D&D Free-For-All

Well, it looks like a lot of the haters will being hating 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons alone in their parent's basement.

The big secret is finally out!  There will be a freely (as in FREE!!!) available slimmed-down "Basic D&D" online which takes all the core classes (wizard, fighter, cleric, rogue, Elf, Dwarf, and Halfling) from 1st level to 20th.  Yep, it'll be a PDF so anyone can try the entry-level version before buying the "Advanced" books coming out later in the year, such as the Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual.

So, what does this mean?  Well, free tears down many barriers.  Plus, it's an even stronger emulation of original D&D which is exactly what most OSR gamers are looking for. The Starter Set should help DMs use the Basic material rather than being the Basic material.

What does this mean for the game licence?  Will anyone be able to create a fully compatible 5e adventure, campaign setting, or optional rulebook?

Here's the announcement:  http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4ll/20140527

Questions, comments, criticisms, love letters, or hate mail?

VS