Press [Chaosium] Chaosium is part of Paizo's Open RPG Creative License initiative

[Michael O'Brien]

Chaosium is pleased to be part of the Open RPG Creative License initiative, announced today by our friends at Paizo.

In response to Wizards of the Coast’s new version of the Open Game License, Paizo will spearhead the development of a system-neutral open RPG license that can be freely used across the tabletop RPG industry. Chaosium, Green Ronin, Kobold Press, Legendary Games, and Rogue Genius Games are already on board, and other companies are expected to join.

Chaosium issued its own (non-WotC) Open Game License for its Basic Roleplaying System in 2020, enabling designers to create their own roleplaying games using the Basic Roleplaying rules engine, royalty-free and without further permission from Chaosium.

At the time, Chaosium raised concerns about serious deficiencies and legal uncertainties in the WoTC OGL, especially if it was being used for non-D20 games.

"Although Chaosium has never used the WotC OGL we are very happy to be working with the rest of the industry to come up with a system-wide OGL that anyone can use." said Chaosium vice president Michael O'Brien.

 

[Dungeonosophy]

Well said! Glad to see Chaosium in the rebel alliance.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

"You have my axe!"

"And my sword!"

"And my tentacles!"

"..."

 

[D1Tremere]

Chaosium is pleased to be part of the Open RPG Creative License initiative, announced today by our friends at Paizo.

In response to Wizards of the Coast’s new version of the Open Game License, Paizo will spearhead the development of a system-neutral open RPG license that can be freely used across the tabletop RPG industry. Chaosium, Green Ronin, Kobold Press, Legendary Games, and Rogue Genius Games are already on board, and other companies are expected to join.

Chaosium issued its own (non-WotC) Open Game License for its Basic Roleplaying System in 2020, enabling designers to create their own roleplaying games using the Basic Roleplaying rules engine, royalty-free and without further permission from Chaosium.

At the time, Chaosium raised concerns about serious deficiencies and legal uncertainties in the WoTC OGL, especially if it was being used for non-D20 games.

"Although Chaosium has never used the WotC OGL we are very happy to be working with the rest of the industry to come up with a system-wide OGL that anyone can use." said Chaosium vice president Michael O'Brien.

I mean, these things are not really equivalent are they? It seems like companies who have never let people freely publish material using their IPs are championing a generic system license that still doesn't grant access to their IPs.
You want to make a published product for free using the Forgotten Realms setting? You can do that under the new OGL. Will the new OGL Chaosium is talking about let me freely publish adventures set in their version of Call of Cuthulu?
I'm not saying that the new WotC OGL is great, but what it offers seems very different than what these other companies are talking about. That said, I am no expert on the subject so I coukd be missing info.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I mean, these things are not really equivalent are they? It seems like companies who have never let people freely publish material using their IPs are championing a generic system license that still doesn't grant access to their IPs.

You might be surprised.

I can stick every Kobold Press monster (and there are a lot of them) into a 5E adventure today.

 

[ilgatto]

"You have my axe!"

"And my sword!"

"And my tentacles!"

"..."

"quack-quack!"

 

[reelo]

"Although Chaosium has never used the WotC OGL we are very happy to be working with the rest of the industry to come up with a system-wide OGL that anyone can use." said Chaosium vice president Michael O'Brien.

That is a good thing! The way I see it, the more (big) publishers work together on this during the creation process, the more fair and neutral this license is gonna end up being.

One license: many (different) SRDs

This is really ushering in a new Golden Age of TTRPGs, hopefully. And a rising tide lifts all the boats, from the smallest to the biggest.

Well, maybe not the one that has been drilling holes into their own hull these last few days.

 

[HaroldTheHobbit]

Way to go Chaosium! Smaller companies reacting to corporate greed and monopolizing tendencies by teaming up in a way that (hopefully) also benefit customers/gamers and a healthy sustainable rpg market is awesome.

 

[DMZ2112]

You want to make a published product for free using the Forgotten Realms setting? You can do that under the new OGL.

Can you cite your source on this? Setting material being open game content would be a complete departure from the terms of the OGL 1.0a, and I haven't seen this mentioned in any of the summaries of the OGL 1.1.

For clarity: anyone can publish Forgotten Realms adventures through the DMs Guild, but that is a different, far less open license.

I'm not saying that the new WotC OGL is great, but what it offers seems very different than what these other companies are talking about. That said, I am no expert on the subject so I coukd be missing info.

They are different, at least for now. The WotC OGL 1.1 would allow immediate access to the D&D3.5 and D&D5 system reference documents, perhaps along with a few other licensed SRDs from 3PPs who have signed on.

Right now, the ORC has no licensed SRDs, although it is virtually guaranteed that the Pathfinder2 and Starfinder SRDs will be relicensed under it, and perhaps also the Chaosium BRP SRD.

Anyone who adopts either license in the future will be able to release a licensed SRD that other adopters of that specific license can use as open game content.

But it would surprise me if either license permitted the use of setting material, hence my initial question. One of the key elements of the OGL 1.0a is that it permits differentiating between open game content and closed game content in the same document. Most open licenses do not do this, which makes it difficult for game publishers to open a system (or use an open system) but keep their settings proprietary.

 

[darjr]

Call of Cthulhu is the American Bar Association RPG of choice?!