15 Tips to Prove your Product definitely isn’t for D&D

With the upcoming changes to the OGL made by Wizards of the Coast, many third-party creators have announced that they are moving away from the 5^th edition of the world’s only role-playing game. Several companies including Kobold Press, Paizo, and MCDM have reached out to The Only Edition to give 15 guidelines for making it clear that your product is totally not made for Dungeons & Dragons.

1. Don’t use the phrase Dungeons & Dragons. For extra safety, don’t use an ampersand.
2. Make some comment about how your product is using open gaming content.
3. Make it clear what kind of license you are using.
4. Don’t use any license that would have a time limit or force you to pay royalties. Hoo boy, that would be a pain in the ass, huh?
5. Make it clear what material from your games is also open gaming content. And then
6. Properly attribute any other open gaming content you are using. Honestly, it’s an honor just to be recognized.
7. If anyone asks if your product is for D&D, just say, “Listen, if this were for D&D, it would have some classic monsters like the beholder, or a gelatinous cube, right? But it doesn’t, so it isn’t!” Instead be real casual about how it’s for 5^th edition. If they ask, “5^th edition of what?” just shake your head and smile knowingly.
8. Be sure to tell other people what is and isn’t open gaming content. The longer and more complicated the delineation between the two, the better.
9. I’m sure that even if the license you are using is updated in any way, you won’t be penalized for using an old license. Right? They wouldn’t do you like that.
10. Again, I can’t make this clear enough, include a copy of your license with what you’re publishing, just so everyone knows you’re on the up and up.
11. Even though you can use other open gaming stuff, don’t advertise their names unless you get their permission. It’s polite, and honestly just good networking practice.
12. If you can’t follow the rules of a license, don’t use it. Find another license that is less strict. Like ours! Is it Creative Commons? No, ours will be crunchier than that, we promise.
13. Believe us, if you don’t follow the rules of the license you’re using, it could be bad news.
14. Listen, I don’t want to scare you, but they will enforce this stuff. And if they can’t legally enforce it, they will change the license to enforce it.
15. You might have to include a copyright notice. You never know.

Hopefully this has cleared things up for you. Now go forth and make great content, just not for D&D.