A Third-Party 5E Setting On Kickstarter? Ravenloft-inspired DARKPLANE!

Darkplane is a Kickstarter by a chap called Graham Ward, and appears to be a D&D 5E campaign setting heaviliy influenced by Ravenloft and Call of Cthulhu. "Weird horror, cosmic mystery, and occult intrigue take center stage in this massive new setting for 5th edition." Rewards include the setting in PDF or physical form, with a boxed set at higher tiers. The physical book is a 200-page 6"x9" softcover, graduating to an 8.5"x11" paperback, and then hardcover at higher levels. The artwork looks gorgeous.

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In the absense of any kind of official license, the number of publishers finding other ways to produce third-party content for 5E is growing. This particular example has a curious approach to that, though - "This project will not be published or distributed in any way that violates copyright laws. It's a personal project that will be delivered as a gift to those who help fund its creation. No profit is expected, and no infringement intended. If no other avenue is provided, in a worst-case scenario, it will be printed without system-specific rules and backers will be provided with digital packets of the "crunch" for printing." I think that means he's saying he's not selling the product, he's giving it as a personal gift in exchange for a personal gift of money.

Click on the image above or here for the Kickstarter!

 

[Ramaster]

"I'll gift you my product if you gift me some money"... This has the potential to backfire.

I hope it doesn't, though, it seems quite good!

 

[Sailor Moon]

FINALLY! Something to look forward to.

 

[BrockBallingdark]

So I'm a little slow here. Basically if I were to pledge on this KS (which I only would because it's for 5E) and then WOTC throws some legal law stones at it... he will just remove the system rules and it will be a setting only? The digital packets of crunch will be what then? That makes me a little nervous as my only interest is 5E related products.
I will hold on to my cash for now.

 

[TerraDave]

Well, I very own ENWorld has been doing some 5E related stuff...

And there has been at least one high profile 5E kickstarter:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/necromancergames/necromancer-games-back-for-5th-edition

No law suits have bee filled that I know of. At least not yet.

 

[Stefano_Rinaldelli]

Done, I'm an Austere Tutelar now. Please consider pledge, it's a real way to make wotc understand the importance of campaign settings. Less adventures, more inspiring worlds!

 

[Stefano_Rinaldelli]

So I'm a little slow here. Basically if I were to pledge on this KS (which I only would because it's for 5E) and then WOTC throws some legal law stones at it... he will just remove the system rules and it will be a setting only? The digital packets of crunch will be what then? That makes me a little nervous as my only interest is 5E related products.
I will hold on to my cash for now.

In this case you only have to add some stats, it almost the same as adapt old material for 5th

 

[Wicht]

I think that means he's saying he's not selling the product, he's giving it as a personal gift in exchange for a personal gift of money.

You say toe-mah-toe, I say toe-may-toe.

I am dubious about a project where the creator pledges to get drunk if I give him money.

 

[BrockBallingdark]

In this case you only have to add some stats, it almost the same as adapt old material for 5th

True but I don't want to do that for a KS product. I went in with the Necromancer KS and happy it had 5th Ed rules so I didn't have to do additional work.

 

[dm4hire]

I think he's just being over cautious. The only way he would be in any real trouble is if he has lifted whole sections from the references he lists. Most likely he doesn't understand copyright and figures to be safe if they have a problem with it he'll just remove the mechanics he uses, which the mechanics is the only part that they can't come after him for using really. So unless he has verbatim Ravenloft incorporated in his setting, which would open him up to lawsuit, he should be okay.

I agree that it is nice to see someone finally pushing forward with a real campaign. I'm surprised no one else hasn't done it yet, especially some of the more popular 3PPs out there.

Also I think the crunch part he refers to is that he wouldo put out a PDF with the stats in it separate if that were to happen.