D&D 5E So, 5e OGL

[Nellisir]

So I just noticed this last night....

Also Pathguy was allowed by WotC/Hasbro to put his character generator javascript website for 5e back up, but it is a mere shadow of its former self. They only allowed him to make the basic rules from the initial free material available to be used to create a character.

I'd be willing to put money at this point that any license will draw on/refer to the Basic Rules, not the Core Rules or anything further. Which, honestly, works great for me.


http://www.pathguy.com/ddnext.htm

 

[delericho]

I'd be willing to put money at this point that any license will draw on/refer to the Basic Rules, not the Core Rules or anything further.

Hopefully, they'll allow referencing of other things (or, at least, monsters) by name, as with the monster names in "Hoard of the Dragon Queen" and similar - that will allow adventures to use these monsters without reprinting them.

Which, honestly, works great for me.

Yeah. If the intent is to create tie-in adventures or even supplements with new races, classes, or whatever, I don't think anything else is needed - allowing access to Basic means giving access to all the underlying rules that you need as a foundation.

The one thing it wouldn't allow is a splatbook for some non-Basic class (or similar), but we could probably live without those.

 

[RSKennan]

I'd be thrilled if they made Basic the new SRD. My material is all new stuff based on the mechanical frameworks that basic lays out.

If they allowed us to reference other material, such the spells and races from Elemental Evil by name, that would be gravy.

 

[Reynard]

I'd be thrilled if they made Basic the new SRD. My material is all new stuff based on the mechanical frameworks that basic lays out.

If they allowed us to reference other material, such the spells and races from Elemental Evil by name, that would be gravy.

::waves at RSKennan::

I doubt they will release an SRD. it would be counter productive if they are trying to keep 5E out of the OGL. My guess is they will produce some sort of Basic Compatibility License. In either case, one hopes they make whatever it is they are doing official, and soon, so folks don't have to guess whether they are going to end up violating some thing.

 

[RSKennan]

::waves at RSKennan::

Hey Reynard- I should see you soon. I'm back in CT, and I have a vehicle this time.

Edit: As for making mistakes, I've been following Necromancer's lead for now, obfuscating 5e specific material that isn't in the OGL. I figure they and other high profile projects will serve as a canary in the coalmine for violations. I'd much prefer to have stable footing on the issue though.

 

[Reynard]

Hey Reynard- I should see you soon. I'm back in CT, and I have a vehicle this time.

Edit: As for making mistakes, I've been following Necromancer's lead for now, obfuscating 5e specific material that isn't in the OGL. I figure they and other high profile projects will serve as a canary in the coalmine for violations. I'd much prefer to have stable footing on the issue though.

I concur. I am starting a project myself that will have to tread lightly here and there. But if the Basic Rules become semi-open that makes life a lot easier.

 

[jmucchiello]

So, when does someone create an "old school" compatible 5e SRD? Are there really any rules in 5e that are unique?

 

[delericho]

So, when does someone create an "old school" compatible 5e SRD? Are there really any rules in 5e that are unique?

Probably not, but there's a risk involved. At the time the various retro-clones were popping up, WotC weren't interested in supporting those older editions. They were small fry, and never bothered Wizards. And while WotC did query the guys who did OSRIC, they never bothered to test them (the OSRIC guys were also absolutely sure they were in the clear, and I don't doubt them. I do doubt, however, that the same is true of every retroclone).

But the situation is a bit different with 5e. Being the current edition, WotC most certainly do have a significant interest in protecting it. So if you go for it and get it wrong, you can expect to be hit with a C&D (at least) in pretty short order. And given how tiny the potential gains are, why bother?

 

[Nellisir]

Hopefully, they'll allow referencing of other things (or, at least, monsters) by name, as with the monster names in "Hoard of the Dragon Queen" and similar - that will allow adventures to use these monsters without reprinting them.

I'd bet that the Basic Rules will be gradually added to.

Yeah. If the intent is to create tie-in adventures or even supplements with new races, classes, or whatever, I don't think anything else is needed - allowing access to Basic means giving access to all the underlying rules that you need as a foundation.
The one thing it wouldn't allow is a splatbook for some non-Basic class (or similar), but we could probably live without those.

Unless the license specifies that you can't create a class with a name identical to an existing class - which I see as a very improbable restriction - people will just "create" a class identical to the non-Basic class, and then build a splatbook around it. I'm guessing 3 weeks or less after a license is released to the first warlock splatbook. Or maybe sorcerer. One of those two.

I doubt they will release an SRD. it would be counter productive if they are trying to keep 5E out of the OGL. My guess is they will produce some sort of Basic Compatibility License.

An SRD is just a thing. They had an SRD for 4e. They _could_ make an SRD for a 5e license, but I think it's unlikely.


SO. Here's what I think will happen.

• The license will allow use of the Basic Rules and terms. I don't remember how much flavor text is in there, but that will be cut off by the license or removed;
• It will not be the OGL;
• There will be no SRD apart from the Basic Rules;
• There will be occasional additions to the Basic Rules, OR free supplements, like the Elemental Adventurer's Handbook, will occasionally be added to the license.
• It's possible that we'll only have access to the Basic Rules as they stand now, but I think that's unlikely. I'm not sure how they'll balance the desire to add "core" stuff like the sorcerer or warlock to the license without weakening the Basic Rules as ... "basic". Maybe it will be just the Basic stuff. Honestly, the more I think about it, the more I like that option.
• There will be some kind of "stuff you make with our stuff must be open for other people to make stuff with" requirement. There's no downside to WotC requiring this, and it fosters the community and exchange of creativity that's the core assumption of open licenses.
• They're going to be tight with the labeling and indicating compatibility stuff. Hell, they might have required wording you'll need to put on the cover;
• There will be no expiration date, but WotC will be able to revise or end the license at will;
• You will have to use the version current at the time of your release, but you don't have to update it every time they change the license;
• THE BIG QUESTION: Will the 5e license work with the OGL? They could easily put a clause in the 5e license forbidding its use in the same product as the OGL. Doing so helps WotC prevent cross-contamination between the two licenses. Not doing so encourages people to use the 5e license. Frog Gods is already proving you can make a 5e-compatible product with the OGL and without a 5e license, so the benefit would seem to lean towards carrots rather than sticks (no restriction).

 

[Nellisir]

So, when does someone create an "old school" compatible 5e SRD? Are there really any rules in 5e that are unique?

Dude. Long time no see. (There are a ton of old posters crawling out the woodwork now.)

I'm a little confused, though. What is an "old school compatible 5e SRD"? Is it an OGL version of 5e? A smashup of 5e and OSRIC? An OSR game with 5e rules patched in?