#dndbeyond

[leidensygdom]

(Check the link for the post itself! Here’s a screenshot of the same content available in the page, though)

Wizards of the Coast has finally made an official statement about the new OGL, and as expected, it’s an attempt to douse the fire with sweet corpo speak. So, here’s some key points about it, so we don’t forget what actually happened.

They repeated thorough the letter that this was to avoid bigoted content. About three times. Don’t let them lie to you: This was NEVER about preventing bigoted content. (In fact, please remember that WOTC released the hadozee on 2022, and has a lot of unresolved sexual harassment case allegations)

They also mentioned the NFT thing. Again: This is another buzzword, given how nowadays most people dislike NFTs openly. It was NEVER about preventing NFTs

Most importantly: They are blatantly lying about the leaked OGL being “up to revision” and them having planned “to accept community feedback”. The leaked OGL was sent as it is to implied third parties, alongside with contracts. THEY FULLY PLANNED TO HAVE PEOPLE SIGN IT AS IT WAS.

They have been saying they’ll backpedal on some of the choices. DO NOT BELIEVE THEM until we see an actual readable OGL of whatever changes they are promising. They are trying to, desperately, calm down the storm.

KEEP pushing, in fact. Keep unsuscribing from DnD Beyond. Do not buy their products, don’t watch the movie, etc. If this PR stunt makes people suddenly calm down, they’ll try to get away with the OGL as it is.

Also, here’s some segments I want to highlight, just to show how thoroughly filled with horseshit they are:

And third, we wanted to ensure that the OGL is for the content creator, the homebrewer, the aspiring designer, our players, and the community—not major corporations to use for their own commercial and promotional purpose.

This one is probably a jab at Paizo, but they certainly didn’t care about all the third parties affected by this. The “aspiring designer”, the “homebrewer”, the “content creator” are all people who probably have a foot in the industry and are working with smaller TTRPG companies, or third parties. Most third parties have a very limited number of employees (or quite literally consist of just one person), and hire freelancers as needed. These were quite literally the most hurt by this new OGL. Let’s not forget they were content trying to put an end to that.

It also will not include the license back provision that some people were afraid was a means for us to steal work. That thought never crossed our minds. Under any new OGL, you will own the content you create. We won’t. Any language we put down will be crystal clear and unequivocal on that point. The license back language was intended to protect us and our partners from creators who incorrectly allege that we steal their work simply because of coincidental similarities.

They made a section in the OGL that allowed them to steal content. Of course, they are claiming that is not true now, as it would give them a bad image. And yet, they have the nerve to claim they are just defending themselves when they release copied content.

Finally, we’d appreciate the chance to make this right. We love D&D’s devoted players and the creators who take them on so many incredible adventures. We won’t let you down.

This is obviously that sweet corpo speak that ties everything together. They never wanted to make this right: Again, the leaked full OGL was never a draft. They were ready to fuck the entire community over (and still are, most probably) over a greedy cash grab. Do noT forget, and do not relent now: The fight is not over.

We don’t need a “compromise” over the new OGL. I wouldn’t care if they applied this new OGL exclusively to OneDnD, but there is still a lot of people who have built a living operating under 5e’s OGL, and they should NOT be taking that from people. 

(As always, reblog for awareness!)

[tabletop-rpgs]

Hey folks

If you currently are subscribed to D&D Beyond, consider unsubscribing, you won’t lose any perks until the subscription period is over and if enough people unsubscribe and mention the OGL 1.1 as the reason, Hasbro might roll back the changes, sub numbers are an easy way to project loss of revenue. Third party products, streamers, online content creators and the fan community are what made D&D what it is, not Hasbro and I think they could do with a reminder.

