An announcement of some interest: http://wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4ll/20140527. Presumably this is what Pundit was alluding to.

Though only character generation will be released with the starter set, the final version a month later looks to be a stripped down version of the entire core ruleset.

Let's hope that they sell it as a print book, even if via POD (though I am guessing they won't) .

OK, screw the 'starter set' I want that.
It sounds like other quickstarts I like... such as the one for BRP and the one for GURPS.
And stands well amongst all the free PDFs of various retroclones.

Quote from: Skywalker;752816Let's hope that they sell it as a print book, even if via POD (though I am guessing they won't) .

It would be nice if there was a version that is set up to be taken to kinkos and printed... made into a book.
If not I'm sure someone will do it for them.

Given this looks to be a "live" document, which gets updated, my guess is this will be how WotC hope to solve the errata issue It will be interesting to see if this ties into a revived OGL.

Interesting. I like it especially if it's a permanent thing  Almost a living SRD.
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So if WotC didn't think that the Starter Set was crippleware without chargen, then why create the Basic Set?

The first hit's free.

Quote from: jeff37923;752823So if WotC didn't think that the Starter Set was crippleware without chargen, then why create the Basic Set?

They are different types of products.  This goes to level 20 and is the entire core game stripped down.  The starter set is an adventure for the DM to run for beginners.  They're accomplishing totally different goals.

Quote from: Skywalker;752816Let's hope that they sell it as a print book, even if via POD (though I am guessing they won't) .

Mearls tweeted today he is considering it.

Quote from: robiswrong;752825The first hit's free.

Sounds like the first hit might be all I'd ever want. I doubt my interest in 5e is going to go much further than that.
My hope for the 'starter set' was to get a low cost setup of the basic rules... decide yay or nay. I would have happily spent the 20 for a physical copy... but it's only an advertisement.
This sounds like it will suit that role instead. If it's full of crap I don't like, I can assume the physical books will be worse and I can delete it, no pennies the poorer.

Quote from: jeff37923;752823So if WotC didn't think that the Starter Set was crippleware without chargen, then why create the Basic Set?

To engage people who don't want to make the full investment in the main rulebooks (either for money reasons or because they don't want the full-blooded rules), but who could be convinced to buy adventures and other support material to run with Basic D&D.

This way, the Starter Set hooks the players, Basic D&D gives them sufficient support to keep gaming forever with the simplified rules - retaining them as potential customers for supplemental material and adventures - and the Big Three books give the full expanse of the game for those who want more options than Basic offers.

Also, since it's a free PDF, there's reasonable odds of it being evergreen (in the sense that it wouldn't be worth Wizards' time pulling it since it'd be so ubiquitous that people could trivially download copies).

Indeed, if they're being really serious about putting Basic D&D in as many hands as possible, they'd issue it DRM-free and let people print as many copies of it as they like.

Quote from: Mistwell;752827Mearls tweeted today he is considering it.

Getting better and better. It's EXACTLY what I thought was going down, a Dnd done right.

Even I only planned to get the PHB and MAYBE the DMG. This is perfect.

Quote from: Warthur;752829To engage people who don't want to make the full investment in the main rulebooks (either for money reasons or because they don't want the full-blooded rules), but who could be convinced to buy adventures and other support material to run with Basic D&D.

Yep, if I like it I'd certainly buy some modules to check them out... mine for ideas... not that I don't do that already for other games.

If this is good I might find myself running an actual honest-to-goodness (and current) version of D&D for the first time in... decades.

This seems too good to be true. If all the core stuff is available for free or $20... Why the books?  For completeness' sake?

Quote from: Simlasa;752833Yep, if I like it I'd certainly buy some modules to check them out... mine for ideas... not that I don't do that already for other games.

In fact, I note that Tyranny of Dragons takes the PCs up to 15th Level and is meant to be playable just by purchasing the Starter Set and modules, so presumably the Basic PDF will be what lets you do that.

Presumably the reason they aren't simply leading with a printed Basic is that it's condensed from the PHB, DMG and MM, and those are still being finalised.

Quote from: Scott Anderson;752834This seems too good to be true. If all the core stuff is available for free or $20... Why the books?  For completeness' sake?

Everything that isn't core, essentially (which sounds like it'll include paladins, gnomes, rangers, druids, and all sorts of other stuff that lots of folk won't want to be without). Plus optional rules: I suspect Basic will have close to zero optional rules (so as not to burden newcomers with the decision of which options to use), whilst the big books will be stuffed to the gills with 'em (and that's where the much-vaunted modularity will come in).