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Sorry, what is OGL and how does it relate to D&D 5E?

kdresser wrote:Sorry, what is OGL and how does it relate to D&D 5E?

OGL is the Open Game License, which is something Wizards of the Coast (the current publishers of D&D) invented a while back. The basic idea is that they would open up a large chunk of the rules system, so that third party publishers could produce a product that was compatible with Dungeons & Dragons. The goal being that WotC would sell lots of core rulebooks (printing a lot of the same book is cheaper than printing small runs of lots of books) and the development costs and risk-taking could be off-loaded to the third party publisher.

Without getting into the nitty-gritty, this idea worked, became a victim of its own success, and went away. Now it's back for 5e and the underlying changes in the marketplace means that it's worth another go. Most importantly, it allows Cubicle 7 to publish a Middle-earth game that's compatible with Dungeons & Dragons.

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A lot of folks have used the word OGL to mean the SRD, which might be leading to some additional confusion. The OGL is just a license, a couple of pages of legalese. But in order to know what is allowed in, WotC published a System Reference Document... a big chunk of D&D mechanics that everyone using the OGL has free rein to use. When folks are talking about using the OGL to look up rules, they really mean the SRD (or the free Basic Rules that WotC released before the SRD... the Basic Rules are not covered by the OGL, but they are easily accessible rules that folks in their own homes can use in conjunction with material published under the OGL).

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And since I'm this far down into the weeds, it's worth saying that the above is not legal advice and is just my personal commentary on the various bits and bobs under discussion.

The OGL never went away but WotC didn't produce an SRD for 4e.

fjw70 wrote:The OGL never went away but WotC didn't produce an SRD for 4e.

Well yeah, legally speaking, the OGL can never go away. I was drastically simplifying the last 16 years.

Well, after ooming and arrrhing since it first originally came out, I went and got the three core books for D&D 5e, look very nice so far. Will look even better with my C7 books I will also consider dipping into the D&D campaign stuff, quite interested, especially after playing Neverwinter on PS4.

On a side note, did anyone post the following here? http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=1014
It was on a FB group page a few days ago, very funny.

Massive thanks zedturtle, I have been unsure what those acronyms meant (I did guess the OGL correctly though) and that clears it up and what it all means.

Simplified terms help. Thanks.

timb wrote:Well, after ooming and arrrhing since it first originally came out, I went and got the three core books for D&D 5e, look very nice so far. Will look even better with my C7 books I will also consider dipping into the D&D campaign stuff, quite interested, especially after playing Neverwinter on PS4.

On a side note, did anyone post the following here? http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=1014
It was on a FB group page a few days ago, very funny.

You just made me realize that playing Curse of Strahd with AME characters could be really fun.

Glorelendil wrote:You just made me realize that playing Curse of Strahd with AME characters could be really fun.

Heh, imagine the fun of having a High Elf PC who's essentially immune to the terror put off by ghosts....

timb wrote:Well, after ooming and arrrhing since it first originally came out, I went and got the three core books for D&D 5e, look very nice so far. Will look even better with my C7 books

I did that very thing back in February. D&D 5e impressed me! I like the return to the focus on the 6 core ability scores and I really like the shift to saving throws related to the abilities rather than Ref, Def, and Fort. Granting proficiencies attached to a proficiency bonus based on class and level was another good change. It reminds me of similar changes made to 3.5e for Star Wars Saga, which I thought would have been a good move for 4e.

It will be interesting to see how player-heroes develop in AME 5e compared to The One Ring and how the feel of the game will be different because of it. One of the things I like about The One Ring is the faster pace of character development. I don't seem to have enough time to get the guys together for roleplaying like I want to, so on average we complete less adventures than D&D would require for the same pace of advancement. However, I am looking forward to not just awarding XP, but presenting adversaries and challenges that quantify the XP earned should the player-heroes take them on and succeed. Of course, this all depends on if C7 decides to give adversaries an XP value. They could follow the other suggestions in the Dungeon Master's Guide on p. 261 concerning Level Advancement without XP. My vote would be to give the XP amounts and let GM's and player's decide.

My only concern with this is whether to put it on the shelf with all of my other Middle-earth gaming materials, or whether to put it next to all of my 5E stuff.

#firstworldproblems, I know.