D&D 5E Who tried to end the OGL?

[Parmandur]

they did not really promise it, they said they’d look into it. Call me jaded, but I never expected anything to come from that

You are jaded.

But yes, they could have dropped it easily: but they haven't, WotC is the one who keeps bringing it up.

 

[mamba]

You are jaded.

But yes, they could have dropped it easily: but they haven't, WotC is the one who keeps bringing it up.

When you said older editions and the 3e in CC not fulfilling that I assumed you were talking about 1e/2e (and maybe even 4e). Have they ever mentioned those again? All I see is them saying 3.x in CC is not dead yet, nothing about any other edition

 

[Parmandur]

When you said older editions and the 3e in CC not fulfilling that I assumed you were talking about 1e/2e (and maybe even 4e). Have they ever mentioned those again? All I see is them saying 3.x in CC is not dead yet, nothing about any other edition

The recent announcement didn't specify 3.5, juat older editions.

 

[mamba]

The recent announcement didn't specify 3.5, juat older editions.

fair enough, I interpreted that as 3.x as there are no other SRDs, but it leaves enough open to not rule out a different meaning

 

[Parmandur]

fair enough, I interpreted that as 3.x as there are no other SRDs, but it leaves enough open to not rule out a different meaning

They don't mention 3E or 3.5 at all, but do mention older editions plural. Indeed, the non-existance of other Edition SRDs is what I believe the hold-up is: it will take some work from the design team to make them for other, more popular than 3E editions of the game.

"What about the SRDs for previous editions?"

"Because we still need to complete reviews on those materials before they’re released into Creative Commons, we made the decision to wait until after the 2024 rules revisions were released to begin reviews of those documents."

 

[mamba]

They don't mention 3E or 3.5 at all, but do mention older editions plural.

I took that as 3.0 and 3.5, guess we will see

Getting a 1e or 2e as well would be a huge surprise to me (a welcome one)

 

[Parmandur]

I took that as 3.0 and 3.5, guess we will see

Getting a 1e or 2e as well would he a huge surprise to me (a welcome one)

1E, 2E and/or Basic would be a bigger gesture, and open up more potential Tualatin revenue for WotC (remember, they still sell all this stuff on DriveThru and Roll20, thar can be expanded).

If it was just about 3E and 3 5, they could hash it out in an afternoon. But if they want to write new SRDs (edit, really) then those would need to wait till Crawford and Perkins have the bandwidth. It's the most logical explanation for the delays.

 

[Dire Bare]

When the audience for your game is rebelling and you are losing DnDBeyond subscriptions at a very high rate, and you are doing things to turn it around, you're making promises. If they said "we'll release it to CC" and still hadn't done the 5e SRD now a year+ later, we'd feel they broke their promise, not just that it "slipped in date a bit".

I feel this part feels like a small, unimportant add-on to you, so for you the impact is minimized. But this with all of the full d20 games that were published, on top of the 3pp supplements, this is actually a bigger deal than the 5e SRD being put in by one measure.

So here's my response to you in the form of a choose your own adventure.

If they hadn't yet put the 5e SRD into CC yet...
...and Dire Bare thought it was a broken promise, then it can be the same to others for 3.x SRDs.
...and Dire Bare thought it was just a slipped deadline, then they would find themselves out of sync with the majority of players who would be still calling for WotC's virtual head.

The D&D audience is rebelling? Nah.

I mean, some folks are certainly upset over the many blunders WotC has made over the past couple of years, sure. I'm not too happy with the company myself.

But don't confuse some folks complaining loudly on the internet with the entire fanbase.

Just because you "think" they broke a promise, doesn't mean they actually did. They announced that they would release the older editions into Creative Commons. They set a target for the end of 2023. They missed that target, but have stated that this is still on the to-do list.

No promises broken. Only deadlines missed. Relax.

And . . . citation needed for D&D Beyond losing subscriptions at a high rate.

 

[Nikosandros]

If they released a SRD for TSR-era editions and opened them up on DM's Guild, I would dance. Well, in private, because the sight of me dancing is quite unbecoming, but I would do it...

 

[UngeheuerLich]

There’s been an 800 pound gorilla since the mid-70s.

I’m not dismissing the game at all. Two things can be equally true. D&D 5e is a good game and their most successful edition and it also got extra buzz and attention from the rise of streaming and long form actual plays, including celebrity involvement. Which came first, the chicken or the egg, is almost irrelevant. Wizards capitalized on the rise of streaming, and creators chose to make D&D a focal part of their work - it was mutually beneficial.

I think saying it this way is better than most. Yes, a good game, especially for casual players or those with not a lot of spare time. Yes, external factors, like celebrities and parents that nkw have kids in the right age.
Probably it is not even chicken or egg, but a positive feedback loop that allowed d&d to steadily grow.