[the-sloane-ranger]

DnDBeyond is forcing all character sheets to use 2024 rules

When the new Players Handbook releases this fall, dndbeyond is updating their database so that all character sheets, even ones currently in existence, to use the new rules. All spells and magic items will be changed.

https://www.dndbeyond.com/changelog

[daarka]

For those late to the party who want to know what the hell is going on with #OpenDnD, #StoptheSub, #DnDBegone etc, and why everyone is cancelling DnDBeyond subscriptions, I tried to do a crash course as succinctly as possible. OpenDnD.Games is a great resource for more in-depth details, and if you wish to do so, you can cancel your DnDBeyond subscription through this direct link (as there have been many reporting trouble in locating where to do so). Edit: Tweaked the very first detail below, as someone reminded me it was not a wholly accurate statement as I had initially written it. Apologies to everyone who already reblogged the first version of this :')

Hasbro acquired Wizards of the Coast (WotC) some time ago, but recently they got new leadership who said in an interview that they see D&D as "under-monetized". Hasbro is on the decline with finances, and WotC is its biggest cash cow. Why milk that cash cow through producing more content when you can instead revoke a legally irrevocable license that makes it impossible for 3rd party content creators to exist?

America loves a good monopoly. The old license that permitted the community to grow to what it is today was OGL1.0a, and without it, D&D would not be what it is right now, nor even close. They tried to shift to OGL1.1, a new license that is, in a word, PREDATORY. Horrific, nasty shit.

OGL1.1 was quietly sent to large creators to sign. It then got leaked. The community erupted. The backlash was loud and unanimous. WotC was radio silent for like two weeks. They finally gave a single-sentence "we'll explain soon" tweet on DnDBeyond's account. Then more silence.

A WotC employee reached out to large creators to blow the whistle on WotC. The source was verified, and they shared that WotC sees the community as an obstacle between them and their money, all they care about is bottom line, and they're delaying in hopes we forget and move on.

And also that they are mainly looking at DnDBeyond subscription cancelations to gauge the financial impact; they don't care about our sentiments, only our money. So everyone erupted into signal boosting for others to unsubscribe as the single and best way to make ourselves heard. Cue the mass unsubscribing.

Today (January 13th 2023), a shitty PR piece was posted on DnDBeyond full of blatant lies and, in my opinion, barely-contained saltiness. Right before that, though, OGL2.0 leaks came out; the tweaks they'd begrudgingly made following the backlash. 2.0 is basically just as bad as 1.1; they just spoke of it as being more changed than it was.

In other words, they keep bold-faced lying to a community of rules-lawyers who recreationally read fine print :)

Meanwhile, Paizo (creators of Pathfinder) has come to the rescue, vowing to release a truly open license that will allow everyone to continue pursuing the livelihoods they're passionate about; this is the Open RPG Creative License, or "ORC".

Canceling subscriptions immediately sends a potent message, even if you may have to resubscribe later for functionality in your games. You'll still have the remainder of your billing cycle to enjoy paid perks.

Everything's a little on fire, but I think we'll be okay ��️

OGL1.0a was never meant to be revocable, as loudly stated in the past couple days by the very people who authored it. It is very likely that WotC is actually just bluffing and bullying, and is actually powerless to revoke it--something many lawyers more knowledgeable than myself seem to be suggesting. In which case, it is my greatest hope in all of this that 3rd party creators are able to continue doing what they love, with no further interruptions.

Remember: the majority of WotC and DnDBeyond employees feel the exact same way we do, but they don't have a choice. Hasbro is the enemy here. Be kind to each other, and know where blame should and should not be placed. If you want to stay up to speed, the account of @.DnD_Shorts seems to be a very active and informed voice, largely responsible for sharing the first leak. If Twitter makes you want to puke, I completely understand; DnD_Shorts also has a YouTube channel with frequent updates on the situation posted in video format.

It's cathartic to me to try to signal boost this stuff, and provide summaries that might help others stay informed. It helps me feel like I'm somehow able to affect these nasty things that are otherwise just inflicted onto lil guys in the community like myself.

However, this has been beyond exhausting and stressful. I'm going to start untangling myself and stepping back from posting about this issue so I can hopefully restore some of my own sanity.

It's been really crazy--in a good way--to see the power this community has when rallied together under a common threat. It makes me proud to be in that community.

