Every week, Now You Know recaps the Know Direction content of the past week, previews the Know Direction content of the week to come, and shares the thoughts on the state of the network from the director of operations, Ryan Costello.
Last week, I ended my column with the following:
Hmm… Block 2 is looking pretty sparse, especially this week (Rob’s already excused himself from this week’s Investing In). Gonna need some new content soon.
And then fate said:
I warned you not to tempt me.
It ends up, we had more content than advertised last week. On Wednesday, Roll For Combat shared a leak of OGL 1.1 they received. Over the next 24 hours, the community parsed the legitimacy of the leak. Then Gizmodo published Linda Codega’s Dungeons & Dragons’ New License Tightens Its Grip on Competition article, and a number of gamers with legal training weighed in.
We don’t have legal training, but Owen, Alex, and myself know the history of the OGL. I’ve learned about it through interviews with publishers and the mastermind behind the OGL, Ryan Dancey. Alex has been researching it for an article. And Owen has worked with the OGL on more projects than I can list, and worked for the two biggest companies to benefit from the OGL’s existence: Wizards of the Coast and Paizo.
As of this writing, neither WotC or Paizo released official statements regarding the leak (although Erik Mona’s been in maximum cheekiness mode on his personal Facebook page). Many influencers, publishers, and talents shared their thoughts. Dale McCoy, Jr published an open letter to WotC through his company, Jon Brazer Enterprises, signed by several other publishers. Stephen Radney-MacFarlane’s commentary on Facebook outsnarks Erik Mona. And #OpenDnD is trending on Twitter with 10k tweets.
It’s still hard to tell the signal from the noise, but I get the feeling this goes beyond an echo chamber affect. It’s only another anecdote on the pile, but a friend that I didn’t even know was into RPGs reached out to me to let me know he was watching every video he could find on the subject and was amused to stumble across mine. This after another friend who I do know to be a 5e gamer reached out to me to express concern a few weeks ago. Apparently this other friend saw the writing on the wall after Wizards of the Coast CEO Cynthia Williams made her now infamous “Under Monetized” comment. When friends from outside my gaming circle start commenting on what I think of as a deep cut topic, I start to see this issue as mainstream.
If you’re already tired of the OGL talk, I’m sorry. We probably won’t release another special episode on it, but Alex is still working on his article. Moreover, it’s too impactful on everything we do to ignore. I suspect it will trickle into our content even when we don’t intend it
Speaking of network content, here’s a recap of the Know Direction Network podcasts and articles from the last week:
Recap of January 2nd to 6th
What happened last week on knowdirectionpodcast.com and twitch.tv/knowdirection?
Monday, January 2nd
Article
Now You Know – Sticking The 2022 Landing
By Ryan Costello
I pat myself on the back for releasing all of the end of year KD content I had on my to do list.
Tuesday, January 3rd
Article
Eldritch Excursion – Talk to These Hands
By Nate Wright
Nate argues that actions speak louder than words at the game table.
Wednesday, January 4th
Podcast
Presenting – Mikhail S. Rekun
It’s rare you hear someone estimate they’ve written a million words related to gaming, but when it comes to Mikhail S. Rekun, I believe it.
Thursday, January 5th
Podcast
Know Direction Special Edition – OGL 1.1 Overview
I speak with Owen KC Stephens and Alex Augunas about the history of the OGL and the ramifications of the leaked OGL 1.1 if WotC went ahead with it.
Preview of January 9th to 13th
Block 1 of our 2-block schedule.
Monday, January 9th
Podcast
Intrepid Heroes 103 – Stop the World Seed
Good news fans of Intrepid Heroes’ actual play action! This oversized episode makes up for what you missed because of the last couple of peaks behind the scenes.
Article
Now You Know – One Point One
By Ryan Costello
I thought about calling this 1.1 Private Sanctuary.
Tuesday, January 10th
Podcast
Game Design Unboxed 54 – Relics of Rajavihara
Joe Slack talks with Danielle about his solo puzzle game Relics of Rajavihara.
Article
Eldritch Excursion
By Nate Wright
Nate Wright’s journal of flavour and mechanics.
Wednesday, January 11th
Article
Behind The Screens
By Ryan Costello
Veteran Game Master Ryan Costello talks with his fellow GMs on their side of the GM screen.
Thursday, January 12th
Podcast
Digital Divination 74
John and Jason talk Starfinder.
Friday, January 13th
Podcast
Upshift 010 – Wait, What’s Essence20?
Jason and I talk about selling your friends on Essence20. Y’know, in case they’re in the market for a new RPG.
Now you know,
Ryan Costello
