Regarding the OGL and the Grognards that did nothing and in doing so likely saved D&D and TTRPGs

Dear Grognards,

Thanks for nothing. No. Really. Thank you. That’s sincere. No sarcasm. Slightly cheeky and provocative, sure. But genuine. You helped the TTRPG (Table Top Role Playing Game) community in the biggest way. By playing your version of the game. The same way since the time and start of the edition that you likely play now.

By my estimation (and I have no scientific evidence to back this up) your stalwart defense of your chosen edition is what allowed the TTRPG space to survive. For those that don’t know what a TTRPG Grognard is, allow a brief explanation. I don’t want people to get too lost here. A Grognard is simply someone who refuses to learn a newer edition of a TTRPG because the one they’re playing is fine. There are Dungeons and Dragons 4e grognards. Oh you read that right. They exist. A rare and wondrous breed; those 4e Grognards. And there will be 5e Grognards. And because Hasbro/Wizards can’t get out of their own way there will be a ton of 5e Grognards. And while the recent OGL (Open Gaming License) problems are the point of this article, we need to understand where we’ve been to fully understand where we are. Where was I? Ah yes, thanking Grognards for their help in battling a corporation against a terrible decision. For those that know a Gognard during this time and are thinking, “Dude, Adam, Mr. Nobody, did you have an encounter with an intellect Devourer as you are out of your gourd? The Grognards I know did nothing during the battle with the OGL. They complained that we were making noise and disrupting their YouTubers, Blogs, Forums, and pages with OGL Nonsense while complaining that they could just play the game.” And boy did they complain. But boy did they do that thing that they have always done. And that is the point. They did the thing they have always done. They played the game. Some of them have been playing the same way since its first printing 49 (1974) years ago. I don’t know any personally, but just like I know there’s 4e Grognards, the first of their kind appeared in 1977 when Advanced Dungeons and Dragons appeared as well as the Holmes Basic Set. From 1977 to present there have been stalwart fans ignoring the newest and brightest games in shiny new boxes with new ideas and awesome art. And at every level they just played the game. There were some bad times. The Satanic Panic is the most popular bad times of the TTRPG places of old. There was an organization formed in 1984 called BADD (Bothered about Dungeons and Dragons). Essentially, during this time, people decided that Dungeons and Dragons was part of a path to satanism. And most people know about Mazes and Monsters, a TV Movie starring Tom Hanks based on a book of the same title. Unsurprising to believers in capitalism, book sales rose during this time. But it was difficult as a lot of people were throwing books away and forbidding their children from playing. There are stories of this type of behavior in every forum related to TTRPG’s that I have ever belonged to. But given that mess they built dungeons, played human Fighters and Elves and Dwarves and had fun with their friends. 48 years later the hobby endures. In the 80s and 90s TSR (Tactical Studies Rules Inc) ran the game. There were confusing edition names and a lot of versions were published besides the Holmes edition. Despite this confusion the Grognards played on. Bringing on new players to their chosen edition. TSR at that time was known for being litigious and protective of their brand. TSR was known in some circles as They Sue Regularly. And still the Grognards played on. Sticking with their chosen game. In the mid to late 90’s things sunk to a different low. TSR ran out of money. The business nearly dissolved. That’s real. Look it up. And the Grognards played on. At that time Editions were into their 3rd new rule set called Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd edition. Wizards of the Coast bought out TSR and the Brand in 1997. They made 3rd edition. And shortly after 3.5 which was compatible with 3. But some folks were still playing Dungeons and Dragons from 1974. It was during this time the first OGL was created btw. In an effort to allow 3rd party works and reduce litigations related to the rules. Wizards was bought by Hasbro in 1999 as the Grognards played their games. Wizards managed a full Dungeons and Dragons movie in 2000. And even after that the Grognards played on. This is a joke. I love that movie. It’s terrible. I know. I still love it.

3 and 3.5 were very popular. Rules heavy. And more books with more rules meant that it became more rules heavy. And the Grognards played on. Clinging to the books they had access to and sharing them with new players. In 2008 and through 2013 edition 3.5 gave way to 4th edition. 4th edition is not popular. People didn’t play it. They didn’t like it. Even today, after 10 years of 5th edition people talk about how bad 4th was. Additionally, 4th edition adopted a very confusing and difficult to use GSL (Game Sharing License) And still. As unpopular as 4th edition was, there are 4e Grognards. Because TTRPG players and DMS do what they have done since 1974. They put their noses in their books and their maps on the table and they played the game. Somewhere during 5e things went bonkers. Youtubers and Blogs and live streams and Stranger Things and Vin Diesel and Joe Manganiello and Covid all happened and 5e blew up. TTRPGS and Dungeons and Dragons blew up to its most profitable years and its highest player rates. And the Grognards played on. Even the 4e Grognards. 970 words into this essay and that still sounds wrong even if it is true. In 2022 Wizards announced that they were creating a new 5e compatible rule set known as One D&D. And you know what happened? The Grognards played on. And I can finally hear it. The grumblings. The reason I wrote this is because even without the Open Gaming License drama in January 2023 there are people settling into their ways saying how if it isn’t broke don’t fix it just like those Grognards did in 1977 when there were new editions for players to try. These curmudgeonly stalwarts and stewards of this game played on. Through thick and thin. Through good times and bad. They just played. As parents were burning the books to keep the devil they defied the odds. They endured ridicule of others when it was not popular at all to play this game. AT ALL! They did all that already. And they did it by playing and sharing this game.

I want to pause for a brief second here and just say this does not diminish the work that the involved community has done to correct what looked like a giant Corpo turd on the TTRPG community, cause holy crap, team! What a job we did. Dungeons and Dragons taught us about being pedantic about rules and slaying Dragons. Mission accomplished. For now. But I digress, I’m just saying that the Grognards are right too. You may not agree with some of the Grognards. You may think they’re rude and they should care more than they do. Particularly when we disrupt the homeostasis with stuff like OGL that is of little consequence to their table. But the longer they’ve been around the more they’re certain that playing the game is THE best way to continue its tradition. It’s not Hasbro's Game. It’s not Wizard’s Game. It’s your Table’s game. You own that. You own the rights to that game and the things that go on. You own those books and those rules. You already bought them. And no corporate machine can remove the fun you already had, nor can they make more from you with stuff you already bought.

Thanks a grognard today. But don’t hug them unless they give consent and make sure you understand it may be like hugging a cactus.

Dear Grognards, from the bottom of my heart thank you. We wouldn’t be here without you. And you did nothing but what you have always done. In honor of you I will play on too.

DM Adam

Door to the North Check out the Linda Codega Article that busted the OGL Debacle open Here