At the end of the day, all TTRPGs are really just exercises in creativity and fun. The golden rule has always been and should always be that there is no right or wrong way to play, other than what suits you and those you play with. Likewise, no one should ever feel guilty or judged by others for playing one system over another. It's okay to like D&D5e despite all this. No matter how much they've tried, Wizards of the Coast cannot claim jurisdiction over the invaluable memories you've made, and what has become a creative outlet for countless people. Myself included.

Boycotting is a great way to be heard, since they only care about money. But continuing to use the content you have to play D&D5e is your prerogative, and hurts no one. Furthermore, it's also okay if you can't cancel your DnDBeyond subscription because you rely on it too heavily for your games. That doesn't make you a traitor. That doesn't estrange you from the community. DnDBeyond, at its core, is a great tool that is popular for a reason; it's the new leadership that is forcing it to become something it wasn't meant to be. One day, I hope to be able to resubscribe in good conscious, and I hope that day is soon.

To reiterate, if anyone's even read down this far... be kind to one another. Keep in mind that big enemies win when the party is divided. You can love or hate anything you want in the TTRPG sphere, but how you feel about it does not invalidate someone else feeling the opposite.

Be kind. Be patient. Be empathetic. We're already coming out on top.

[captainpansparrow]

I totally don’t have a favorite D20 cast member. What gives you that idea? I love them all equally.

[homebrew-a-la-traumaverse]

The Dusk - Homebrew Rogue Subclass by Nines

Why fear the dark? You can hate it, or you can love it, but your shadow has been by your side from you first breath, and it will remain with you until your last. If you can't trust it, what can you trust?

Of Monsters and Myths is going well, and by that I mean it's approximately 65% complete. Some subclasses still need to be written, others need to be reworked. It's not going to be nearly as long as the Subclasseptember Compendium, which at 30+ subclasses remains my biggest single project, but there's definitely a lot more time for polish this way.

... It's almost been a year since then. Huh.

Links in reblog, as usual.

[cephalophore-semaphore]

I'm just...so sad about this latest change from wotc/dndbeyond. I'm in the middle of three active campaigns, for some of which I've built dozens of NPCs, and they're all just going to automatically change to new content in September? I have to download them and manually level them going forward or comb through all of the spells and items they have to homebrew duplicates to keep them from changing on the platform? Spells and items I purchased before are just...different now...?

I know you shouldn't trust corporations, that dndbeyond and WOTC have always been a basically morally bankrupt cash grab, and I'll be canceling my dndbeyond subscription going forward, but I just feel a sort of grief that the things I built are being taken away from me, you know? And after we'd all been assured that everything from the 2024 "5.5e" would be backwards compatible and wouldn't affect old 5e content.

It just...sucks.

[dysfunctional-cryptid]

Tortle named Inni | Aka: Zante's mentor

[stickyhunter]

Oh hey! I got featured on DnDBeyond for my expansion of Strixhaven, alongside other really wonderful creators!

Go check out the wonderful things Alyssa Visscher said about us all

[threestarsbazaar]

Another classic act of dark magic to pass on to the next generation! Nothing more petty than becoming an archmage just to waste all of your energy pouring that same pettiness into adventuring gear that causes those pesky adventurers who foiled your evil plot last tuesday to have fatal “Accidents”.

So sorry to hear that your monk friend’s boots seemed to trip him just as he tried to jump across that crevasse dooming him to fall forever. Slowly.

[robothyenawasteland]

I think a contributing factor to this ongoing OGL mess is Hasbro/WotC higher-ups conflating “dnd” with “Dungeons & Dragons.”

We’re really talking about two things here. There’s one thing: a tabletop roleplaying rules system for playing out fantasy-themed scenarios with dice, figurines, and character sheets.

