One D&D promises to bring many changes to Dungeons & Dragons, and some of the most controversial come in the form of adjustments to the OGL. The OGL, or Open Game License, is a public copyright license that allows for the creation of third-party products that use DnD mechanics. Although the OGL has traditionally provided an avenue for many products to avoid paying licensing fees to DnD publishers Wizards of the Coast, the content it allows for contributes to the widespread popularity of the game's systems. One D&D's revision of the OGL leaves many players wondering just how much their game tables will be affected.
The Open Game License first came into play with the popular third edition of DnD, assisting in the allowance of a wide variety of third-party content to accompany the huge library of official materials. The vastly different Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition did away with the OGL, but 5e resurrected it to generally perceived success. Standard-bearers for 5e like Critical Role have published third-party books through the OGL, and popular companies like Kobold Press have released source books and adventures that expand on the possibilities of the system. Although some tables may never implement any OGL content, most 5e players are likely familiar with content published under the license.
D&D's New OGL Modifies The Existing One
Wizards of the Coast hasn't yet officially released the full of the revised OGL, but DnD 5e books in One D&D, a goal that should be helped by maintaining the bones of the OGL. However, 1.1 still features some impending changes that are causing no small amount of controversy.
OGL 1.1 Adds New Rules For One D&D Creators
The first OGL 1.1 alteration that D&D Beyond mentions is an increased clarity of what the OGL covers. The license will explicitly apply only to printed media and static electronic files of TTRPG material. Although Wizards of the Coast maintains this has always been the intent of the DnD OGL, some products using the OGL would no longer be permissible under these specific rules. The clarification of static electronic files would technically forbid things like interactive third-party Dungeons & Dragons character sheets tracking stats with dynamic PDFs. D&D Beyond mentions that Wizards already has agreements with leading Virtual Table Top platforms, but any without such agreements are definitely disallowed.
OGL 1.1 changes go beyond clarifications, with further alterations coming in the form of new demands for third-party creators to meet. D&D Beyond offers some reassurance to creators of share-alike content, establishing that very little should change for the production of free material. Producers of commercial material, however, will have to contend with certain additional stipulations. Informing Wizards of the Coast of the DnD products being offered for sale is now mandatory, and a Creator Product badge is a required inclusion on any work produced, more closely reinforcing the acceptance of OGL . New rules and registration will be navigable through a web portal and the provision of videos and FAQs.
Another stipulation that creators of free Dungeons & Dragons homebrew resources won't have to worry about regards the revenue generated by third-party material. Creators earning more than $50,000 annually will have to report revenue to Wizards of the Coast. For the vast majority of people and companies producing OGL content, this rule will be more of a nuisance than a problem, but the creators generating over $750,000 in a year will have to pay a royalty in 2024. This might apply to companies like Kobold Press and Critical Role's publishing company Darrington Press, but D&D Beyond mentions that the total amount of creators in this tier is under 20.
How The One D&D OGL Will Affect Dungeons & Dragons Players
According to D&D Beyond's current presentation of OGL 1.1, the average player or DM is unlikely to feel most of its effects in any acute manner. Creators will still be producing a widespread amount of OGL homebrew to use in Dungeons & Dragons campaigns, and nothing new should obstruct sharing most free content online. For commercial content producers working under the OGL, the new system is likely to provide some level of inconvenience, although the degree of inconvenience will not be clear until OGL 1.1 is actually rolled out. The most profitable creators have the most to worry about, and the intensity of the royalty is currently unknown.
The deepest concerns with OGL 1.1 might come less from what is known and more from uncertainty of what isn't. There may be other small changes lurking in the new system that could trip up various creators of third-party content for the potentially final edition of Dungeons & Dragons, and one post from D&D Beyond just isn't enough to answer the scope of possible questions about revisions to the OGL. The act of modifying the OGL is itself concerning to some fans and creators, as it sets a precedent for future modifications, which could potentially make a minefield for creation of material under the OGL.
Considering the backlash that OGL 1.1 has already generated, any official reveal of further stipulations could make DnD fans actively resistant to its alterations. Creators' perpetual license to content produced under the OGL has been a cornerstone of the 5e community, and the success of One D&D will ride upon the community embracing its changes. Wizards of the Coast has already proven its willingness to reverse unpopular One D&D rules, so it's possible that initial plans for the OGL 1.1 may see modification according to . For now, the new Dungeons & Dragons OGL rules shouldn't be a source of alarm for players, but something to keep an eye on going forward.
Screen Rant reached out to Wizards of the Coast for comment on the expected changes to the Dungeons & Dragons OGL, and was told there is no official info the company wishes to share at this time.
