Chaosium Releases Basic Role Playing SRD

Chaosium has released the Basic Roleplaying System Reference Document (SRD).



The Basic Roleplaying SRD is based on Basic Roleplaying, the simple, fast, and elegant skill-based percentile system that is the core of most Chaosium roleplaying games, including Call of Cthulhu, RuneQuest, SuperWorld, and others.

Under the provisions of the Basic Roleplaying Open Game License (OGL), designers can create their own roleplaying games using the Basic Roleplaying rules engine, royalty-free and without further permission from Chaosium Inc.

For further details and to download the SRD document, see our Basic Roleplaying SRD information page.

This uses an opening gaming license, but not THE Open Gaming License (the commonly used one published by WotC nearly 20 years ago). It is based on similar concepts, but this uses the BRP Open Game License. A notable difference is that instead of "Product Identity") (which in the original license typically includes trademarks, proper names, a handful of iconic monsters, etc.), this license used "Prohibited Content" which expands that to include mechanics, or "substantially similar" mechanics to some selected features of the rules system. For example, part of the prohibited list includes:

"Augments: The use of one ability — whether skill or characteristic — to augment another ability of the same or a different type, in a manner substantially similar to those of the RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha rules."

Obviously you can make similar mechanics without using this license, but if you use this license you agree not to use mechanics similar to those in the prohibited content list.

The prohibited content list also contains Le Morte D'Arthur, and the Cthulhu Mythos.

 

[yojimbouk]

I don’t know what you mean by that. This is what s10 says:

“10. Updating the License: Chaosium or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of the BRP Open Game License, including updates to the Prohibited Content list. Material published under any version of the License can continue to be published Using the terms of that version, but You agree to Use the most recent authorized version of this License for any new Open Game Content You publish or for revised or updated works with thirty percent (30%) or more revised or new content.”

Unfortunately, the tweet shown was just the first rather than the whole discussion. here are the relevant sections:

4. The language in Clause 10 that grandfathers in existing products is so poorly written that it actually makes the license worse: If you publish material under the BRP OGL, you are required to ONLY publish it under the license in the future.

Ignore for the moment that "thirty percent" and "content" are completely undefined (word count? pages with revised content? what if I just swap out all the pictures? what if I just change the title - is that a new work or a revised work?).

Simple example: You publish a book using the BRP OGL and BRP Open Game Content. Then you pull all the BRP OGC and mechanics and replace them with different mechanics. You no longer need to use the license, right? Wrong.

You've revised the WORK and are still required by the license to publish it using the BRP OGL. Which they can modify at literally any time to prevent you from doing.

Example: You publish a game using the BRP SRD. Chaosium modifies the license to say, "Any works published under this license must be published by March 30th, 2020." So now you can't publish any new supplements. So you revise the game for a 2nd Edition using different mechanics.

Whoops! 2nd Edition = Revision. You have to publish that under the license and the license says you can't publish anything!

 

[Dreamscape]

I don’t know what you mean by that. This is what s10 says:

“[...] You agree to Use the most recent authorized version of this License for any new Open Game Content You publish or for revised or updated works with thirty percent (30%) or more revised or new content.”

There is ambiguity in the language using "works" rather than Open Game Content. This could be argued to infect any new editions of works in their entirety (as per the Twitter posts linked above). The poor language of this clause, and many other examples of ambiguities, have been brought to the attention of the authors but they appear unwilling to revise the document or to add clarifications to the official FAQ. This further erodes the point of a real OGL, which is to remove the need for 3PPs to seek clarification or approvals from the licence owner.

Judging by comments made by the authors it appears the licence is aimed at the same sort of writers who produced the old "Monographs", i.e. fans creating their own stand-alone games, but not interested in maintaining control of their works and unlikely to build a product line thereon, and who want their work to be recognised as "officially" BRP.

 

[yojimbouk]

Judging by comments made by the authors it appears the licence is aimed at the same sort of writers who produced the old "Monographs", i.e. fans creating their own stand-alone games, but not interested in maintaining control of their works and unlikely to build a product line thereon, and who want their work to be recognised as "officially" BRP.

In which case, why not produce a Community Content Program which delivers that but also has the benefit of raising revenue for Chaosium? This license make no sense.

 

[Dreamscape]

In which case, why not produce a Community Content Program which delivers that but also has the benefit of raising revenue for Chaosium?

That question has been asked.

 

[TrippyHippy]

Why can’t they just bring back Stormbringer.....?

 

[yojimbouk]

Why can’t they just bring back Stormbringer.....?

I'm sure that Michael Moorcock would LOVE to give Chaosium another license to use his work

 

[TrippyHippy]

I'm sure that Michael Moorcock would LOVE to give Chaosium another license to use his work

Why wouldn’t he? I mean they may even remember to pay him next time.

 

[Dreamscape]

Why wouldn’t he? I mean they may even remember to pay him next time.

Memories are short among fans. Every now and then there is another thread on BRP Central asking why there isn't a new Chaosium edition: Will there be a new Stormbringer or Elric! edition ?

 

[M.T. Black]

In which case, why not produce a Community Content Program which delivers that but also has the benefit of raising revenue for Chaosium? This license make no sense.

Chaosium has created two CCPs - the Miskatonic Repository (for Call of Cthulhu) and the Jonstown Compendium (for Glorantha).

 

[Dreamscape]

Chaosium has created two CCPs - the Miskatonic Repository (for Call of Cthulhu) and the Jonstown Compendium (for Glorantha).

Which makes the decision not to go that route with BRP even more odd.