That’s not to say that there haven’t been mistakes made by the company, though, and a recent decision made for the future of D&D Beyond – an online platform that allows users to purchase official materials, build characters, and explore community generated content – has enraged fans.

D&D Beyond’s Future Roadmap Feels Like a Slap In the Face To the Community

Any and every TTRPG fan knows that the biggest thing that keeps games moving is community, but another important aspect of keeping tabletop games fun is the ability to recycle and adapt material, even if it’s considered “dated”. This is something fans of Dungeons & Dragons have been doing for decades, and something Wizards of the Coast also acknowledges, with the release of Quest From the Infinite Staircase making an effort to adapt and honor iconic adventures from past editions to 5e.

However, on the eve of the brand-new Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master Guide and Monster Manual set to drop, WotC has made a divisive choice for the D&D Beyond platform that has players bitter: the platform has announced it will be removing all spells and magic items from the 2014 version of Dungeons & Dragons‘ 5th edition. Many feel that, despite the company pushing that the 2024 core rules would be compatible with the 2014 version of the game, the removal of content that players have paid for is questionable, at best.

Fans of the game of social media have been speaking out against Wizards of the Coast, stating that the controversial decision will ultimately push people away from not just the platform, but the game as a whole.

Many have also cited how in bad taste it feels for WotC to add salt to the wound by informing players that if they want to use an old version of a spell or item that they’ll need to manually create a “Homebrew” version to add it to their character sheet. To reiterate, this is content players have already paid for – there is no legitimate reason that buyers should be forced to manually recreate something they spent money on.

Wizards of the Coast have yet to respond the fan backlash at time of writing, and until they do, this catastrophic decision has definitely made celebrations surrounding Dungeons & Dragons‘ 50th birthday less cheerful.

D&D Beyond Responds To Fan Outcry

On Monday, August 26, 2024, Wizards responded through the official D&D Beyond X (formerly Twitter) account to address the decision from last week’s Changelog. In the post, they make it known that they’ve listened to player’s feedback and have instead decided to allow players to have access to all 2014 content – including magic items and spells, which is what users were at risk of having to re-add manually through the platform’s “homebrew” feature.

While there are plenty of fans that are still disgruntled over this series of events, and for good reason – it seems that WotC is trying to make an effort to do right by players, even if it’s late.

Poliwrath No-Rarity Symbol – $25,015

With next to zero value upon its release, the first set of Poliwrath has no rarity print, which makes it unique. There’s only a handful of these cards out there, considering we only saw one with a pristine PSA- Gem Mint 10 condition. Naturally, this card drew the attention of collectors during the PWCC auction, selling for about $25,015. Many fans consider this no-rarity print the earliest version of Poliwrath. Couple that with the condition of the card, and you have an excellent investment.

Magikarp Promo (Tamamushi University) – $66,100

Imagine winning a supposedly ordinary card through a magazine promo, only to discover that it will skyrocket in value years later. That’s what the Magikarp promo card hype is all about. This card came from Shogakukan’s Magazines’ contest in Japan for students. It wasn’t just a simple contest either—students must pass various tests and then would have to go to Osaka to participate in a Pokémon card tournament. Winners of the tournament received the Magikarp promo card as their prize

Pokémon Promo No. 2 Trainer World Championships – $110,100

Being the best of the best has perks and sometimes, that’s a rare Pokémon card. The Pokémon Promo No. 2 Trainer World Championships card is an award for the winners of the World Championship in Anaheim, California. Only three of these cards exist, and due to their rarity, it barely goes on sale. When one finally appeared in an auction, fans and collectors rejoiced and celebrated with over 150 bids. The price skyrocketed to $110,100 during the auction.

Blastoise Presentation Galaxy Star Holo – $360,000

Originally a “presentation-only” card, this Blastoise is a creation of Wizards of the Coast, which aims to represent what a TCG pack would look like in its final print. Many fans believe that only two of these cards exist. While one has been out and around in public, the other’s condition and location are unknown. Knowing that possibly only two exist, the value of this card can go up even further as time passes.

First Edition Charizard Shadowless – $420,000

Mistakes in prints have always been a gem in the collection community. They’re super rare and succeeding versions or prints do not have those errors anymore. This is the case with the first edition Charizard, specifically the Shadowless print. The Shadowless print is an early print of the iconic starter Pokémon, meaning that the shadow around the border does not exist. There are only 121 Charizard cards in the world with a prestigious Gem Mint 10 PSA rating, hence the rarity and value of this card.

Japanese Topsun Charizard Blue Back – $493,230

Before you start blasting us that this card is not an official TCG card, collectors still debate whether this is part of the TCG collection. There were rumors that Creature Inc. initially manufactured this card a whole year before the official release of the TCG collection. The only problem with this claim was that stores sold this card a year after the TCG release, further complicating the situation. Whether you believe Topsun Charizard is part of the Pokémon TCG or not, it’s fact that a Gem Mint 10 PSA rating version of this card sold for $493,230.

