D&D (2024) WotC Announces April 22 Release For 2024 System Reference Documents

The System Reference Document 5.2--the tool which helps developers create third-party content using the Dungeons & Dragons core rules engine--will be released under the Creative Commons license on April 22nd.

Additionally, Wizards of the Coast will publish a Conversion Guide for updating game content from the 2014 edition to the 2024 edition. This guide will arrive at a later date.

The Free Rules document on D&D Beyond will also be updated with new D&D Beyond Basic Rules (2024).

The older 5.1 SRD, which is based on the 2014 edition of D&D, will also remain available under both Creative Commons and the Open Game License (OGL).

More information will be available on April 22nd, when the new SRD is released.

A copy of each System Reference Document is stored independently at A5ESRD.com, which includes the 5.1 SRD, the revised 3.5 SRD, and other System Reference Documents (including the enormous A5E SRD).

 

[Nightfly]

But would that include even 4e D&D?

This is kind of the white whale. I don't know that 1e and 2e really mean that much any more, because fans have long since done retroclones of both using the 3e OGL. 4e is the only iteration of D&D where people can't really get under the hood and tinker with it. It would be fascinating to see what the fandom would do with an "open" 4e.

 

[mamba]

That’s not what it says.

It says they’d review the content to remove IP like ‘Tiamat’, not that they’d review whether or not they’d do it at all.

I assume they refer to previous editions of the SRD there, not previous editions of D&D, so still only 3.x

 

[overgeeked]

This is kind of the white whale. I don't know that 1e and 2e really mean that much any more, because fans have long since done retroclones of both using the 3e OGL. 4e is the only iteration of D&D where people can't really get under the hood and tinker with it. It would be fascinating to see what the fandom would do with an "open" 4e.

Almost everything you’d need is in the 5.1 SRD. It would be work, but you could pound it into shape. The (assumed) addition of bloodied in the 5.2 SRD will help. Having a proper 4E CC-BY SRD would be fantastic though and make things so much easier.

 

[Morrus]

I assume they refer to previous editions of the SRD there, not previous editions of D&D, so still only 3.x

That would be a highly unusual use of the word 'edition'.

 

[mamba]

That would be a highly unusual use of the word 'edition'.

I always read it as the logical interpretation The previous item is about the 5.1 SRD and to me that SRD context carried over, there also is nothing to review for 1e/2e/4e

 

[CleverNickName]

I stated in the other thread - it specifically says 5.2 and all SRDs going forward will be CC only.

Pardon my ignorance of the details of publishing (and my ignorance of this thread, I am currently on page 1 of comments), but isn't this actually better?

 

[mamba]

Pardon my ignorance of the details of publishing (and my ignorance of this thread, I am currently on page 1 of comments), but isn't this actually better?

Having it only under CC is not better than having it under CC and OGL. It is better than OGL only

 

[CleverNickName]

Having it only under CC is not better than having it under CC and OGL. It is better than OGL only

Thanks, that's what I thought. My next question is, why would a product ever need to use both?

 

[Morrus]

There is nothing to review for 1e/2e/4e

I don’t know what that means. There are lots of IP references in 1e/2e/4e which they’d need to remove.

 

[Morrus]

Thanks, that's what I thought. My next question is, why would a product ever need to use both?

Need? Never. Give more options to the end user? That’s what we choose to do.