D&D 5E Goodman Games Announces 5e Modules

[Xodis]

WotC only has to worry about whether someone tries to compete with those core book sales, which is why we won't see an OGL for 5E because it would be a lot harder to pull that off using the old license.

Now THIS makes sense. Expect Adventures, Modules, Splats, etc from companies, but not Pathfinder 2 or the other core systems. Makes a little more sense, since that would actually help move their own product push forward.

 

[Sir Brennen]

It is for exactly this reason that every 5E module we print will include a code usable for a free PDF download edition. That digital version will continue to be updated, as needed, due to any concerns related to the reasons noted above. Therefore you can purchase with no concern over rules revisions; print purchasers will always have access to a version of the module updated to whatever the latest rules set and/or learnings may be.

Wow. It sounds like you have a plan. The fact that you seem to be taking previous experiences with this situation into account is encouraging. Plus, the direct response on an internet forum is also appreciated.

 

[Sir Brennen]

The long and short of it is that the more adventures and settings out there, the more likely someone will feel they can make the investment in the rulebooks to play the game. WotC only has to worry about whether someone tries to compete with those core book sales, which is why we won't see an OGL for 5E because it would be a lot harder to pull that off using the old license.

One small point though... this time around WotC seems more concerned about the D&D brand as well as sales of core game books. Schlocky 3rd party stuff can hurt the brand. Even if there's no official OGL this time around, I think they're going to have guidelines about the kinds of 3rd party products they'd like to see, and how the brand is referenced. There may even be allowances for some of their trade dress for licensees, for example.

 

[Bumamgar]

Third parties have always been able to publish content that was compatible with rules systems published by someone else. Anyone who wants to can write up an original adventure, complete with monster statistics and story and publish it. There are several things they cannot do, however:

1. They cannot use trademarks. In other words, they cannot reference things like 'Drow' or 'Bigby's Hand' by name. They also can't reference 'Dungeons and Dragons' by name. (Which is why they are marketed as 'compatible with the 5th edition of the world's most popular game' or some such, rather than "Compatible with Dungeons and Dragons 5e")
2. They cannot copy or reproduce specific rules from the core books (ie: no experience tables or reprinting of combat rules, etc) as that violates copyright.
3. They "may" not be able to represent their monsters using the same 'stat block' format as the official rules / monster manual. I know in the past that WotC has attempted to trademark the stat-block layout. I don't remember if that was actually successful or not. However, you can certainly produce similar stat-blocks. This is the only grey area as far as I know.

 

[Remathilis]

One small point though... this time around WotC seems more concerned about the D&D brand as well as sales of core game books. Schlocky 3rd party stuff can hurt the brand. Even if there's no official OGL this time around, I think they're going to have guidelines about the kinds of 3rd party products they'd like to see, and how the brand is referenced. There may even be allowances for some of their trade dress for licensees, for example.

I don't think that's going to be as big a concern.

3e to 3.5 decimated the 3pp market; a lot of the "schlock" died in that fire. 3.5 to 4e murdered all but the heartiest species (who all went on to make their own game). I don't think more than a few companies (Goodman, Necro) have the knowledge and will to do it. Sure, some schlock will come from upstarts who think they know copyright (dnd5e.com) but WotC will smack them down or they will have minor piddle success selling pdfs on drivethrurpg.

I think the era of shovelware is over by a long shot, and even if 5e goes OGL I don't suspect we'll see a lot of major competitors like we did in 2005.

 

[sidonunspa]

At what point are the 3PP's just being pirates like those who are downloading the books for free? I didn't think OGL can allow a company to produce material for a game system they just released, that wasn't even around during its creation. I am all for 3PP support and the more the merrier, but do it the right way and not this "back alley" way. Also a good reason why WotC haven't shut down some of these companies yet is how does it ALWAYS look when the big bully in the business shuts down the little guys trying to chip off a piece?

No.. its not anything like pirating...

Its more like I create a custom USB controlling device for your PS3...

I'm not selling PS3's but you need a PS3 to use what I created.

it's NOTHING like pirating software or books.

 

[Xodis]

No.. its not anything like pirating...

Its more like I create a custom USB controlling device for your PS3...

I'm not selling PS3's but you need a PS3 to use what I created.

it's NOTHING like pirating software or books.

Actually it would be more like creating a video game that works on the PS3 without Sonys permission or license, and THAT you cannot do. Analogy's with video games get mixed up though since they are completely different beasts.

 

[Bumamgar]

Actually it would be more like creating a video game that works on the PS3 without Sonys permission or license, and THAT you cannot do. Analogy's with video games get mixed up though since they are completely different beasts.

This is only correct due to the fact that PS3 and other game consoles will only run signed content, and you have to purchase a license from Sony to obtain a valid key. It is perfectly legal to create and sell a PS3 compatible piece of software without the key. However, only users who have modded their devices would be able to actually play it.

This is a completely different issue, but the point is, it is perfectly legal to create compatible (books|software|monsters|adventures|screwdrivers) with other companies' products without any permission or license. However, certain devices attempt to use technical measures and copyright to limit this ability. It is not legal to copy an encryption key (due to copyright) nor is it legal to circumvent encryption (due to the DMCA) and thus it is not legal to distribute unlicensed software for the PS3 that includes a copied key. Very very very different than anything publishers can or would do with relation to D&D or other RPG systems.

 

[Reynard]

Actually it would be more like creating a video game that works on the PS3 without Sonys permission or license, and THAT you cannot do. Analogy's with video games get mixed up though since they are completely different beasts.

Or puttinga movie out on blu-ray, since PS3s run Blu-Ray. That doesn't sound too nefarious, now does it?

 

[Gargoyle]

The fact that great publishers are interested in creating adventures compatible with 5e makes me more excited about the game than anything else. WotC may have great game designers, but their adventures have often been lacking.