The new Open Gaming License for Dungeons & Dragons appeared online, revealing heavy restrictions on content creators in the community.
Gizmodo revealed details about the new OGL from Wizards of the Coast (WotC), which in the past allowed players and others to profit from unofficial content made for Dungeons & Dragons. However, Wizards of the Coast's new OGL cancels out the previous one, significantly reduces what content creators can make and forces those who profit from their creations to report it directly to WotC.
What is the DnD OGL Agreement?
Under the original OGL agreement, which Wizard of the Coast published in 2000, allowed tabletop creators over the last two decades to make and profit from modified rules and content. Amateur and professional makers outside of Wizards of the Coast could create new products for the game ranging from printed game content to videos and let's plays. According to the new OGL, WotC states, "the Open Game License was always intended to allow the community to help grow D&D and expand it creatively. It wasn't intended to subsidize major competitors, especially now that PDF is by far the most common form of distribution."
Although the OGL 1.0 agreement saw many updates and tweaks since its publication, WotC revealed it would create a version 1.1 when it announced One D&D last year. Notably, it emphasizes that the new OGl cancels out previous agreements made under the original and requires content makers to sign an agreement on the new one if they wish to publish "on or after January 13, 2023." Because this is a leaked draft that WotC initially intended to publish on Jan. 4, it's unclear if that date still stands.
DnD OGL 1.1 Adds More Restrictions
According to the new OGL, it "only allows for creation of roleplaying games and supplements in printed media and static electronic file formats. It does not allow for anything else, including but not limited to things like videos, virtual tabletops or VTT campaigns, computer games, novels, apps, graphics novels, music, songs, dances, and pantomimes." WotC also notes that creators can still engage with these activities, but only to the extent that the company's Fan Content Policy allows or through a separate agreement between the maker and Wizards.
By WotC's definition, fan content includes "fan art, videos, podcasts, blogs, websites, streaming content, tattoos, altars to your cleric's deity, etc." It's unclear how this might impact popular lets plays like Critical Role or Dimension 20. WotC's new OGl also explicitly prohibits content that contains anything bigoted, racist, homophobic, transphobic or discriminatory.
Those who profit from content for Dungeons & Dragons fall into three revenue tier sets that determine whether the publisher has to pay royalties to WotC. Most creators don't have to worry about that possibility, as WotC estimates that only around 20 unofficial content publishers fall into this category. The Initiate Tier includes anyone with at least one licensed product that earned $50,000 or less, while the Intermediate Tier ranges from above that to $750,000. Those making more fall into the Expert Tier and must pay 20% or 25% in royalties for anything above that $750,000.
Members of the Expert Tier that use Kickstarter pay 20% in royalties above that $750k threshold, while those using other crowdfunding sites must pay 25% in royalties. Publishers who don't make a profit or even lose money on their crowdfunding attempt that exceeds $750K still owe WotC royalties.
Wizards of the Coast recognized that the updates might cause some issues with fans and expressed a willingness to hear from the community.
