D&D 5E 3rd party publishers and 5E

[Morrus]

Even more impressive, given how small MCDM is, he has very active discussion forums for his content (on Reddit) and lots of videos.

After a $2M Kickstarter, you're not small - that makes MCDM one of the biggest RPG publishers in the world (behind the obvious WotC/Paizo/FFGs). It's an awesome achievement.

 

[Von Corellon]

Wayfinder’s Guide to Eberron on DMsGuild is a good start.

 

[DM Howard]

After a $2M Kickstarter, you're not small - that makes MCDM one of the biggest RPG publishers in the world (behind the obvious WotC/Paizo/FFGs). It's an awesome achievement.

I think his success also shows the demand out there for high quality 3PP 5E content.

 

[Retreater]

I had a long time go by when I wasn't involved in the hobby and skipped from 1e to 5e, so I appreciate all the updating of content to 5e from older editions.

That said, all of the publishers you mentioned are also releasing new content as well.

For someone putting out great content that is new for 5e I would keep an eye on Matt Coleville DM (MCDM). The Strongholds & Followers book is great quality. As good as anything Kobold Press, Goodman Games, or Frog God Games is putting out. Even more impressive, given how small MCDM is, he has very active discussion forums for his content (on Reddit) and lots of videos. There are many ways to learn about the content before you buy and to engage with his community after you buy.

Kobold Presses two bestiaries, Tome of Foes and Creature Codex are both excellent as are the lair books that go with them. Many of the monsters are brand new, some created by kickstarter backers. The Lair books provide excellent mini adventures built around the lairs of some of the monsters in the books. They also offer 2D cardboard miniatures for nearly all of the monsters in the books. I've highly enjoyed reading the books and have used many of the monsters as a DM, sometimes just switching out a well-known monster in an adventure with a similar one from the Kobold Press books, to keep the players on their toes, and sometimes I build entire adventures around them--helped with the lair books.

Frog God Games are, yes, printing old material updated to 5e but boy are they offering a LOT of updates. VTT map images, 3D printing tiles, huge cloth maps. Rappan Athuk is impressive, but you really need to look at the awesomeness that is Tegel Manor to see the incredible lengths they are going to bring influential classics to a modern audience.

I did support Strongholds and Followers on Kickstarter. It's a good read, and I like Matt Colville's advice. I don't know yet how much use the book will see, as it's completely in the hands of the players if they want to add these new sub-systems to the game.

A lot of the side content you mentioned, I have no use for. I don't run on a VTT or have a 3D printer.

I think part of the issue, for me, is that during the height of 3.x, messageboards like ENWorld and the Necromancer Games forums had tons of content and great conversations about 3PPs. Nowadays, it's dispersed across Reddit threads that aren't as helpful to my Gen Xer mentality. Posts are shorter, not as detailed. Reviews are scant. Products are released and quickly drop from the public eye (if they're even there to begin with).

The rise of Kickstarter as the primary means of publishing 3PP content means that I have to buy something sight unseen - months or a year before it's released. No reviews. Few previews. By companies that have checkered publishing credits in recent years. (I docked Kobold Press a few points for Tome of Beasts and Hoard of the Dragon Queen.) I haven't seen a NG/FG product since 3rd edition. Nothing is available in stores to thumb through.

And then there's the price! Everything is a deluxe, 300+ page campaign book. You have to commit $60+ (and worse, years of play time) to any of these products.

So I have to buy something from a 3PP for more than what WotC charges? Without being able to see it first? Without any reviews? Without engaging with other enthusiasts about it? Without a history of known quality?

I think that's why I'm not supporting the massive campaign books from publishers like Frog God.

 

[Sacrosanct]

I agree with most of what you said above, but this is definitely off. Eberron came from the WotC sponsored setting search. Keith Baker wasn't a WotC employee when he did the bulk of the work creating Eberron, but it absolutely went through WotC to have revisions, editing, and art added, and was published by WotC.

The bold part literally makes it a 3PP originated product. Eberron was not created in house. Because WoTC took it and ran with it doesn't change the fact that it's origins were 3PP any different than how people using the DM's Guild doesn't change how they are still considered 3PP (while using official WotC IP, art, storefront, and templates).

 

[TwoSix]

The bold part literally makes it a 3PP originated product. Eberron was not created in house. Because WoTC took it and ran with it doesn't change the fact that it's origins were 3PP any different than how people using the DM's Guild doesn't change how they are still considered 3PP (while using official WotC IP, art, storefront, and templates).

I appreciate that you think so, but I'm pretty comfortable that the bulk of people do not consider Eberron to be 3PP. I mean, that definition you're using would make Forgotten Realms 3PP.

 

[Retreater]

The bold part literally makes it a 3PP originated product. Eberron was not created in house. Because WoTC took it and ran with it doesn't change the fact that it's origins were 3PP any different than how people using the DM's Guild doesn't change how they are still considered 3PP (while using official WotC IP, art, storefront, and templates).

I don't think Forgotten Realms was created in house by that definition.

 

[Satyrn]

I appreciate that you think so, but I'm pretty comfortable that the bulk of people do not consider Eberron to be 3PP. I mean, that definition you're using would make Forgotten Realms 3PP.

I notice how he's now referring to Eberron as "3PP originated" and that "it's origins were 3PP."

 

[Sacrosanct]

I appreciate that you think so, but I'm pretty comfortable that the bulk of people do not consider Eberron to be 3PP. I mean, that definition you're using would make Forgotten Realms 3PP.

I don't think Forgotten Realms was created in house by that definition.

I notice how he's now referring to Eberron as "3PP originated" and that "it's origins were 3PP."

Now referring? I always did. I said it "was 3PP". Of course I'm not arguing that it's now 3PP. I said it started as such. Which is true. Perhaps you need to go back and reread my post.

 

[TwoSix]

Now referring? I always did. I said it "was 3PP". Of course I'm not arguing that it's now 3PP. I said it started as such. Which is true. Perhaps you need to go back and reread my post.

Then I retract my statement, although I feel the statement "Eberron was 3PP" is ambiguous.

Suffice it to say, I disagree with any assertion that being published by WotC makes a work of obviously higher quality than a work created by a good 3PP.