D&D 5E L&L Basic Dungeons & Dragons

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

As noted, they're only required to keep the bits that are already open open. And they're not under any kind of obligation to make it easy or accessible - but they do. If you want a study in contrasting 3rd-party approaches to the OGL, look at Malhavoc Press and Paizo Publishing.

How does Malhavoc do it compared to Paizo?

 

[Morrus]

How does Malhavoc do it compared to Paizo?

Malhavoc's OGC declarations were famously vague, making it impossible to determine what was OGC and what wasn't.

 

[Transformer]

The existence of the Basic D&D PDF makes the buy-in for 5e very flexible, with a whole spectrum of price points, since even the core rulebooks don't really need each other to function.


An experienced player or savvy consumer can download the Basic D&D PDF for free.

• Buy-in: $0

A new player can but the Starter Set, and if he wants more, download the Basic D&D PDF. The Starter Set's existence as a physical product makes it ideal for attracting new players, and its $20 price point places it firmly in impulse buy territory for a mom walking through Target looking for something cool for little Timmy.

• Buy-in: $20 MSRP

Someone who is interested in trying 5e can pick up a 5e adventure off the shelf, read the back, see that everything needed to play is free online, and buy the adventure.

• Buy-in: $30 MSRP

An experienced player could download the Basic D&D PDF, read it over, decide she likes it, and buy the Player's Handbook only, confident that she will be satisfied with the monsters and magic items in the Basic D&D Set, and won't need the DMG or MM.

• Buy-in: $50 MSRP

A DM running a game for some friends could use the Basic D&D PDF, see that his players are perfectly satisfied with their player options, but decide that he wants more monsters. He buys the Monster Manual but not the Player's Handbook.

• Buy-in: $50 MSRP

An experienced player could decide he wants the PHB and DMG, but is satisfied with the monsters in the Basic D&D PDF and his own homebrew.

• Buy-in: $100 MSRP

And so forth. There's a buy-in price point for everyone, is what I'm saying, and it is very easy for anyone to ease into the system without paying a great deal at any one time.

 

[Ruzak]

This is by far the most unanimously positive thread I recall ever. I think it is warranted.

 

[Talath]

It's time to party like I rolled an 18/00!

 

[Nellisir]

Malhavoc's OGC declarations were famously vague, making it impossible to determine what was OGC and what wasn't.

Also locked down pretty much everything that could be. He came up with spell templates in Arcana Evolved, and declared the concept open, but the specific instances in Arcana Evolved closed. He confirmed that was the intent when I emailed him about it. I'd understand if they were somehow specific to his campaign setting, but having the fire template, cold template, lightning template, and acid template closed (and others) seemed...paranoid.

 

[MoonSong]

This is by far the most unanimously positive thread I recall ever. I think it is warranted.

You are right, this can't be right. We need to start some flames or people on other forums will start believing we've gone soft.

Actually this is one of the most positive -and less polarizing and controversial- news we have received in a long, long time.

 

[DEFCON 1]

You are right, this can't be right. We need to start some flames or people on other forums will start believing we've gone soft.

Actually this is one of the most positive -and less polarizing and controversial- news we have received in a long, long time.

Yeah, it's amazing the reaction you can get when you give something away for free from the very beginning.

 

[Mistwell]

As noted, they're only required to keep the bits that are already open open. And they're not under any kind of obligation to make it easy or accessible - but they do. If you want a study in contrasting 3rd-party approaches to the OGL, look at Malhavoc Press and Paizo Publishing.

I thought Paizo isn't even the ones that originally did the PSRD...some third party did it and Paizo scrambled to do damage control by putting up their own, is my recollection.

The way the license works, with a fantasy game so close to 3.5 like Pathfinder, it would take a full time in house counsel to go over each new rule and determine if it was close enough to an existing open rule to decide if it can be closed or not. Effectively, due to costs, this means it was just a heck of a lot easier to declare it all open. That, combined with chasing the guy who was already putting it all up for free, forced Paizo's hand to put it all up themselves.

Again, at least that is my recollection and assessment of how it happened. But I can't say I was paying very close attention at the time so I could well be off base.

Also...I don't mean to imply what they've done is bad. I like what they did...I like the fluff MORE, but I like that at least the rules are up.

 

[Gilwen]

Malhavoc's OGC declarations were famously vague, making it impossible to determine what was OGC and what wasn't.

Many publishers were like this but Malhavoc was one of the worst. All of these vague declarations, in my opinion, violated Section 8 of the OGL which requires you to clearly identify the open content.