Ryan Dancey is a veteran TTRPG publisher who is best known for spearheading the creation of the original OGL during his time as Wizards of the Coast’s vice president. By crafting this agreement, Dancey ensured content creators could make Dungeons and Dragons-compatible projects without paying royalties.

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Now, Dancey has stepped up as a leader of the voices in opposition to Dungeons and Dragons’ new OGL. Dubbed the “OGL 1.1,” this new license is significantly less open than its predecessor, imposing restrictions and creative control over publishers while demanding royalties from those who reach high levels of success. Dancey believes the new OGL goes against the spirit of the document he created, leading him to make a Change.org petition for Wizards of the Coast to preserve his original agreement as it is.

Dancey has made his position on Dungeons and Dragons’ new policies clear previously. He stated his belief that Hasbro couldn’t legally revoke the old Dungeons and Dragons OGL, despite its clear desire to do so. He has since appeared in an interview with Roll for Combat, a popular third-party Dungeons and Dragons publisher and live show, where he discussed the history of the original OGL and his goals behind its creation.

At press time, mere hours after it was started, Dancey’s petition has already hit over 1000 signatures, with no signs of slowing down. Dungeons and Dragons fans eagerly signed the letter, voicing their displeasure in the face of Wizards of the Coast’s recent actions. Dancey saved Dungeons and Dragons by writing the original OGL, and with luck, he will do so again by protecting it 20 years later.

For now, Dungeons and Dragons has not given an official response to the evolving situation. The official OGL for One D&D has also not been formally released, but Wizards of the Coast insiders have given players several troubling looks behind the development curtain. With Dungeons and Dragons players canceling D&D Beyond subscriptions and signing petitions in force, Wizards of the Coast needs to respond to its community soon, or else risk damaging its reputation beyond repair while pushing its players towards other TTRPGs like Pathfinder or Kobold Press’ new Project Black Flag.

Dungeons and Dragons is available now. One D&D is in development.

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