“In D&D terms, they have cast the spell ‘expeditious retreat,’” Mark Lemley, Stanford Law School professor and of counsel to Lex Lumina PLLC, said.

Creators also urged fans to cancel their subscriptions to “D&D Beyond,” described as an “official digital toolset and game companion,” which led to a crash on the website’s subscription management page.

“The backlash is notable in its ferocity,” Lemley said. “They have really angered their user base with an overbroad set of restrictions.”