D&D 5E L&L Basic Dungeons & Dragons

[Henry]

I thought Paizo isn't even the ones that originally did the PSRD...some third party did it and Paizo scrambled to do damage control by putting up their own, is my recollection.

The way the license works, with a fantasy game so close to 3.5 like Pathfinder, it would take a full time in house counsel to go over each new rule and determine if it was close enough to an existing open rule to decide if it can be closed or not. Effectively, due to costs, this means it was just a heck of a lot easier to declare it all open. That, combined with chasing the guy who was already putting it all up for free, forced Paizo's hand to put it all up themselves.

Again, at least that is my recollection and assessment of how it happened. But I can't say I was paying very close attention at the time so I could well be off base.

Also...I don't mean to imply what they've done is bad. I like what they did...I like the fluff MORE, but I like that at least the rules are up.

Using the Wayback machine, I can find references of the PRD back to August of 2009, which is the same month it debuted. However, you might be right, because d20pfsrd.com did post their beta rules as content. I do know that they did have some squabbles with them early on, because they were posting stuff pretty soon after a book would be released, but they pretty quickly worked it out, and d20pfsrd voluntarily undertook a blackout zone of (I think) three months so that Paizo would be able to have their initial sell-through.

 

[Henry]

Many publishers were like this but Malhavoc was one of the worst. All of these vague declarations, in my opinion, violated Section 8 of the OGL which requires you to clearly identify the open content.

I remember some content in Hallowed Might that made the rules content of the spells and feats open, but not the names - so you would have had to repost the entire unit with a different name, if you wanted to use it. Just weird stuff like that.

 

[Cybit]

As noted, they're only required to keep the bits that are already open open. And they're not under any kind of obligation to make it easy or accessible - but they do. If you want a study in contrasting 3rd-party approaches to the OGL, look at Malhavoc Press and Paizo Publishing.

Ahh, my bad then!

 

[Texicles]

Some months ago, I'd advocated a Starter Set that acted as a self-contained Basic game with no level cap, rules-light, old-school appeal that could be the only D&D product you needed to play ad infinitum.

Making it free is literally the only way they could have made me happier, and danged if they didn't go and do it!

I've been hearing SJ Tucker singing "...everyone's dungeon bounnnnnnnd!" in my head since I read the news.

Well played WotC!

 

[jbear]

Another option this opens up for WotC is to print the basic rules in the future (presuming there is a market for it) once the core rules have gone through any needed errata (usually happens after use) and become stable. SO no complaints from customers about needing to buy a Basic.5 edition of the rules because they never had to buy the initial rules since they will be free.

 

[Li Shenron]

This is by far the most unanimously positive thread I recall ever. I think it is warranted.

...and the word "free" suddenly allowed to go where no designer had gone before: to unite the fanbase!

 

[Lanefan]

This is excellent news!

And it won't be that hard to tack on one's own versions of the other iconic classes (Ranger, Assassin, Illusionist, Druid, etc.) once it's obvious how the core four are designed...though Bard and Monk will, as always, be a headache. And extra races (Part Elf, Part Orc, Gnome) will be even easier. In fact, if it's as basic as it sounds it shouldn't be that hard to houserule it into whatever sort of system you want; that's how I'm going to approach it.

I'll be giving this a very long look when it comes out. My only hope/request is that it be made print-legal, so I can take the file down to my local print shop and have them put it on paper for me, and bind it.

Lanefan

 

[delericho]

Oh dear. You know how sometimes in the morning something that seemed so clear the day before can be revealed equally clearly to be nonsense? Oops.

I do apologise.

 

[Danzauker]

Some people did call this.

I totally, totally didn't. Pleasant surprise



Actually, once it has the other material in it....you don't have buy anything...(edit, and Jrowland said it first).

Yes I know, what I wanted to say is more "we really really want to buy them because we make a living out of them".

The basic rules are free. So in order to make any money they have to sell the big 3, which you sell only once, and are optional (even if I suspect most gamers will buy them anyways) , and provide a good constant stream of quality adventures and supplements.

Since as other people said adventures are now entry points themselves, basically they are first class citizens exactly like the big 3 books, I really expect excellent production value in them.

 

[Blackbrrd]

This is excellent news!

And it won't be that hard to tack on one's own versions of the other iconic classes (Ranger, Assassin, Illusionist, Druid, etc.) once it's obvious how the core four are designed...though Bard and Monk will, as always, be a headache. And extra races (Part Elf, Part Orc, Gnome) will be even easier. In fact, if it's as basic as it sounds it shouldn't be that hard to houserule it into whatever sort of system you want; that's how I'm going to approach it.

I'll be giving this a very long look when it comes out. My only hope/request is that it be made print-legal, so I can take the file down to my local print shop and have them put it on paper for me, and bind it.

Lanefan

Getting the standard versions of the other iconic classes will be very easy as well, 30$ and you got them*!

*or, atleast many of them.