D&D 5E (2014) Atlas Games opens up their prehistoric 5e setting, Planegea, to fanmade works

[Libertad]

The news can be found here on their official site.

In short, the Open License allows for fans to create both free homebrew and for-profit third party publications alike for the Planegea campaign setting. This coincides with a contest offering free digital products to the first 30 people who create works taking place in Planegea over the next 30 days.

There is no unique Planegea SRD, instead making use of the existing OGL for the work. So it's not really a wholly new and distinct Open License, but rather opening up Planegea's IP to let other people create products set in its world.

Using the traditional OGL may be a bit of a risky gamble IMO, given the whole 2023 Crisis causing people to lose faith in it and WotC at large.

Overall, I am quite optimistic, as opening up RPGs to third-party creators allows for independent and creative interpretations of the original material to flourish, while also keeping lines alive via third party support long after the original publisher goes on to other projects. On the other hand, OneBookShelf has been lousy with Generative AI artwork and text.

For those unfamiliar with Planegea, I wrote a detailed review of the book 2 and a half years ago. In short, it's a setting I really enjoy and am happy to see getting more support.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm not sure what's going on with Atlas Games, but they've really sprung back to life in interesting ways in the last few years. It's great to see them doing this to breathe some life into an unusual setting.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I wonder if WotC should allow fanmade content to earn brand power. I would bet some independient or amateur mangakas and self-publiher online writters could create new worlds using the D&D brand as hook to promote their own creations.

 

[aiouh]

I wonder if WotC should allow fanmade content to earn brand power. I would bet some independient or amateur mangakas and self-publiher online writters could create new worlds using the D&D brand as hook to promote their own creations.

Honestly, Dungeon Crawling and Medieval Fantasy works are so much more popular than D&D and mainstream in Japan due to entire videogame and anime/manga generations inspired by Wizardry, Final Fantasy (FF1 basically has the entire AD&D spell list in its game, including nonfunctional ones) and other videogames, that it should be the other way around.

 

[mamba]

I wonder if WotC should allow fanmade content to earn brand power. I would bet some independient or amateur mangakas and self-publiher online writters could create new worlds using the D&D brand as hook to promote their own creations.

WotC does allow that, there is a whole bunch of 3pps with their custom settings

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I don't mean TTRPG sourcebooks but other type of content like webcomics or fiction, for example a novel set in a no-WotC setting.

 

[Toe Knee Nose]

I don't mean TTRPG sourcebooks but other type of content like webcomics or fiction, for example a novel set in a no-WotC setting.

Sorry, not quite following. What would make a novel a "D&D" novel but without any WotC setting IP? I mean, Critical Role has a two rather popular animated series on Amazon right now that does exactly what you are talking about. D&D fiction without WotC. Since D&D is now Creative Commons, I'm not sure how anyone is being stopped from doing that if they wanted to. Doesn't the CC already allow it?

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

My idea is the WotC version of Dark Pact Agremeent for World of Darkness following a style close to Drivethrug.

Do you know the Japanese web for self-publishing "Shōsetsuka ni Narō" ( =let's became a novelist). Some titles from that web were later adapted to manga and anime.

The isekai subgenre is so popular now, perhaps even reaching a point of saturation, although bromantasy is also gaining ground. Couldn't Hasbro capitalize on this? Although, copyright issues for characters and all that would need to be clarified.

 

[Chaltab]

I don't mean TTRPG sourcebooks but other type of content like webcomics or fiction, for example a novel set in a no-WotC setting.

That already exists. Legends and Lattes, the Critical Role cartoons, comics, and novels, the Pathfinder comic series...

The SRD basically means anything not explicitly under copyright (storylines, proper names, etc) or trademark (the product identity monsters) is fair game for such works.

 

[Shades of Eternity]

woot
maybe it's time for Gneiss city, where I mixx pangea with ultramodern 5 to create a legally distinct and inspired flintstone setting (with a touch of heavy metal the movie)