Japanese Promo Illustrator Holo CoroCoro Comics (Pikachu Card) – $6,000,000

You might have seen this card in Logan Paul’s first-ever WWE entrance as a wrestler in Wrestlemania, the grandest stage of them all. Logan Paul bought this card from a mystery seller in exchange for a PSA 9 Pikachu Illustrator plus $4,000,000! Corocoro had artists compete against each other, where winners could grab this soon-to-be illustrious prize. With the added prestige of a “Wrestlemania-worn” card, an auction sold it for around $6,000,000, which makes it the most expensive Pokémon TCG card ever sold.

What is the Latest Update on OGL by D&D Beyond?

Posted today by their staff, D&D Beyond noted the negative response and speculation on the potentially harmful use of OGL against the community. They stated that OGL is still being revised and that they intended to gain any input possible from the community before releasing their update. Furthermore, the D&D staff wanted to clarify their reasoning for specific provisions found in the leaked drafts, such as for royalties, and the License Back provision.

The staff states that they intended to prevent the use of their products for malicious/discriminatory purposes, or for blockchain, NFTs, and other uses that take away from D&D’s identity as a tabletop RPG. They clarify that any content released under 1.0 will be unaffected, and that content like livestreams, cosplays, charitable campaigns, and more will be unaffected.

Finally, the license back provision will not be in OGL 1.1, originally intended to protect the company against allegations of stolen work. This was interpreted, understandably, by fans as a measure for the sake of profit preservation at the cost of the respect of its players who feel discouraged from creating their work. D&D Beyond clarifies that their revision restricts larger entities rather than smaller creators with any future provisions. Any updates to the OGL will not claim ownership of the rights for content created by others, but it remains to be seen whether this will stay true.

Why Was There a Negative Response to OGL 1.1 Leaks?

The leaks came up on January 5th, 2023, which looked to severely limit the publishing rights of third parties like content creators. D&D was always meant to be an open experience, offering freedom and escapism to its players, so naturally, the fandom responded with reminders of this legacy.

Fans quickly issued calls to boycott the products of WotC and Hasbro, and people wanted to send the message that if they’re not free to enjoy Dungeons & Dragons as they please, they will leave.

Even bigger content creators have seemingly taken to the controversy in their way. Ultimately, we’ll have to see what OGL 1.1 has to say at the end of the day for D&D players.

Paizo Managed To Get Us All Riled Up

Paizo caused serious rumblings in DnD land with an announcement that managed to sink their own site from all the traffic that it generated. In the ultimate appeal to authority, the company has come out very strongly against OGL 1.1, stating that Lisa Stevens, owner of Paizo, and Jim Butler, president of Paizo, were with Wizards of the Coast at the time that OGL 1.0 were made, and they know the spirit of that license.

If that wasn’t enough, they also say that their lawyer, Brian Lewis, the co-founder of Azora Law, the IP law firm that Paizo use, was the attorney at Wizards of the Coast who came up with the legal framework of the OGL. If that is not a flex, we don’t know what is. Long story short, Paizo hates the leaked OGL 1.1 and is confident they can do it better. “We have no interest whatsoever in Wizards’ new OGL. Instead, we have a plan that we believe will irrevocably and unquestionably keep alive the spirit of the Open Game License,” the statement says.

And so, Paizo is planning its own version of the OGL, the Open RPG Creative License, or ORC. Yes, they really did that. According to Paizo, “Kobold Press, Chaosium, Legendary Games, and a growing list of publishers have already agreed to participate in the Open RPG Creative License,” which already gives it a very solid basis of content and support. Make sure you read the full announcement because Paizo also offers readers the chance to pick up some roleplaying goodies with a special 25% off voucher.

Wizards of the Coast Might Be on the Ropes

Wizards of the Coast canceled a planned announcement of the new OGL 1.1 that is causing such a stir. A scheduled stream for Thursday, January 13, was canceled amidst calls for users of DnD Beyond, the company’s subscription service, to end their subscriptions as a way to signal to Wizards that nobody is a fan of the future they are proposing. According to an article by Linda Codega at Gizmodo, Wizards has denied that the two things are related on their Discord.

Wizards rapidly seem to be losing control of the situation. They might be undermining the initial strength of the OGL, that it set DnD up as the apparent center of the roleplaying universe. With so many companies now positioning themselves to do their own thing, and evidence that many players are willing to walk away from DnD, Wizards may have started something here that they have a hard time stopping.

According to the half-year report that Games Workshop released to investors yesterday, the project is only in the earliest stages of exploration, and nothing concrete has been signed. “We have not signed any contracts in the period reported. We have agreed, in principle, to explore opportunities to exploit our IP with Amazon Studios.” the company states. They also say they will not give any further details at this time, but are confident that they “will bring the worlds of Warhammer to the screen like you have never seen before.”

Cavill originally announced the project on Dec 16 via an Instagram post which was quickly followed by positive statements from both Amazon and Games Workshop. While everyone involved is eager for the project to go ahead, there are still a lot of details to be worked out.

This will be Games Workshop’s first real chance at making the games they have been developing for decades genuinely mainstream. While popular and undoubtedly the most successful company in the wargaming industry, Games Workshop’s properties lack the kind of mainstream penetration enjoyed by Dungeons & Dragons.

