It’s now official: Dungeons & Dragons is licensed below the Inventive Commons. This makes the favored tabletop roleplaying sport “freely obtainable for any use,” Dungeons & Dragons government producer Kyle Brink wrote in a weblog publish at present.

Simply weeks in the past, this final result would have appeared not possible. A couple of month in the past, Wizards of the Coast (WoTC) — the writer of Dungeons & Dragons and a subsidiary of Hasbro — despatched a doc with a brand new open gaming license (OGL) to prime Dungeons & Dragons content material creators, asking them to signal what they known as “OGL 1.1.” The present OGL, which had been in impact since 2000, made it potential for third-party creators to make use of the expansive sport system to promote their very own spell books, modules, digital tabletops (VTTs), and different content material that has helped the sport develop into the mega-success it’s at present. However sure phrases within the up to date doc would have made it not possible for these impartial companies to proceed working. Some creators leaked the doc in protest, exposing its predatory phrases that might suffocate the prolific fan group. Over 77,000 creators and followers signed an open letter towards these modifications, and a few went so far as canceling their subscriptions to D&D Past, a web-based platform for the sport. Lastly, WoTC admitted that they “rolled a 1,” or in different phrases, tousled very badly.

Final week, followers have been pleasantly stunned final week when Brink introduced that the corporate was planning to launch sport supplies below a Inventive Commons license, a whole reversal from the unique, restrictive plan. As we speak, after getting suggestions from over 15,000 followers, Dungeons & Dragons formally launched the sport system below this lenient license, in all 403 pages of its glory.

The corporate even addressed issues about how final week’s preliminary Inventive Commons proposal would impression VTTs, or software program that makes it potential for individuals to play TTRPGs remotely. Now, WoTC has even walked again these stipulations, whereas additionally retaining the unique OGL in impact.

“This Inventive Commons license makes the content material freely obtainable for any use,” Brink wrote in at present’s weblog publish. “We don’t management that license and can’t alter or revoke it. It’s open and irrevocable in a approach that doesn’t require you to take our phrase for it. And its openness means there’s no want for a VTT coverage. Putting the [Systems Reference Document] below a Inventive Commons license is a one-way door. There’s no going again.”

Because it seems, fan communities can accomplish so much once they rally collectively. Simply ask Ticketmaster.