I've been a professional ghostwriter since before most of you were potty trained. Let's talk about the BUSINESS of writing.

If you do not care about your RPG Crap being unapproved and/or sold via some off-license version of D&D-with-the-serial-numbers-filed-off, don't sign the OGL. Enjoy the freedom (and challenges) of the wilderness.

But if you really want to publish APPROVED D&D CRAP, here's why you sign the new OGL when the official version of the license arrives:

1) RPGs make shit money so the royalty clause will rarely affect you.
Very few authors ever make big money on Kickstarter, DriveThru or Amazon selling their RPG crap, usually making even less money when it's not a RPG core book. Go look at a couple dozen 5e Setting / Adventure Path / Bestiary / Supplement Kickstarters and see how many hit the WotC royalty threshold in the past decade. Seriously, go look.

If you luck out and your magical Kickstarter makes giant piles of cash, then happily pay the royalty and let your accountant do his magic. That's an amazing problem to have! Why? Because you then parlay that massive KS success to all your future projects, whether they're OGL projects or not.

2) Approved D&D Crap makes more sales because most D&D players won't wander off the reservation.
By all accounts, Woketards of the Coast plans to make 6e a "walled garden" where they maintain greater control over their customer's experience (and their wallet). Thus, OGL signers within the garden will sell more than authors outside the walls shucking and jiving with their "Not D&D Crap, You Can Totally Use For D&D".

Be honest - how often do you see players and DMs using Non-WotC stuff with their 5e D&D? How much 5e 3PP stuff do you see in game stores?

Not much has changed from the AD&D days. The majority of AD&D gamers bought only TSR stuff, but there was a plethora of 3PP stuff from Judges Guild, Chaosium, Mayfair, etc that was equally good but sold to a much smaller subset of gamers. Probably 25% or less of D&Ders wander off the official D&D reservation.

3) Pray to the gods that WotC steals your stuff!!!
The OGL clause where the Seattle Shiteaters own whatever you create sounds terrible, but it's actually no big deal in real life. Don't be afraid of this clause...because there's a 99.99% chance you're not that good of an author to be stolen from.

Harsh, but true.

Very few authors in the history of D&D have ever created iconic settings, adventures, monsters or classes. Ask yourself, since WotC took over D&D, what not-WotC 3PP author has created something for D&D that has become really popular inside the D&D community? Try to name an iconic adventure created by any 3PP that you've seen run repeatedly at tables or even talked about often online?

But for a moment, let's imagine WotC stole your crap...what would that mean? Ready? THAT WOULD BE A GOLDMINE FOR YOU!!!

Let's say you invent a new monster called an "orc" and the staff at WotC take a five minute break from finger fucking each other's syphilitic bungholes and realize "holy shit, we MUST have this orc monster as our own!" and quickly invoke the clause where they can now use your "orc" in all their official WotC products.

This is your lucky day because you now have AAA+ badass bragging rights for all your future writing endeavors. You would quickly crank out Orc: The Orcening, 101 Orc Breakfasts, Big Book of Orc Feats, etc to capitalize on the excitement around your orc becoming Truly 100% Corporate D&D Official. Moreover, you would parlay WotC stealing your orc with getting an officially paid gig as a WotC freelancer to write Official Orc Crap for D&D.

Here's a professional caveat: NEVER sell out your darlings. If you truly love something you've created and you believe it's special, unique and wonderful, then NEVER use it in any OGL crap you write. Save that darling for your own crap. Only use ideas in your OGL crap that you're cool with being stolen by the Woketards.

So go ahead. Sign the damn thing. It's retarded but so is 5e.

Quote from: Spinachcat on January 13, 2023, 02:43:04 AM
I've been a professional ghostwriter since before most of you were potty trained. Let's talk about the BUSINESS of writing.

If you do not care about your RPG Crap being unapproved and/or sold via some off-license version of D&D-with-the-serial-numbers-filed-off, don't sign the OGL. Enjoy the freedom (and challenges) of the wilderness.

But if you really want to publish APPROVED D&D CRAP, here's why you sign the new OGL when the official version of the license arrives:

1) RPGs make shit money so the royalty clause will rarely affect you.
Very few authors ever make big money on Kickstarter, DriveThru or Amazon selling their RPG crap, usually making even less money when it's not a RPG core book. Go look at a couple dozen 5e Setting / Adventure Path / Bestiary / Supplement Kickstarters and see how many hit the WotC royalty threshold in the past decade. Seriously, go look.

