OSRIC 2.0 Released today

[PapersAndPaychecks]

You might be suprised. Oh, I'm sure it won't sell hundreds, but I'm betting it will sell dozens. I prefer hardbacks to softcovers for (IMO) obvious reasons, and the fact that I could brake this out and leave my in-very-good-condition 1e books on the shelf, nice and safe... Not even a question. Sold!

Sure. But I'm expecting people to buy the black and white interior hardback at $28.05 in preference to the superdeluxe colour one that Lulu charge the Earth for.

If you can afford $100, then get three $28.05 hardbacks and a couple of $8.50 softbacks to lend to your friends!

 

[Darkwolf71]

Well, granted it's not so much the color interior as it is the hardback itself.

Guess, we'll just have to see what the final options are. Even if it's only softbound, I'm looking forward to a printed copy of this.

 

[T. Foster]

The plan, as far as I'm aware, is to offer OSRIC in 4 different hardcopy versions (all via Lulu):

1) budget-line softcover on cheap paper, at cost (~$8.50)

2) softcover on nicer paper at a bit of a premium -- the "I like OSRIC so I don't mind throwing a couple extra bucks at the developers to help them meet their costs" edition (~$15.00)

3) hardcover with b&w interior art, at cost (~$28.00)

4) hardcover with full color interior art (like the pdf), at cost (~$100.00)

#3 is presumably the route most people who want hardcopies will tend to go, but it's a shame that the b&w interiors won't look nearly as nice as the full-color pdf. Unfortunately, the pricing on #4 via Lulu eliminates it as a possibility for almost everybody (and certainly for me). I remain convinced that a full-color hardback at $50 would be the best version -- combining the attractiveness of the pdf with the tactile appeal of a hardcopy -- and would sell in significant quantities, even with the cheaper/free options available, but have been assured that price-point isn't achievable via Lulu and would require an actual print-run, which brings up a whole raft of other issues (warehousing, order fulfillment) that OSRIC's publishers aren't set up to handle.

 

[Obryn]

I'll be in for one of the B&W hardbacks, for certain. That's a heck of a deal. I'll also recommend my players grab their own copies. I'd guess 2 of them will do so for certain.

I considered printing it out in color at Kinko's, spiral-bound, but that'd be in the $40-50 range, and to be honest I'd rather have it in a book than in color.

-O

 

[Thondor]

Hi, as for errors typos etc.

Not sure this really qualifies as one of those but the term used doesn't really make sense to me (it left me scratching my head.)

P. 196 the Goblin description it says: "Goblins are good cavers . . ."

my mind blanked, whats a caver? You could say instead "goblins are good/skilled spelukers . . ." or "goblins spend most of there lives underground/in caves . . ." or "goblins are good escavators . . ."

The original MM says "miners" for those curious souls.

I'll try to post more as I find them. (Though I should really download the non-reveiew version, internet has been shaky lately though.)

 

[Thondor]

Yes, I did give some thought to that.

The basic design philosophy for OSRIC is: one book contains all the rules. That's one (1) core book, with optional supplements from third party publishers to taste.

......

That was unpalatable to me. I wanted OSRIC to be available at a price that makes it accessible to young people, or to retired people, or to disabled veterans, or whoever, rather than targetting the relatively well-heeled 30-somethings and 40-somethings who're accustomed to paying $40 per book.

And I liked the unity and simplicity of having everything in one place.

But within those constraints, I did do what I could to help people do the "Players Handbook" thing. Notice the careful ordering of the chapters!

If you're playing a melee character and you want the minimum information to do that, you can just print Chapter 1. If you're playing a caster, you can print Chapters 1 and 2 (because Chapter 2 contains all the spells). If you'd like a complete PHB, you can print Chapters 1, 2 and 3 and have all the character generation rules, all the spells and all the tables.

Chapters 4, 5 and 6 comprise the GM-oriented material and together, they make a combined DMG/monster book.

Thanks for the detailed reply, I apreciate it. And it helps to hear the design philosophy behind the decisions.

Unfortuanately do to access to internet constraints (the 'digital divide') most of those who really can't afford it also won't be able to find it. But if no one takes steps to lower these factors (as you have) they'll never disappear.

In any case, hopefully this thread gets back on topic.

 

[PapersAndPaychecks]

Thanks for the thoughts and the kind words, Thondor.

 

[justanobody]

For all the stupid people out (t)here.

Does OSRIC work like the OSL for ????, and how exactly does one use it as such to create their own stuff? For the laymen as well.

 

[PapersAndPaychecks]

For all the stupid people out (t)here.

Does OSRIC work like the OSL for ????, and how exactly does one use it as such to create their own stuff? For the laymen as well.

Because of the OGL, I can't use the trademarked term that WOTC own from your post. I can say that OSRIC uses the OGL to allow you to publish materials for the first edition of the game Gary Gygax wrote (hereinafter called 1e).

You don't have to use OSRIC to publish 1e-compatible materials. Some publishers have produced that stuff directly, without using the OGL. But I think I'm right in saying that the majority use OSRIC--for various reasons, some to do with legal concerns, some to do with an ethical stance on wanting to support the open gaming movement, and some because they want to write for a system they see as "living" (and there's a whole discussion to be had about that, but I don't want to go into it while answering your question).

If you're a layman, your best bet is to write your material and submit it to a third party publisher, who'll decide whether they want to accept it. If they do, they'll give you a small amount of money (and, I'm here to tell you, nobody gets rich from RPG publishing) and they'll deal with the technical and legal issues. If they reject it, approach a different publisher.

If you want to know how to become a publisher, then I think that's a bigger question than I'm equipped to answer. There are a few hints and suggestions on the OSRIC website but basically you're going to need to have, or collaborate with people who have:

1) a thorough knowledge and understanding of the OGL;
2) artistic skills and computer programs;
3) cartography skills and computer programs;
4) layout skills and computer programs;
5) a decent website;
6) a gaming group prepared to playtest your material;
7) editing and proofreading skills; and
8) a whole lot of time.

Hope that helps a bit.

 

[justanobody]

Just making sure I am telling people correctly when I send them to look at the new version that it is OGL for "1e" type of games. (der...of course you can't use that and neither did i )