Following weeks of controversy, fan outcry has succeeded in convincing Wizards of the Coast to cancel its plan to update the Dungeons & Dragons OGL, a change in strategy that also sees the SRD become available under a Creative Commons license. After years of the tabletop RPG’s Open Game License (OGL) allowing players, content creators, and third-party game publishers use of DnD’s systems, outlined in the System Reference Document (SRD), Wizards and parent company Hasbro began rolling out an updated OGL in early January, which immediately garnered widespread scrutiny.
As announced on Twitter via the D&D Beyond account, the OGL’s 1.0a version will remain in effect, and the SRD 5.1 is now usable under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Reinstatement of the OGL and the new SRD guidelines come after Wizards conducted a survey, with results overwhelmingly demonstrating that players are against the proposed OGL 1.2.
Related: Dungeons & Dragons: What SRD & OGL Actually Mean
In addition to the survey results about the two versions of the OGL, the D&D Beyond Twitter thread includes figures stating 62 percent of survey takers were satisfied with Dungeons & Dragons’ SRD being added to Creative Commons. Those who were unsatisfied, however, wanted Wizards to add even more to Creative Commons. According to the Creative Commons website, under the Attribution 4.0 International License, anyone is free to “copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format” and “remix, transform, and build upon the material” in the DnD SRD “for any purpose, even commercially.”
The new DnD OGL would’ve affected major franchises, including Pathfinder as well as The Lord of the Rings and Dark Souls tabletop adaptions, but now companies and individuals alike can continue altering and profiting off DnD’s systems as long as their products are accompanied by an attribution statement. The attribution statement, which can be seen at the top of D&D Beyond’s SRD 5.1 PDF, merely…
2023-01-27 23:15:03 D&D OGL Won’t Change, SRD Under Creative Commons In Huge Win For Fans
Article from screenrant.com
Dungeons & Dragons’ Open Gaming Licence (OGL) will remain in place, while the System Reference Document (SRD) is released under the Creative Commons licence in a major victory for D&D fans.
Wizards of the Coast recently announced their decision to keep the OGL unchanged, allowing for third-party content to still be created and published using the system. This is a major win for fans as it gives then unrestricted access to create material using the core rules.
The SRD will now be released under the Creative Commons licence, allowing content creators to use and build on the rules to develop their own creations. This gives them the freedom to make changes while still having the backing of a major IP.
This announcement is a major step forward for the table top gaming industry and a huge win for fans. It allows creators to use the power of the Dungeons & Dragons IP to create their own content while also giving them the freedom to make modifications. It is a great example of how companies can make their IPs more accessible for fans and creates opportunities for more businesses to start up in the industry.
Overall this is great news for fans of Dungeons & Dragons as it gives them the freedom to create their own content while allowing them to benefit from the major IP backing. It is a major step forward for the table top gaming industry and opens opportunities to a range of different businesses.