Mike Mearls posted this article on the wizards site which talks about what will be included in the free "Basic Dungeons & Dragons" pdf.
http://wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4ll/20140527
The highlights are:
- Basic D&D is a PDF that covers the core of the game. It?s the equivalent of the old D&D Rules Cyclopedia, though it doesn?t have quite the same scope (for example, it won?t go into detail on a setting). It runs from levels 1 to 20 and covers the cleric, fighter, rogue, and wizard, presenting what we view as the essential subclass for each. It also provides the dwarf, elf, halfling, and human as race options.
- At the launch of the D&D Starter Set, Basic D&D will include the material needed to create characters and advance to 20th level. In August, with the release of the Player?s Handbook, Basic D&D will expand to include the essential monsters, magic items, and DM rules needed to run the game, along with the rules for wilderness, dungeon, and urban adventuring. (The Starter Set already covers the aspects of these rules that you need to run the included campaign.)
- As we introduce new storylines like Tyranny of Dragons, we?ll also make available free PDFs that provide all the rules and stats missing from Basic D&D needed to run the adventures tied into the story. The adventures released as part of Tyranny of Dragons are playable without requiring any of the core rulebooks or the Starter Set. With just the Basic Dungeons & Dragons rules, you can play D&D for years.
It seems like if all you want to do is run published adventures or run basic campaigns you won't ever need to buy the core rulebooks.
http://wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4ll/20140527
The highlights are:
- Basic D&D is a PDF that covers the core of the game. It?s the equivalent of the old D&D Rules Cyclopedia, though it doesn?t have quite the same scope (for example, it won?t go into detail on a setting). It runs from levels 1 to 20 and covers the cleric, fighter, rogue, and wizard, presenting what we view as the essential subclass for each. It also provides the dwarf, elf, halfling, and human as race options.
- At the launch of the D&D Starter Set, Basic D&D will include the material needed to create characters and advance to 20th level. In August, with the release of the Player?s Handbook, Basic D&D will expand to include the essential monsters, magic items, and DM rules needed to run the game, along with the rules for wilderness, dungeon, and urban adventuring. (The Starter Set already covers the aspects of these rules that you need to run the included campaign.)
- As we introduce new storylines like Tyranny of Dragons, we?ll also make available free PDFs that provide all the rules and stats missing from Basic D&D needed to run the adventures tied into the story. The adventures released as part of Tyranny of Dragons are playable without requiring any of the core rulebooks or the Starter Set. With just the Basic Dungeons & Dragons rules, you can play D&D for years.
It seems like if all you want to do is run published adventures or run basic campaigns you won't ever need to buy the core rulebooks.