And then there is THE FORGOTTEN REALMS©, a proprietary fantasy setting featuring creatures like beholders©, Githyanki©, and the dreaded mind flayers©, not to mention fan-favorite characters like Drizzt Do’Urden©! THE FORGOTTEN REALMS takes place on the continent of Faerûn©, on the planet Toril©, which used to be called Abeir-Toril©, which was the case until the dreaded Spellplague©--

You get the idea. From the perspective of ‘the suits,’ they’ve watched DnD take off since the advent of 5th edition, as the game expanded beyond what was previously thought possible. What triggered it? The OGL, certainly, allowing people to make third-party content for the game (most of it not Forgotten Realms). Critical Role (also not Forgotten Realms) played a part. Probably, to a certain extent, sheer intertia. DnD, it turns out, is pretty good for playing fantasy-themed scenarios with dice, figurines, and character sheets. Incidentially, people sometimes pick-and-choose pieces of the Forgotten Realms(©) to include in their games. Sometimes people even use WotC’s first-party adventure books and tweak them to suit their needs. 

My sneaking suspicion is that the people at the top don’t really see it that way. To them, the visuals, the details, especially the Named Characters and Things, are one in the same with the rules system. The rules system is, indeed, quite secondary! Why, after all, would people be buying all these little WizKids DnD figurines, signing up for DnDBeyond, if they were not having canon-appropriate adventures in The Forgotten Realms©, in cities like Waterdeep© and Baldur’s Gate©?

To them, the OGL constitutes people being able to muck about and muddy the waters in their pond. Why, they might do things that cut against canon, possibly confusing readers who happen across them! This could be dreadful. This could damage the brand. And the brand is the Forgotten Realms and the characters, creatures, spells, and scenarios therein, all of which are ripe for further use in movies, novels, video games, comic books, NFTs, and other stuff.

You might say, “How does OGL content conflict with Hasbro/WotC’s official releases? It’s not like a third-party is going to release a competing film, or something that could challenge their market dominance.” You aren’t thinking like a corpo (that’s from Cyberpunk). Consider Nintendo’s highly litigious stamping-out of fan content. Disney’s ironclad control over images of the Mouse. Neither have anything like the OGL, of course, but similar logic animates the DnD situation: things which could pose a problem should be stymied before they can ever become a problem. An unsecure (from their perspective) OGL is a time bomb waiting to blow, with the potential for someone to make a lot of money using their rules (rules which, remember, exist in subservience to their copyrighted settings) in a way that undermines their careful image management.

So, I think that’s why they want to corral the OGL into something more secure, from their perspective. Why risk it, when the thing you want more than anything is a customer base that sees it the way you do, a rules-system and setting that cannot be unspooled from one another?

(If you want my other opinion, its that Hasbro is a publicly-traded company, and DnD is now a significant chunk of their revenue, and that means Line Must Go Up, or Investors Get Mad.)

[leidensygdom]

CANCEL YOUR DND BEYOND SUBSCRIPTION AS A PROTEST TO THE OGL

This letter has been getting passed around on twitter, and confirmed as real by few reputable sources.

Tl;dr: WOTC's executives don't care about you or the community, only want your money, and are hoping people will forget about the OGL. They are using DnD Beyond as the metric of what is going on.

So, CANCEL YOUR DND BEYOND SUBSCRIPTION if you haven't yet, and tell them you did because of the OGL. Don't buy their new shinies until they backtrack and CANCEL the new OGL altogether.

They don't care about the community, so the only way to protest is to cut off where it actually hurts them.

[educationaldm]

Not sure if you caught it, but if you're a fan of Minecraft and D&D, they released a crossover on D&D Beyond. A Monstrous Compendium for Creepers, Endermen, Ender Dragons and more.

[gatheryourparty]

Welcome to your party camp! Pitch your tent and take a load off. That battle was tough, you deserve it!

Gather Your Party is an upcoming Dungeons & Dragons 5e RP primarily focused on those in-between moments along the course of an adventuring campaign.

Follow us for more! Our ask box is open.

Seeking staff and beta testers!

[chocolatepyrusart]

Have you heard of the bird the Inca Tern? Look it up!

[skeletonpandas]

Yes. Dusty.