Paizo creatorPathfinderjust announced the Open RPG Creative License–its answer toDungeons and Dragons’recent actions involving the Open Game License. With support from several TTRPG companies already, the Open RPG Creative License may forceDungeons and Dragonsto rethink its current course of activity.Recently, leaks from within Wizards of the Coast all but confirmedDungeons and Dragonswas replacing the OGL–the legal protections that allow players to make and sell third-party content–with a new version full of restrictions and control that would harm creators. Over the past several weeks, theDungeons and Dragonscommunity has made its disapproval well-heard, with new Twitter trends, protests, and petitions appearing daily.RELATED:Page 1 of Dungeons and Dragons Player’s Handbook Seems to Contradict Recent Controversial DecisionsNow Paizo has broken its silence in a profound and historic way. In its recent statement, Paizo owner Lisa Stevens and president Jim Butler renouncedDungeons and Dragons’recent actions as being against the spirit of the OGL, citing their work withformer Wizards of the Coast vice president Ryan Dancey on the original documentas proof to their claims. In response to Wizards of the Coast’s silence, Paizo also announced it is spearheading the Open RPG Creative License–a system-agnostic, free open gaming license owned by no single company.
The Open RPG Creative License, or ORC, will be crafted with the help of Azora Law, an intellectual property law firm that represents Paizo and other TTRPG companies. Paizo will be paying for the legal work, but will not own it. Azora Law will be the steward of the license until it can be managed by a nonprofit organization, ensuring any company that makes money publishing RPGs can use it, but that no company can revoke or rescind parts of the license in the future likeDungeons and Dragonsis trying to do with the old OGL.
According to Paizo,major TTRPG publishers including Kobold Press, Chaosium, Green Ronin, Legendary Games, and Rogue Genius Games have already backed the ORC, and it invites other organizations to do the same. Considering the weight Paizo carries in the industry, and the unpopularity of Wizards of the Coast’s recent decisions,Dungeons and Dragonswill be forced to take action, either by joining forces with Paizo or doubling down and fighting the ORC–possibly in court.
Paizo’s bold statement could not have come at a better time. Wizards of the Coast’s hesitance to comment on the evolving situation has causedDungeons and Dragonsfans to cancel theirD&D Beyondsubscriptionsand seek alternatives. Depending on what happens in the next few months, the TTRPG community could see a very different renaissance than whatDungeons and Dragonswas hoping for with the OGL 1.1.
Dungeons and Dragonsis available now.One D&Dis in development.
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