Leave the Silver LLC

Q. So, which one are you all going to support - the OGL or the ORC?

A. Why do people believe this is a simple question with a simple answer?

A2. However, we feel we owe people who actually care enough to read our response an answer, so here it goes: in the next coming weeks, we have a lot of announcements we will be dropping, some of which involve a project near and dear to our hearts that has been in the making for several years. After careful discussion, unless WoTC and Hasbro do something so mind-blowingly horrific to the content creator community out here, our next project will be released within the current 5e ruleset.

Q. So you are all-in supporting WoTC and Hasbro? Is that what you are saying?

A. Not at all. And, I will say, these questions do come from messages sent to me/us from emails or from the website, or asked of us in chats. Let me clarify: our NEXT project, unless otherwise forced to go elsewhere, will be a 5e product.

A2. Having said that, a few days ago, we also made the decision to add our names to the list of those content creators that signed on to lend our support to the ORC as well. I want to be very clear here in my answer. I do not believe lending support to one means cancelling the other. Nor do I believe that being hopeful for meaningful change to come about for one means then abandoning the other. In our world, there is room for diversity in gaming. Or, to quote a famous line we can all appreciate, "There's always room for jello." Yes, there's also that one about cake, but we don't look at it that way.

Q. So you claim to support both, but isn't that really just you all refusing to cancel WoTC and Hasbro and their DNDBeyond and all their stuff?

A. Yes. We refuse to do that. I don't think I can say that any clearer.

A2. And for those of you who actually stuck around for an explanation instead of grabbing your torches, we appreciate it. We, too, refused to just go with the mob and grab our torches as well over the past few weeks. We were upset over some of the things we had been hearing from the company. We were upset over some of the things we had been hearing from the community too. After all - until the works are officially on paper (and yes, we say this and we hear some of you in the back screeching "leaks! leaks!" but we're talking about now and not the past so calm down please) we have no idea what is going to happen. Funny thing - that's true of the ORC as well. Noble intentions and lofty platitudes aside...all we have right now is a promise. We hope that promise is kept, but until it is on paper, we don't have any way of knowing what that future holds either. Still, we are hopeful.

Q. So you are sitting on the fence then?

A. Let me be clear on this. You want to play the games you want to play. Our writers want to write the adventures and books for the systems they want to support as well. At the end of the day, we want to do right by the people we support too. Do I personally write for the 5e system? Yes. Do I have another project out there for a non-5e system? Yes. See how that works?

A2. Keep an open mind. Keep a watchful eye. Don't fall prey to rumor-mongers on any side. Be informed. Be hopeful, but remain skeptical. This is all any of us can do in these uncertain times. Also remember that this is a community. The hate that gets put out there can be hurtful to others, and we have no idea what kind of damage that may do to others. We are a community. We need to keep that in mind. We need to be doing better. Watch out for one another, but do so in a positive light. When all this is done, hopefully you will still be able to be proud of the way you acted and behaved towards others. That's all. Be safe out there.

Jim Davis
Owner, Leave the Silver, LLC

https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1432-starting-the-ogl-playtest

So is it all over? No. Is this a good start? Possibly? Is there more to come still since it is a DRAFT? You betcha. As for what appears to be coming down the pipe, I hope no one is deafened by the explosive sounds of the collective few here finally deciding to stop holding their breath and breathing in a sigh of some relief. True, it is not over until it is over. True, until we have something official in writing in front of us we can't be 100% certain of anything...but we are good with where this appears to be going. At the very least, as content creators, we are looking towards the near future with some hope.

Starting the OGL ‘Playtest’ Today, we're presenting a draft of OGL 1.2, and announcing a Creative Commons license that puts D&D's core mechanics into your hands.

The official statement. Call me a shill, call me a bootlicker, call me whatever you want. The community is filled with passionate individuals, and passions ran very, very high. Does this mean people won? Does this mean WoTC lost? Does this mean they listened? All it means ... Is what is says, people. Read it, do what you will with it. No one forces you all to do anything, and you know it. And, really, I think a little bit of this proves the community has more sway than the doomsayers knew.

An Update on the Open Game License (OGL) Although we are not yet able to release the OGL at this time, we would like to update you on how things are developing, and the goals we have in mind fo...

Things they are a-changing. Yes, our logo looks slightly different. With the new year and new upcoming events, we felt it was time for a change. The logo reflects the new things to come. More news will be on the way here soon as we have some exciting news to unveil here soon. Something we have been working on diligently for the past few years...More to follow here soon, so keep an ear out for news!

For those of you engaging in the "Oh Noes! WoTC is killing the industry with the OGL1.1!" tizzy....no one actually knows what the new OGL is going to officially be until it is - get this - OFFICIAL. Leaked documents are not official, they are unofficial leaks. Did they come from a disgruntled 3rd Party? Did they come from a disgruntled WoTC employee? Or did they come from WoTC themselves to gauge how the public would react? No one knows. So until we know more, we just need to take a few deep breaths and retreat to our corners and stop freaking out. There may be a time for that later, btu for now just do what others have rightly suggested: contact WoTC through various channels - phone calls, Change.org, petitions, what have you - and tell them how you feel. That is ALL you can do about this. If you want to quit the industry and go on to a different game, no one will stop you. But can we all please stop acting like screaming children throwing ourselves down in the aisle at Walmart when mom says "no" to buying us our favorite snack?