D&D 5E Goodman Games is Reincarnating Castle Amber

The new installment in the Original Adventures Reincarnated line has been announced and it is X2 - Castle Amber. They fled from the far-flung land of Averoigne: the Amber family, a bloodline of wizards and warriors persecuted for their dark sorcery and occult crimes. In their new world, they built a lavish manor for themselves, the fabulous Castle Amber. For a time, the Ambers flourished...

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The new installment in the Original Adventures Reincarnated line has been announced and it is X2 - Castle Amber.

They fled from the far-flung land of Averoigne: the Amber family, a bloodline of wizards and warriors persecuted for their dark sorcery and occult crimes. In their new world, they built a lavish manor for themselves, the fabulous Castle Amber. For a time, the Ambers flourished, their magical and military might having little equal. Then, however, jealousy and murder struck the heart of the family and the Curse of Stephen Amber descended upon the castle like a fell and heavy hand. Now, the Ambers dwell beyond space and time, imprisoned with their monstrously transformed servants and suffering under the family’s dead patriarch’s death-sent doom.

It is into this mad manor that the party awakens, plucked from their homeworld and imprisoned in the heart of Castle Amber. To escape, the heroes must negotiate a path through the insane Amber family home, overcoming the clan’s machinations, dangerous servants, cunning traps, and bizarre phenomena. Only by finding a way to break the Curse of Stephen Amber will the party be able to return home. Failure means a lifetime of imprisonment in Castle Amber, a place where lifetimes can be very short indeed…
 

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Dire Bare

Legend
There's nothing in the text that suggests that.

As someone who works in a corporate environment, oftentimes, when the hard "no" comes down from way, way, way above your paygrade, "oh well" is really the only realistic way to respond.
Did a Google search on lark and found a reply from Goodman games that I missed under their FAQ.


Q: Will the book be available in PDF format?

Yes! It will be released in both print and PDF. (NOTE! Since this article was originally posted we have learned that Goodman Games does NOT have the rights to produce a PDF version of Into the Borderlands. We do apologize for any confusion this might have caused.)


Really dislike that about DnD 5e.

Not in the press release, no. But as Paragon pointed out, Goodman at one point announced the books would be available in PDF digital format, then had to backtrack.

We of course don't know what Goodman wanted and asked for during license negotiations. It's possible they neglected to negotiate digital rights as an oversight, or they simply decided it wasn't worth doing. WotC could have said "No" for some reason, or again it could have been an oversight. Doesn't really matter. Perhaps D&D Beyond balked for some reason.

I'm not sure why you feel the need to question those of us who are not interested in a physical copy of this book (and the others in the series). I'm glad Goodman is doing this project, as clearly there are fans who are digging it. I'm just bummed the decisions that went into this product line have put me into the "not gonna buy" category. I'd snap these all up in a heartbeat if they were offered in PDF and/or on D&D Beyond. You do you, I'll do me.
 

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Whizbang Dustyboots

Gnometown Hero
I'm not sure why you feel the need to question those of us who are not interested in a physical copy of this book (and the others in the series).
I just think attacking a mom and pop operation with the assumption that they just don't give a crap when it's pretty clear Goodman is deeply invested in all these products, even if they're not for everyone (including me), is pretty sleazy. There's multiple reasonable explanations for the issue, but deciding "nah, they're lazy and/or don't give a crap" is a weird place to jump to.
 

Dire Bare

Legend
I just think attacking a mom and pop operation with the assumption that they just don't give a crap when it's pretty clear Goodman is deeply invested in all these products, even if they're not for everyone (including me), is pretty sleazy. There's multiple reasonable explanations for the issue, but deciding "nah, they're lazy and/or don't give a crap" is a weird place to jump to.

Oh good lord.

"Attacking a mom & pop operation"?!?! "Sleazy"?!?!

We're done.
 

dave2008

Legend
It's not about being mad, it's about being uninterested in a $50 physical copy.

And it's far from unrealistic to say that between the three partners (WotC, Goodman, and D&D Beyond), they couldn't have come to a reasonable deal for each partner and for fans. I'm sure they have their reasons, I just strongly doubt they are good ones (at least from my own perspective). From what little has been shared, it feels almost as if digital copies were an afterthought, as if Goodman went, "Oops, forgot to negotiate that into our licensing agreement. Oh well."
It is Hasbro / WotC. They only allow pdf products through DMs Guild
 

jayoungr

Legend
Supporter
From what little has been shared, it feels almost as if digital copies were an afterthought, as if Goodman went, "Oops, forgot to negotiate that into our licensing agreement. Oh well."
I got a different vibe from that communication. To me it read like Goodman assumed, "Of course we'll be able to issue PDF copies. Surely it's in our contract--that's what everyone does nowadays, right?" Then when WotC/Hasbro gave them the hard "no," they realized that their assumptions had been wrong and they were dealing with the one company in a thousand that actually didn't bundle electronic publishing rights in with the physical. So they had to go back and say "Whoops."

It is Hasbro / WotC. They only allow pdf products through DMs Guild
Do you think WotC would have been willing to let Goodman issue a PDF of this project through DMs Guild? If so, why wouldn't Goodman take the deal? I know DMs Guild takes a hefty chunk of the profit, but surely that's better (for the seller) than offering no PDF at all?
 

Whizbang Dustyboots

Gnometown Hero
I got a different vibe from that communication. To me it read like Goodman assumed, "Of course we'll be able to issue PDF copies. Surely it's in our contract--that's what everyone does nowadays, right?"
Especially since they've been releasing PDFs of their works for decades, all the way back to their 3E modules. Only their OAR products and the giant Judges Guild archive edition appear to be exceptions.
 

dave2008

Legend
Do you think WotC would have been willing to let Goodman issue a PDF of this project through DMs Guild? If so, why wouldn't Goodman take the deal? I know DMs Guild takes a hefty chunk of the profit, but surely that's better (for the seller) than offering no PDF at all?
DMsGuild is exclusive. If GG went that route they would not be able to sell it through their own store or any other retailer. They would also be reliant on the POD options available from the DMsGuild. I imagine that and the hefty % taken out by DMsGuild made that a non-option.

EDIT: All of this doesn't preclude a special deal / license to sell PDFs outside what WotC is doing with everyone else. However, that clearly was negotiated or possibly even an option.
 

jayoungr

Legend
Supporter
DMsGuild is exclusive. If GG went that route they would not be able to sell it through their own store or any other retailer. They would also be reliant on the POD options available from the DMsGuild. I imagine that and the hefty % taken out by DMsGuild made that a non-option.
I see what you mean. Yeah, that would be a bad deal for Goodman, for sure.
 

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