Following recent speculation that Wizards of the Coast (WOTC), the creators of Dungeons & Dragons, may be making radical changes to their Open Game License (OGL), Piazo, makers of the hugely popular Pathfinder roleplaying game (RPG) and the one most cited as being most vulnerable to the alleged OGL changes, have released a statement regarding the OGL that may shake up the entire RPG industry.
The OGL is a legal tool that allows other 3rd party companies and individuals to use certain parts of the D&D game system, such as its rules and mechanics, in their own products.
According to rumours, WOTC was considering tightening the restrictions on what can be used under the OGL, potentially limiting the creative freedom of licensees. It was also alleged that WOTC may have been planning to revoke or not renew certain OGL licenses for companies that have been using D&D’s intellectual property.
There was also a talk about WOTC considering charging a fee for the use of the OGL, which could make it more difficult for smaller companies and independent creators to produce OGL-compliant products.
Most worrying of all was the allegation that WOTC planned to demand unfettered rights to any original 3rd party creative content.
This news has caused uproar among the RPG community, with many wondering how these potential changes will impact the future of certain RPGs and the ability of smaller companies and independent creators to produce their own content using the popular D&D mechanics.
In response to initial online backlash, WOTC released a statement in December 2022 regarding the OGL. In the statement, WOTC reaffirmed their commitment to the OGL and its role in fostering a vibrant and diverse ecosystem of RPG products. They emphasized that the OGL has been an important part of the growth and success of the D&D brand, and that it will continue to be so in the future.
WOTC addressed rumors and speculation, stating that they have no plans to make any significant changes to the license at this time. They also confirmed that they have no plans to revoke or not renew any existing OGL licenses.
The statement also said that they have no plans to charge a fee for the use of the OGL, and they will continue to provide support and resources to licensees to help them create high-quality products that are compliant with the OGL.
WOTC also acknowledged that the RPG community is always evolving and that they will continue to evaluate the OGL and make changes as necessary to ensure that it continues to serve the community, which naturally critics of the recently alleged OGL changes will see is a caveat allowing them to backpedal on these commitments once the online backlash has died down.
However, despite these assurances (and perhaps due to no further word from WOTC despite the furore continuing to grow in January 2023), Paizo, the creators of the popular Pathfinder RPG – the system most cited as the one likely to be most affected by the alleged OGL changes, have announced that they will no longer be using the OGL for their future products. Instead, they will be creating their own gaming system so as to no longer rely on the D&D mechanics for their products.
They claim that their new OGL, dubbed the Open RPG Creative Licence (ORC) “will not be owned by Paizo, nor will it be owned by any company who makes money publishing RPGs… [and will] provide a safe harbour against any company being bought, sold, or changing management in the future and attempting to rescind rights or nullify sections of the license”.
To assist with this endeavour, Paizo has retained the services of the law firm Azora Law, co-founded by Brian Lewis, a prior VP at WOTC. His firm also drafted Wizards of the Coast’s original OGL for Dungeons & Dragons in 2000.
Despite recent apologies and a relative climb-down by WOTC, Paizo made the announcement in a new blog post, directly addressing the decision by Wizards of the Coast to de-authorise its existing OGL.
“We have been awaiting further information, hoping that Wizards would realize that, for more than 20 years, the OGL has been a mutually beneficial license which should not – and cannot – be revoked,” it reads.
“While we continue to await an answer from Wizards, we strongly feel that Paizo can no longer delay making our own feelings about the importance of Open Gaming a part of the public discussion.”
So it seems now that battle lines have been drawn and the community now waits with baited breath to see what form the new ORC licence will take, but with more and more publishers supporting them, things look grim for WOTC who must be rueing their OGL decisions.
