As the astute reader already knows, Peryton Publishing has been challenged by some business entity that might or might not be invested in the role-playing community for its Tunnels and Trolls titles. Which I didn't really care about, having published the content that I wanted to WITH PERMISSION well before 2015. Still I have to worry about the T&T/Monsters! Monsters! authors that started showing up at the Press's doorstep since 2021 with the implied consent of no one actually producing anything for the brand at the time. Still it was not that big of a deal. I mean, we have M!M!'s permission in writing to rock on. I still wanted to try sales venues that didn't cause me publisher strife for publications for a HOBBY industry. So I swallowed my pride and said, I'd do D&D. What with its OGL, I'd not only be increasing my sales base. I'd not be bothered by this or that flea-market vendor that was laying claim to the brand of FRPG that I was working with, but have that big D&D light flashing over my OGL-labeled product.
So the latest SantaLands was deliberately OGL.
Well then WOTC decided that D&D was under monetized.So while moving on from a skirmish with would be T&T corporate think, I am now involved in a market where a douche bag skimpflation tactic on getting more money from the big twigs is the next big event. You see, OGL 2023 (OGL 1.1) suddenly wants all sort of sorts of things, mostly ID of who considers themselves to sell D&D products. They plan to take the free license from like two decades ago (the OGL) and see that it is negated according to their worldview. Damn dudes all I wanted to throw an OGL page or 36 disclaimer into some ten-page products to market them for about a dozen more sales. I never wanted to be a serf.
Typically enough, the squabble is only as defined as the promised release of the new OGL. So while I am getting hail storms and black holes on my information feed, I'm not getting much information. Hats off to all the lawyer D&D fans though. They're coming out of Nowhere Creek to say nothing, and not represent anyone, but to be officious responding to rumors from this or that pencil neck with news from a "trusted" source. If a flying saucer landed in their backyard yesterday, I'm sure they'd be the first to let us know. That is in like about 20 years, or so; really you are important to them.
Back to being a serf or deciding not to be, things are being argued. In this Corporation restructuring of fair use concepts in RPG material age, it's up to the invested. Really I don't actually have a dog in this fight. When asked to remove Tunnels & Trolls, we went Monsters! Monsters! and because of that permission I will continue to provide, with real talent helping me out, product for that brand.
Even if I weren't a fan of brands, I'd have plenty of my stuff to work on. Still, you know, I cannot help but step into the fray. Look FRPG authors, regardless of whatever game system you are using, it's only a "tell" to mention the brand name while using it. While the "Open Game License" provided to you the rights to rewrite Ravenloft for Toddlers at a profit from some guy that worked for WOTC back in 944 BC, all it really did was flag market expectations for Big Systems later on, namely 2025. Go free, or pay. Just stop getting free legal advice from those that confuse creative sorts in the hobby.
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