If you luck out and your magical Kickstarter makes giant piles of cash, then happily pay the royalty and let your accountant do his magic. That's an amazing problem to have! Why? Because you then parlay that massive KS success to all your future projects, whether they're OGL projects or not.

2) Approved D&D Crap makes more sales because most D&D players won't wander off the reservation.
By all accounts, Woketards of the Coast plans to make 6e a "walled garden" where they maintain greater control over their customer's experience (and their wallet). Thus, OGL signers within the garden will sell more than authors outside the walls shucking and jiving with their "Not D&D Crap, You Can Totally Use For D&D".

Be honest - how often do you see players and DMs using Non-WotC stuff with their 5e D&D? How much 5e 3PP stuff do you see in game stores?

Not much has changed from the AD&D days. The majority of AD&D gamers bought only TSR stuff, but there was a plethora of 3PP stuff from Judges Guild, Chaosium, Mayfair, etc that was equally good but sold to a much smaller subset of gamers. Probably 25% or less of D&Ders wander off the official D&D reservation.

3) Pray to the gods that WotC steals your stuff!!!
The OGL clause where the Seattle Shiteaters own whatever you create sounds terrible, but it's actually no big deal in real life. Don't be afraid of this clause...because there's a 99.99% chance you're not that good of an author to be stolen from.

Harsh, but true.

Very few authors in the history of D&D have ever created iconic settings, adventures, monsters or classes. Ask yourself, since WotC took over D&D, what not-WotC 3PP author has created something for D&D that has become really popular inside the D&D community? Try to name an iconic adventure created by any 3PP that you've seen run repeatedly at tables or even talked about often online?

But for a moment, let's imagine WotC stole your crap...what would that mean? Ready? THAT WOULD BE A GOLDMINE FOR YOU!!!

Let's say you invent a new monster called an "orc" and the staff at WotC take a five minute break from finger fucking each other's syphilitic bungholes and realize "holy shit, we MUST have this orc monster as our own!" and quickly invoke the clause where they can now use your "orc" in all their official WotC products.

This is your lucky day because you now have AAA+ badass bragging rights for all your future writing endeavors. You would quickly crank out Orc: The Orcening, 101 Orc Breakfasts, Big Book of Orc Feats, etc to capitalize on the excitement around your orc becoming Truly 100% Corporate D&D Official. Moreover, you would parlay WotC stealing your orc with getting an officially paid gig as a WotC freelancer to write Official Orc Crap for D&D.

Here's a professional caveat: NEVER sell out your darlings. If you truly love something you've created and you believe it's special, unique and wonderful, then NEVER use it in any OGL crap you write. Save that darling for your own crap. Only use ideas in your OGL crap that you're cool with being stolen by the Woketards.

So go ahead. Sign the damn thing. It's retarded but so is 5e.

WOTC EMPLOYEE POSTS WORST BAIT EVER, ASKED TO LEAVE

Quote from: MeganovaStella on January 13, 2023, 07:45:03 AM
WOTC EMPLOYEE POSTS WORST BAIT EVER, ASKED TO LEAVE

I had the same thought but with 14543 posts they would have to be deep, deep, undercover. More likely a contrarian looking to stir up trouble or a brainwashed fanboy or something along those lines.

Gr8 b8 m8 8/8

Quote from: MeganovaStella on January 13, 2023, 07:45:03 AM
WOTC EMPLOYEE POSTS WORST BAIT EVER, ASKED TO LEAVE

If you quote the whole message for a one-line reply, you should read the message you are quoting a little more carefully.  Also, no need to shout, we can hear you just fine.

Delete

Is there a Delete function on this system?

Quote from: Ruprecht on January 13, 2023, 08:02:07 AM

Quote from: MeganovaStella on January 13, 2023, 07:45:03 AM
WOTC EMPLOYEE POSTS WORST BAIT EVER, ASKED TO LEAVE

I had the same thought but with 14543 posts they would have to be deep, deep, undercover. More likely a contrarian looking to stir up trouble or a brainwashed fanboy or something along those lines.

It is only our beloved Spinachcat in action after finally being potty trained The discussion between adults can now resume.

Wow so much hot take. You forgot the part where they declare your orc to be something-ist, paint it pink and add sprinkles and change it's attack to hug +1, and cut you loose.

Anyway gramps you'll be looking forward to potty training 2.0 soon.

