Paizo Paizo Launches Community Content Program

Paizo has joined the likes of WotC, Chaosium, EN Publishing, and many other publishers in launching a community content program at DriveThruRPG which grants access to much of its IP for both Pathfinder and Starfinder. Like WotC's DMs Guild, the royalty is 50% of the proceeds.

Today at Gen Con, we announced a new way for members of the Pathfinder and Starfinder communities to create content to expand the brands and make a lasting mark on the games we all love: Pathfinder and Starfinder Infinite.

Beginning on October 13, 2021, content creators will be able to sell adventures, fiction, setting supplements, rules expansions, maps, art packs, and more using Paizo’s intellectual property. That means that you can, for the first time, write an RPG supplement set in the official Pathfinder or Starfinder settings that references our locations, organizations, characters, deities and more, and sell it to your fellow players and GMs.

Want to tell the story of Kyra and Merisiel’s adventures on what they’d hoped would be a restful honeymoon? Now you can!

What about that side quest adventure you’ve always wanted to share to support your favorite Pathfinder Adventure Path? Now’s the time!

How about that custom character class or alien species you made for your Starfinder campaign that you just know others are going to love? Yep, that too.

Our partners at OneBookShelf (DriveThruRPG, DriveThruCards, Astral Tabletop) will be hosting and managing the program, bringing years of experience running similar community content marketplaces for other tabletop properties to bear.

Check out the content creation guidelines, frequently asked questions, and the starter layout templates and art assets available to community creators at pathfinderinfinite.com and starfinderinfinite.com.

We’ll have more information to share in the coming weeks, but the real excitement won’t start until all of you can share your Pathfinder and Starfinder creations with the world in just under a month. I’m looking forward to seeing what incredible things you come up with!

 

[CapnZapp]

It seems like a hard market for creators, to be sure.

Dunno. You're not a roleplayer to make money after all. Being able to semi-officially share you stuff, and also gain a few bucks to cover the coffee you had while writing it, seems like a nice win

 

[Zaukrie]

Dunno. You're not a roleplayer to make money after all. Being able to semi-officially share you stuff, and also gain a few bucks to cover the coffee you had while writing it, seems like a nice win

It is a lot of work to make it look worth buying.....much more than copying and pasting your notes.

 

[CapnZapp]

It is a lot of work to make it look worth buying.....much more than copying and pasting your notes.

If you mean you should at least consider skipping the prettification and just put up plain documents on the interwebz (for free) I totally get you

 

[Zaukrie]

If you mean you should at least consider skipping the prettification and just put up plain documents on the interwebz (for free) I totally get you

I have a ton for free......but some for sale. I agree, most people should just put up free stuff given the time/money ratio....unless they really want to do this for some time....

 

[Parmandur]

Dunno. You're not a roleplayer to make money after all. Being able to semi-officially share you stuff, and also gain a few bucks to cover the coffee you had while writing it, seems like a nice win

Overall, yes, but I don't think @Zaukrie was saying otherwise. It takes a lot of hustle and luck, not an easy road to travel.

 

[Mark Moreland]

It is, but OGL normally allows you to use it without contributing back — new rules can be declared as product identity. I’ve got several games (e.g., Pugmire, Old-School Essentials Advanced) which do just that. The terms of the Pathfinder/Starfinder Infinite explicitly disallow doing that. If you publish something with new rules on the store, the rules must be published as open content under the OGL. You can’t declare them product identity. That’s what I was wondering might deter people.

Mark Moreland, Paizo's Director of Brand Strategy, here.

It's not just that we're requiring community creators to release their rules under the OGL, but that they can't also declare something new as Product Identity. Because they're using Paizo's IP, it's vital that they not accidentally make something we own OGC without our permission. By requiring them to make all rules OGC and not change the published Product Identity declaration from the templated one we provide, we ensure that no one playing in our sandbox accidentally gives sand away that we don't want them to.

 

[kenada]

Mark Moreland, Paizo's Director of Brand Strategy, here.

It's not just that we're requiring community creators to release their rules under the OGL, but that they can't also declare something new as Product Identity. Because they're using Paizo's IP, it's vital that they not accidentally make something we own OGC without our permission. By requiring them to make all rules OGC and not change the published Product Identity declaration from the templated one we provide, we ensure that no one playing in our sandbox accidentally gives sand away that we don't want them to.

Thanks for the clarification!

 

[Mercador]

Mark Moreland, Paizo's Director of Brand Strategy, here.

It's not just that we're requiring community creators to release their rules under the OGL, but that they can't also declare something new as Product Identity. Because they're using Paizo's IP, it's vital that they not accidentally make something we own OGC without our permission. By requiring them to make all rules OGC and not change the published Product Identity declaration from the templated one we provide, we ensure that no one playing in our sandbox accidentally gives sand away that we don't want them to.

Thanks for taking the time.

If I may, if I create free content using Paizo rules, would I have to pay something to Paizo or you keep the 50% (of zero) in mind ?

Thanks!

 

[Mark Moreland]

Thanks for taking the time.

If I may, if I create free content using Paizo rules, would I have to pay something to Paizo or you keep the 50% (of zero) in mind ?

Thanks!

I don't really understand the question. If you're releasing something for free on Pathfinder or Starfinder Infinite, you, Paizo, and OBS would split that $0 revenue between us. The license allows you to set the price at whatever you want, including $0, but you are still restricted to only distribute it via the Infinite storefront. You can't set the price at $0 and then give it away other places as well.

That is all assuming you're referring to something using our IP. If it's not using our settings, and is just rules, then you can create it under the either the OGL, or the OGL in concert with the Pathfinder (or Starfinder) Compatibility License and never split any of the ($0) revenue.

 

[Mercador]

I don't really understand the question. If you're releasing something for free on Pathfinder or Starfinder Infinite, you, Paizo, and OBS would split that $0 revenue between us. The license allows you to set the price at whatever you want, including $0, but you are still restricted to only distribute it via the Infinite storefront. You can't set the price at $0 and then give it away other places as well.

That is all assuming you're referring to something using our IP. If it's not using our settings, and is just rules, then you can create it under the either the OGL, or the OGL in concert with the Pathfinder (or Starfinder) Compatibility License and never split any of the ($0) revenue.

Thanks, you did understand my question after all Yes, it was for giving away on Pathfinder Infinite.