# D&D Classics Merging Into DM's Guild



## darjr (Jan 27, 2016)

I understand why they are doing this. I just don't like it.


----------



## JeffB (Jan 27, 2016)

I wonder how/if this affects companies like sasquatch, tlg,  and Goodman who have old srd/ogl 5e products on drivethru..you can search via unofficial D&D 5e....will those show up on the Guild site now?


----------



## designbot (Jan 27, 2016)

They can do whatever they want, of course, but this definitely muddies the idea that the DM's Guild is just for content set in the Forgotten Realms.


----------



## timbannock (Jan 27, 2016)

darjr said:


> I understand why they are doing this. I just don't like it.




I'm curious as to why?

Why have two different D&D specific sites to have to sift through to get your favorite D&D PDF or print-on-demand product?


----------



## darjr (Jan 27, 2016)

Cause I hat change? 

Actually I don't like how they'll mix on the one site and the separation is clunky. When they have it on separate sites they stay that way. It is easier to browse for classic only stuff. At least for now.


----------



## Morrus (Jan 27, 2016)

JeffB said:


> I wonder how/if this affects companies like sasquatch, tlg,  and Goodman who have old srd/ogl 5e products on drivethru..you can search via unofficial D&D 5e....will those show up on the Guild site now?




They all ready do. It's really all just one site with different skins. If you change the first part of the URL of any product, you can find it on all four sites.

I think this will kill third party OGL stuff on DTRPG and RPGNow, though.


----------



## jamesjhaeck (Jan 27, 2016)

Morrus said:


> They all ready do. It's really all just one site with different skins. If you change the first part of the URL of any product, you can find it on all four sites.
> 
> *I think this will kill third party OGL stuff on DTRPG and RPGNow, though.*



That last part is a little concerning.


----------



## JeffB (Jan 27, 2016)

Morrus said:


> They all ready do. It's really all just one site with different skins. If you change the first part of the URL of any product, you can find it on all four sites.
> 
> I think this will kill third party OGL stuff on DTRPG and RPGNow, though.




Actually I should have clarified. I was wondering if products using the old ogl would be in conflict with the DmGuilds policy/new srd language and thus not allowed/blocked from showing up


----------



## ChapolimX (Jan 27, 2016)

neuronphaser said:


> I'm curious as to why?
> 
> Why have two different D&D specific sites to have to sift through to get your favorite D&D PDF or print-on-demand product?




I don't like it too. Currently DM's Guild don't even have a mobile friendly page (at least it don't show up at my phone). It also needs better categories filters. DnD Classics has it all already. They can fix it, sure. But I still think we would be better served by two storefronts designed to highlight its differents types of products with different publishing models. But this are just opinions, and considering how many good news we are getting this days this is nothing but a minor annoyance.


----------



## Sword of Spirit (Jan 27, 2016)

The question is whether DM's Guild guidelines/rules will apply to a subset of the material, or to _all_ of the material, which has serious consequences regarding using the OGL.

Seeing as applying it to all of the material would actually drive traffic away from the site (since OGL stuff would need to be sold somewhere else, and you bet they'd advertise), I'm guessing that the current team is smart enough to avoid that blunder as long as they have anything to say about it.


----------



## Morrus (Jan 27, 2016)

Sword of Spirit said:


> The question is whether DM's Guild guidelines/rules will apply to a subset of the material, or to _all_ of the material, which has serious consequences regarding using the OGL.
> 
> Seeing as applying it to all of the material would actually drive traffic away from the site (since OGL stuff would need to be sold somewhere else, and you bet they'd advertise), I'm guessing that the current team is smart enough to avoid that blunder as long as they have anything to say about it.




I bet someone will create a storefront just for 5E OGL products. I'd probably sign up to one, as long as it promised only to stock those products and not bury them in a list of categories.


----------



## darjr (Jan 27, 2016)

Yea, I would love a 5e OGL store front.


----------



## Big Mac (Feb 10, 2016)

Sword of Spirit said:


> The question is whether DM's Guild guidelines/rules will apply to a subset of the material, or to _all_ of the material, which has serious consequences regarding using the OGL.
> 
> Seeing as applying it to all of the material would actually drive traffic away from the site (since OGL stuff would need to be sold somewhere else, and you bet they'd advertise), I'm guessing that the current team is smart enough to avoid that blunder as long as they have anything to say about it.




Dungeon Masters Guild has no connection to the Open Game Licence. The OGL is a non-revokable licence. So nothing in the DMs Guild terms and conditions can ever effect the OGL or any documents released under it (including the 5e SRD).

You are not going to see non-D&D content on Dungeon Masters Guild, as it is a separate stream. Essentially, if you want to publish via Dungeon Masters Guild, you are entering into a separate agreement (from the OGL) that allows you greater access to D&D (including Forgotten Realms...and perhaps later other campaign settings) but you are not allowed to publish that content anywhere else except via the DMs Guild website.

I would think that this move is more likely to chew away at Pathfinder's 3rd Party Publisher market share than it is to chew away at DriveThru RPG's/RPG Now's 3rd Party Publisher market share. If people have an account with DMs Guild, they have an account with all the other websites.

DriveThru RPG provides Print on Demand (and because they use Lightning Source) they have printers in the European Union and can sell PoD products to people in the UK for less money than it costs them to import printed products from US companies that ship to the UK via USPS Priority Mail.

To me, this seems like WotC and DriveThru teaming up to take on Paizo. It's D&D and friends vs Pathfinder and friends. Both sides need to roll for initiative.


----------



## Sword of Spirit (Feb 10, 2016)

Big Mac said:


> Dungeon Masters Guild has no connection to the Open Game Licence. The OGL is a non-revokable licence. So nothing in the DMs Guild terms and conditions can ever effect the OGL or any documents released under it (including the 5e SRD).
> 
> You are not going to see non-D&D content on Dungeon Masters Guild, as it is a separate stream. Essentially, if you want to publish via Dungeon Masters Guild, you are entering into a separate agreement (from the OGL) that allows you greater access to D&D (including Forgotten Realms...and perhaps later other campaign settings) but you are not allowed to publish that content anywhere else except via the DMs Guild website.
> 
> ...




I was referring to the issue of whether or not other materials on the overall site (including DriveThruRPG, etc) would be affected by the changes.


----------