Quote from: Spinachcat on January 13, 2023, 02:43:04 AM3) Pray to the gods that WotC steals your stuff!!!
The OGL clause where the Seattle Shiteaters own whatever you create sounds terrible, but it's actually no big deal in real life. Don't be afraid of this clause...because there's a 99.99% chance you're not that good of an author to be stolen from.

This is one complaint about the new OGL that I don't understand. If you release content under the current OGL 1.0a, then that content is Open Gaming Content which means that Wizards of the Coast and everyone else on Earth can copy your open content and sell it themselves. So the OGL 1.1 is only spelling out what is already true.

And I find it a big hypocritical to complain about WotC having a perpetual, royalty free right to copy your material without your permission while simultaneously arguing that you have a perpetual, royalty free right to copy D&D without WotC's permission.

"I bow not yet before the Iron Crown,

nor cast my own small golden sceptre down."

--J.R.R. Tolkien, Mythopoeia

Quote from: hedgehobbit on January 13, 2023, 09:46:14 AM

Quote from: Spinachcat on January 13, 2023, 02:43:04 AM3) Pray to the gods that WotC steals your stuff!!!
The OGL clause where the Seattle Shiteaters own whatever you create sounds terrible, but it's actually no big deal in real life. Don't be afraid of this clause...because there's a 99.99% chance you're not that good of an author to be stolen from.

This is one complaint about the new OGL that I don't understand. If you release content under the current OGL 1.0a, then that content is Open Gaming Content which means that Wizards of the Coast and everyone else on Earth can copy your open content and sell it themselves. So the OGL 1.1 is only spelling out what is already true.

And I find it a big hypocritical to complain about WotC having a perpetual, royalty free right to copy your material without your permission while simultaneously arguing that you have a perpetual, royalty free right to copy D&D without WotC's permission.

Agreed. I have a ton of concerns about this 1.1 OGL, but this concern is very low on the list. Tons and tons of stuff was designated as open by 3rd parties, including by Paizo, and WOTC has done jack and shit with it. For around 25 years they simply have never been interested in your open gaming content and all of a sudden they will be for...reasons? Son, if they didn't want to swipe Pathfinder's open content, and Green Ronin's open content, and all the other actual professionals open content when they could have all along, they're not swiping your fantasy heartbreaker shit.

Quote from: hedgehobbit on January 13, 2023, 09:46:14 AM

Quote from: Spinachcat on January 13, 2023, 02:43:04 AM3) Pray to the gods that WotC steals your stuff!!!
The OGL clause where the Seattle Shiteaters own whatever you create sounds terrible, but it's actually no big deal in real life. Don't be afraid of this clause...because there's a 99.99% chance you're not that good of an author to be stolen from.

This is one complaint about the new OGL that I don't understand. If you release content under the current OGL 1.0a, then that content is Open Gaming Content which means that Wizards of the Coast and everyone else on Earth can copy your open content and sell it themselves. So the OGL 1.1 is only spelling out what is already true.

And I find it a big hypocritical to complain about WotC having a perpetual, royalty free right to copy your material without your permission while simultaneously arguing that you have a perpetual, royalty free right to copy D&D without WotC's permission.

1a defines Open Game Content as crunch and Product Identity as fluff. Anyone can use the former but not the latter. 

Quote from: hedgehobbit on January 13, 2023, 09:46:14 AM

This is one complaint about the new OGL that I don't understand. If you release content under the current OGL 1.0a, then that content is Open Gaming Content which means that Wizards of the Coast and everyone else on Earth can copy your open content and sell it themselves. So the OGL 1.1 is only spelling out what is already true.

  Not quite. The OGL 1.0a allows for distinction between Open Gaming Content, which is shareable and which anyone who builds a derivation of it must make shareable in turn, and Product Identity, which was not shared. WotC themselves reserved key creatures, as well as characters and settings, as Product Identity. The OGL 1.1 erases that distinction and gives WotC carte blanche.

Quote
And I find it a big hypocritical to complain about WotC having a perpetual, royalty free right to copy your material without your permission while simultaneously arguing that you have a perpetual, royalty free right to copy D&D without WotC's permission.

   Much of the problem is that WotC gave that permission--with continuous reassurances that it would be perpetual--and has now tried to revoke it after many people have built livelihoods around it.

No there is truth to what Spinachat says. None of it is bait, it's more just a realistic outlook. I don't think you will get any bragging rights from WoTC stealing your shit unless they credit you in some major way. Which they don't have too.