A hugely successful show, or series of shows, on Amazon could see knowledge of Games Workshop and interest in their hobbies explode, propelling the company to new heights of success. Interestingly, the quoted lines above contain the word “worlds of Warhammer,” indicating that Games Workshop wants to see multiple shows crossing multiple games.

While confusing to outsiders, Warhammer has become a catch-all phrase that Games Workshop uses to describe their entire product line, which is made up of Warhammer 40K, a futuristic, large-scale game that is their most successful property, Horus Heresy, set ten thousand years before Warhammer 40K (often referred to as Warhammer 30K by fans), and Age of Sigmar, their take on a fantasy based game. There are also smaller-scale skirmish games like Necromunda, Kill Team, and Warcry, along with more traditional “board game” style offerings like Underworlds.

With such varied offerings, decades of products and lore-building, and hundreds of different characters and factions across multiple games, it means Games Workshop has a uniquely rich library to pull from to develop their shows. It also means that the process of getting a concrete plan in place that both Games Workshop, Amazon, and other stakeholders all feel confident in might take longer than we think.

In a recent announcement via their website, Kobold Press announced that as soon as they had delivered outstanding DnD 5th Edition products, they intended to move on to designing their own core system. Many companies like Kobold Press have built up loyal followings by providing third-party products for the DnD system. Recent attempts to lock down creators with the OGL 1.1 seem to have inspired Kobold Press to bet on themselves instead.

In the statement, Kobold Press states that its actions must represent its values and that the company believes in the idea of an “available, open, and subscription-free” ruleset. Being developed under the name Project Black Flag, Kobold Press say they hope to play their part in making the tabletop roleplaying hobby better for everyone.

While Kobold Press does not outright say they are done with making products for Dungeons & Dragons, it is clear the popular publisher is not taking any risks. With an uncertain future and a perception of growing creed from Wizard of the Coast owners Hasbro, it is clearly important to Kobold Press that players know they are more interested in keeping systems open and accessible to anyone who wants to create content for them.

What is the DnD OGL?

OGL stands for Open Game License, and it has been at the heart of community involvement in DnD for over two decades. The OGL allows third-party companies to produce content for the DnD system. This allowed both individuals and companies to make compatible content for Dungeons & Dragons while also allowing Wizards of the Coast, the owners of DnD, a degree of control over what people could and could not do with their copyrighted materials.

Cleverly, this essentially allowed the core of DnD, the rules that drive the games, to become the de facto heart of the roleplaying hobby. While other systems did exist, the prominence of DnD attracted creators and designers to an already established system that would allow them to profit from their work without issue.

Why is Everyone So Upset About the Leak?

To really understand why people are so upset about the new leak, you must understand the nature of the current iteration of the OGL, called OGL 1.0. The nature of the OGL changed significantly over the years, and OGL 1.0 was released alongside the 5th Edition of DnD in January 2016. Most see OGL 1.0 as being a fair compromise with creators after things had grown a little more restrictive over the years. It also accounted for the new digital world we all live in.

Over the years, many people have established their own followings and careers as creators within the DnD space. Some folks do new books or adventures, there are professional Dungeon Masters, folks create all manner of maps and tokens, and of course, famous shows such as Critical Roll have risen to prominence and helped to drive the popularity of the game forward.

What Does DnD OGL 1.1 Actually Do?

Dungeons & Dragons was recently described as “under-monetized” by Wizards of the Coast CEO Cynthia Williams during a web seminar that Hasbro, owners of Wizard of the Coast, held with investors. One of the issues the company perceives is that it cannot make as much money from DnD players as video game companies can from gamers. You can buy a book, some dice, and play with your friends for years. Classically, DnD takes place in a theater of the mind. Players don’t need anything fancy to play.

In the new OGL 1.1 that has seemingly leaked online, the company states that they are changing the OGL to account for “the rise of the internet, apps, Web 3, and even virtual TTRPGs.” All creators will now need to register their commercial content with Wizards of the Coast, give them information on sales and products, and add a special badge to their products.

According to Wizard of the Coast, larger companies that bring in more than $750,000 of annual revenue will also need to “share some of that success with us by paying a royalty of 20 to 25% of the “qualifying revenue” they make in excess of $750,000.” according to the OGL. While the qualifying amount might seem like a lot of money, that 20 to 25% royalty payment could be enough to eat into profits to the point where, after materials, manufacturing costs, paying writers, artists, designers, and more, the product is not worth making.

Where it gets awful for creators is that simply logging the content with WotC will essentially hand over that product to the company, giving them “a nonexclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, a worldwide, sub-licensable, royalty-free license to use that content for any purpose.”, according to a leaked version of the DnD OGL 1.1 that Attack of the Fanboy has seen. This line especially has left a terrible taste in the mouths of fans and creators.

What Will Happen Now?

While people are currently very angry, it is hard to know exactly what will happen. Dungeons & Dragons, while quite famous, is not the only roleplaying system in the world. We could see a lot more people developing their own systems or jumping ship to support other companies that provide similar settings to DnD but without the very specific details of that world. Whether we will see huge companies like Steamforged Games and their Epic Encounter series move on to other pastures remains to be seen.