Explain to me what OSRIC is

[jdrakeh]

So ... like an AD&D Rules Cyclopedia?

Sweet.

 

[PapersAndPaychecks]

Are the XP tables a bit closer to the source material than those in v 1?

Two answers to that.

First, I've taken a less restrictive attitude to Product Identity in OSRIC v2.00, and the xp tables are now OGC. In fact, almost everything that's in OSRIC v1.03 is OGC in v2.00 (the only exception is the artwork, formatting and variable experience point rule).

This means you can now develop and publish your own XP tables for OSRIC.

Second, I've tweaked them, yes.

OSRIC only uses game rules and algorithms from the "source material" you mention--it doesn't use any creative work of the kind that are subject to copyright. Legal people advise me that kind of numerical progression is creative work and copyrightable, so I designed my own XP tables from scratch. And then checked them to see where they coincided with previous ones, and where they did, tweaked them again so there's--I believe--no correspondence between the tables Gary Gygax wrote and the ones I wrote.

The tables in v2.00 are tweaked, as are several other kinds of table.

So ... like an AD&D Rules Cyclopedia?

Judge that for yourself; I'd be interested to know what you think.

 

[Henry]

P&P, don't forget to post here when it "goes gold." I'll be interested in it, myself. One of these days, I will convince my group to go in for a mini-campaign of the original AD&D game, and was planning to use the original, though I might use these rules instead, because I can give my players each a reference copy that way (I only have 3 original PHBs, and hope to pick up more one day for cheap).

 

[PapersAndPaychecks]

P&P, don't forget to post here when it "goes gold." I'll be interested in it, myself. One of these days, I will convince my group to go in for a mini-campaign of the original AD&D game, and was planning to use the original, though I might use these rules instead, because I can give my players each a reference copy that way (I only have 3 original PHBs, and hope to pick up more one day for cheap).

I certainly will.

Henry, the ENWorld staff have been very tolerant of me posting "updates" in the general forum here. I'm very conscious that commercial publishers wouldn't be permitted to do that when they release new products... but it seems to be custom and practice that I can do it (perhaps because OSRIC is a community project that's free for download--I don't know).

I appreciate the invitation to do it again, because I was actually a bit hesitant about that.

In return, would ENWorld like to place an advertisement in the back of the product? Because you've been supportive of OSRIC in the past, I won't charge you.

 

[FATDRAGONGAMES]

Great news- I'm really looking forward to 2.0.

Btw, will it be available via Lulu in dead-tree format?

 

[PapersAndPaychecks]

Great news- I'm really looking forward to 2.0.

Btw, will it be available via Lulu in dead-tree format?

Yes, when I feel it's typo-free enough to take people's money.

The plan is to release v2.00 as a public beta. Because there's no better way to find the mistakes in your document than to publish it.

Then all the people who care will email me and tell me what I've mis-spelled and where I've used inconsistent formatting and where that pesky global find/replace has turned perfectly intelligible sentences into sad drivel. Then I'll fix all the issues I think are real issues, and then I'll feel comfortable to ask for your cash for a dead tree copy.

One of the joys of a community project is, I can use the public as proofreaders.

Naturally, the .pdf will be free and there will be hardcover and softcover versions available at cost price.

 

[justanobody]

Yes, when I feel it's typo-free enough to take people's money.

Where do I send my money for something for gaming that is typo free in this dya and age?

 

[PapersAndPaychecks]

Where do I send my money for something for gaming that is typo free in this dya and age?

No such thing.

The second time I went through OSRIC v2.00 for typos, I produced about seventeen pages of corrections. I could delay release while I scour the document a third and fourth time... but there are people waiting.

 

[justanobody]

You missed the joke...but don't delay looking for every misspelling. Nobody else does.

I am just curious and always have been about OSRIC and what possibilities it has.

 

[Henry]

I certainly will.

Henry, the ENWorld staff have been very tolerant of me posting "updates" in the general forum here. I'm very conscious that commercial publishers wouldn't be permitted to do that when they release new products... but it seems to be custom and practice that I can do it (perhaps because OSRIC is a community project that's free for download--I don't know).

I appreciate the invitation to do it again, because I was actually a bit hesitant about that.

In return, would ENWorld like to place an advertisement in the back of the product? Because you've been supportive of OSRIC in the past, I won't charge you.

I'll put it this way -- please do put the "official" announcement in the publishers forum, for that reason (I sometimes keep forgetting that line between "fan" and "publisher"). We usually don't mind it when fans do post asking for info about a given game in General, and the publisher responds to them, like what you've done here. We have had some instances in the past of publishers masquerading as fans in order to get a leg into General just to pimp product (which strikes me as a bit underhanded, really).

I personally am supportive of OSRIC more on the fact of alternative forms of D&D being very important to the growth of the hobby than anything -- it's kinda what the OGL was designed with in mind, after all.

As far as advertising goes, that's more up to Russ; I have no say on that score.