D&D 5E Does DM's Guild solve the OGL and product problems? (and how I'm finding myself outside of WotC's target audience)

[Staffan]

Paizo is publishing slower than WotC did during 3e

They are? I thought Paizo published more than Wizards - at least in terms of number of products, if not in terms of pages.

Without digging too deep, I found a list of products they were publishing Fall 2015 (August to October) - 11 products, not counting flip-mats, Adventure Card Game, and the like. Extrapolating that to a full year gets you 40-50 books. For a comparison, Wizards published 25 books in 2005 (which I think is a fairly representative year). So Paizo are publishing nearly twice as many books as Wizards did - though the page count is probably similar.

 

[TwoSix]

But if it's new to you, it is a new product. It doesn't matter if it was published in 1987 if it gets the imagination going and enflames the desire to roll dice.

Since [MENTION=59082]Mercurius[/MENTION] often makes long, thoughtful posts, I wouldn't be surprised if part of the fun of new products for him is engaging with the community in the discussion a new product generates here.

 

[Jester David]

They are? I thought Paizo published more than Wizards - at least in terms of number of products, if not in terms of pages.

Without digging too deep, I found a list of products they were publishing Fall 2015 (August to October) - 11 products, not counting flip-mats, Adventure Card Game, and the like. Extrapolating that to a full year gets you 40-50 books. For a comparison, Wizards published 25 books in 2005 (which I think is a fairly representative year). So Paizo are publishing nearly twice as many books as Wizards did - though the page count is probably similar.

I'm referring to pages.

In terms of product, they're faster. But most of their content is small 32-page booklets published monthly and 64-page campaign setting books every other month. They don't have a big 200+ page hardcover release two out of every three months like WotC did during 3e/4e.

 

[Morlock]

I've also come to the hesitant conclusion that I'm no longer in WotC's target audience. WotC seems to be targeting people who play one story arc after the other, who are happy and willing to consume what is being served, but not as much wanting to cook up their own "meals." What demographic do I fit into? Well, I like to design and use my own homebrew world and campaign, but populate it with shorter adventures, sites and locations. What sort of products are useful for me? Well, when I'm in a dormant phase I enjoy setting material for reading pleasure and, perhaps, inspiration. When I'm in an active phase I want stuff that fuels and inspires the campaign: monster and theme books, site locations and other "plug-in" resources, and--perhaps most importantly--short adventures to place onto the map.

Adventure Paths aren't really my cup of tea, either. Like you, I'd rather build a sandbox campaign, and leave the story arcs more open-ended; if the players wind up tackling the campaign in a way that winds up looking like an Adventure Path, great. If not, that's fine too.

I was thinking about this the other day, and wondering how much of the material in WotC's APs could be pulled out of APs and used in chunks, and how effectively. Unfortunately, I haven't read enough of the available AP material to judge. That said, if it isn't easily done, this might suggest a niche to be filled by WotC online supplements, or, more likely, OGL/Guild material. I.e., material to make it easier to work the AP material into your campaign in chunks.

Print on demand is quite reasonable, and easy to to. It'd be a simple matter to take your favourite PDFs and have them printed in bound. Failing that, a Staples or other print shop can do a simpler spiral bound book for cheap.

I think about this from time to time. I know about Lulu. What's the quality of the product like? And who else is offering PoD, and at what quality?

Do you have every product released by WotC in the last 16 years?
If you want more inspiration, track down some old products. Find a new setting. Buy all the Eberron or Realms books second hand. If you're reading for inspiration or pleasure, then it doesn't matter if the rules are 4e or 3e or Swords & Wizardry or FATE.

Funny you should say that. Since 5e PHB was published, I've actually bought more used, pre-5e hardcovers than I have 5e hardcovers. A lot more. (I suppose you could say this freed up cash to buy more 5e hardcovers, but somehow I doubt this puts a smile on Wizards' faces)

 

[NotActuallyTim]

Necromancer Games is okay. I can't recommend them. Kobold is decent and fixed their mistakes, and the Tome of Beats looks great.

Tome of Beats presents:

 

[Parmandur]

DMs Guild replaces the D20 STL; you can even use Wizards IP, whereas the 5E OGL includes nothing about claiming compatability with WotC product. Third party products can use more specific rules...

 

[ProgBard]

Necromancer Games is okay. I can't recommend them.

Necromancer/Frog God Games has some uneven quality, certainly. I like Fifth Edition Foes, but I'm glad I got it on sale. On the other hand, The Blight looks incredible, and I'm thrilled to have supported it on KS.

Kobold is decent and fixed their mistakes, and the Tome of Beats looks great.

I am wicked excited about Tome of Beasts, and not only because it wound up having a critter of mine in it.

 

[Jester David]

Necromancer/Frog God Games has some uneven quality, certainly. I like Fifth Edition Foes, but I'm glad I got it on sale. On the other hand, The Blight looks incredible, and I'm thrilled to have supported it on KS.

Haven't seen The Blight, just Fifth Edition Foes and previews of Book of Lost Spells. I was happy with some of their products before and they have done good stuff. And the aforementioned products were decent in terms of crunch. But just lacked a "wow" factor, and seemed like they were rushed out to hit the window when they'd have less competition with other 3PP.

I am wicked excited about Tome of Beasts, and not only because it wound up having a critter of mine in it.

Ditto. I was excited prior, but having something I wrote in the book is just extra exciting.

 

[ProgBard]

Haven't seen The Blight, just Fifth Edition Foes and previews of Book of Lost Spells. I was happy with some of their products before and they have done good stuff. And the aforementioned products were decent in terms of crunch. But just lacked a "wow" factor, and seemed like they were rushed out to hit the window when they'd have less competition with other 3PP.

That wouldn't surprise me. The thing that strikes me most about 5EFoes is that it's missing an editorial pass or two; it's much too transparently a patchwork from many contributors, and could have used whatever TLC would have made the difference of giving it a unifying voice. Though being in the trade myself, it's possible I care about that sort of thing more than lots of other people.

(BTW, The Blight isn't out yet; the KS just wrapped a few weeks back. It's supposed to surface sometime this summer.)

Ditto. I was excited prior, but having something I wrote in the book is just extra exciting.

*high-five of contributor solidarity*

 

[Jester David]

That wouldn't surprise me. The thing that strikes me most about 5EFoes is that it's missing an editorial pass or two; it's much too transparently a patchwork from many contributors, and could have used whatever TLC would have made the difference of giving it a unifying voice. Though being in the trade myself, it's possible I care about that sort of thing more than lots of other people.

I was more irked by the format. It wasn't a 5e monster book, but a 3e book using 5e mechanics. Low fluff, lots of dead space, and the low rez 15yo art. A missed opportunity.
Plus the four or five variant zombies that could have been zombies with a variant power.