WotC non-OGL alternative to D&D

[hojulation]

They have a deal with OneBookShelf similar to the DMs Guild, but no open license as far as I'm aware.

Free League isn't the only game designer to have this kind of deal with OneBookShelf. Similar arrangements exist for AGE, Cypher System, Genesys, Shadow of the Demon Lord, Traveller, even Hero Kids, just to name a few.

 

[overgeeked]

The Gaming Gang just did a video featuring 29 non-D&D fantasy games. Most of them have been mentioned and some of them are OGL, but still worth watch.

 

[Aldarc]

Fantasy AGE is later evolution of DAGE, with less of the Dragon Age specifics baked in.

(My personal opinion is that both tend to start to progressively break down above about level six, showing some artifacts of how DAGE was originally written and playtested. I won't speak about Modern AGE; a quick reading shows some attempts to address at least some of the issues there).

There is an upcoming revision to FAGE. There are also options in Fantasy AGE Companion that also address some of the issues you allude to.

 

[Thomas Shey]

There is an upcoming revision to FAGE. There are also options in Fantasy AGE Companion that also address some of the issues you allude to.

Yeah, some of it was me simplifying. I'm also not sure but some of them are kind of intractable, though.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Yeah, some of it was me simplifying. I'm also not sure but some of them are kind of intractable, though.

Which issues would you say were intractable? I was considering Fantasy AGE and maybe the issues won't matter to me but maybe they will.

 

[Reynard]

They have a deal with OneBookShelf similar to the DMs Guild, but no open license as far as I'm aware.

https://support.drivethrurpg.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037116592

There is a YZ Engine SRD too. It was released under the OGL 1.0a but there is no reason it has to be since it isn't derived from the D&D SRD.

 

[rcade]

D6 was released under the OGL.

D6 is OGL but it isn't derived from the System Reference Document, so nothing Hasbro/WOTC does would affect the validity of the license or the ability to create new derivative works from it. Here's the Section 15 for D6 Fantasy:

15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
D6 Fantasy (WEG 51013), Copyright 2004, Purgatory Publishing Inc
West End Games, WEG, and D6 System are trademarks and properties of Purgatory Publishing Inc.

There are some OGL-licensed games that don't use the SRD. The publishers wanted to support open gaming and have their own network-effect benefit from third parties growing their player base.

 

[Reynard]

D6 is OGL but it isn't derived from the System Reference Document, so nothing Hasbro/WOTC does would affect the validity of the license or the ability to create new derivative works from it. Here's the Section 15 for D6 Fantasy:



There are some OGL-licensed games that don't use the SRD. The publishers wanted to support open gaming and have their own network-effect benefit from third parties growing their player base.

This means they can republish without the OGL, but if they keep it they are still bound by it regardless of whether they used the SRD.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Which issues would you say were intractable? I was considering Fantasy AGE and maybe the issues won't matter to me but maybe they will.

HP bloat + very efficient damage reduction from armors.
It is also not hard to ''auto-hit'' most creatures after 5-6th level.

So it becomes a game slog because you roll only to see if you Stunt (rolling double of the 3d6s) and hope to at least deal some damage to a creature with a huge pool of hp, even at low-level.

There's also some shoehorning going one with the class, giving melee only features to the Warrior and ranged only to the Rogue.

But its a pretty basic and simple system, its not hard to correct those and some issues were even addressed in the companion (optional rules to boost damage or halve HP, frex).

There's also a distinct lack of monsters. There's only a few enemies in the corebook and a single thin(while quite good) bestiary. And since there's 9 stats, making new enemies can take some time; not PF 1 time, but still a little long.

 

[rcade]

This means they can republish without the OGL, but if they keep it they are still bound by it regardless of whether they used the SRD.

It also means that WOTC/Hasbro can't tell you to stop publishing the work or publishing your own derived works from it because it has nothing to do with their IP.