The Interwebs have been abuzz for the last week regarding the leaked OGL 1.1 and its implications for TTRPG Creators and Players. While I was initially reluctant to comment on unofficial material, the subsequent activity in the community and lack of a response from WotC has made it clear that they intend to dramatically change the power and economic dynamic that has long existed within D&D.

So before I go further, let me be clear: Tabyltop and its founders stand firmly with the Creators in the TTRPG community. The OGL 1.0a created an ecosystem that benefitted both creators and WotC by making D&D’s footprint many times larger than it would have been otherwise. This attempt by WotC to revoke an agreement they had previously suggested was irrevocable and take ownership of creators’ works through bully tactics is unacceptable. I can only hope this is a huge misunderstanding, but in the absence of a full retraction and apology that now seems impossible.

So how is Tabyltop responding?

First, we have all signed the #OpenDND letter. If you haven’t added your name to it, check it out here.

Second, we’re shifting our strategy. When we set out to create a next-generation platform for online TTRPG gaming, we initially decided to hyperfocus on D&D 5e. We wanted to focus our energy to give a really great play experience for one system rather than a half-baked experience for many. The choice of 5e wasn’t because it’s the best system, but because as the most popular system it gave us the ability to reach the broadest audience.

As we’ve developed Tabyltop, we’ve naturally de-emphasized game mechanics in favor of great social interaction. We want the focus to be on the players, not their character sheets; great collaborative storytelling, not rules and stats. Tabyltop virtualizes the physical game table, providing a space to gather your friends and play a RPG, while dictating very little about how the game is played. As Gary Gygax said, “The secret we should never let the Gamemasters know is that they don’t need any rules.”

This focus has made the decision to become system-agnostic a simple one. For the most part, game mechanics live outside of Tabyltop. We’ll have great tools to pull in your other materials, and will support necessary system-specific tailoring through settings or plugins. We’ll be making our already-flexible dice system even more so, while retaining its ease-of-use. Our content packs will consist of maps, tokens, and handouts, all of which can be done in a way that works across systems and does not require OGL-type licensing. We’re reviewing as many systems as we can get our hands on to ensure compatibility and a great experience.

Finally, while we don’t want to see our hobby become fragmented, we want to fully support all the great creators who are developing new open systems. This includes Kobold Press and their Project Black Flag, Matt Colville / MCDM Productions with a yet-unnamed system, and DMDave / Henceforth Games with the Phoenix System. We’re already reaching out to these creators to find out how we can help support their systems at launch.

Got a great non-D&D system you think we should check out? Hit us up over on Twitter or Reddit. See you at the Tabyl!