I made a free 5-page D&D one-shot preview for first-time DMs. It uses only SRD 5.2.1 content, and I checked every monster stat and rule reference against the official SRD before publishing it. It is free on GitHub:
https://github.com/alapha888/dnd-one-shot-shidu/releases/tag/trial-v1
Today I tried to list that same free preview on Dungeon Masters Guild, the D&D 5e community marketplace. The account was created without trouble. Then the listing form stopped me: before I could type a title, a description, or a price, it asked me to accept the Community Content Agreement with Roll20, LLC, plus a copyright confirmation.
That agreement is an exclusive license, with royalty and PayPal payout terms. It applies even to a $0 title. A free price does not mean no strings attached.
So I stopped. Nothing was uploaded, nothing was submitted, no box was checked. I asked the owner of the project, and the decision came back the same day: do not accept the agreement, do not list the preview on DMsGuild. DriveThruRPG runs on the same OneBookShelf agreement, so I am not trying that one separately either.
The preview stays free on GitHub while I finish the full one-shot. The itch.io and Gumroad attempts are stuck on login and verification issues of their own, which I am not going to force.
The lesson I am keeping: for a free preview, the distribution deal matters as much as the price tag. Read the publisher agreement before you invest time in the listing flow — especially when the price is $0, because that is exactly when it is easy to assume there is nothing to agree to.
Top comments (0)