripple the industry. It’s crazy to me that Wizards of the Coast is attempting to implement these licensing changes. The only reason D&D is as big and popular as it is today is because of these content creators! They are D&D’s main marketing army, and there’s no point in hurting them like this.

You can sign the open letter here