Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Chaosium Releases Basic Role Playing SRD
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Dreamscape" data-source="post: 7954005" data-attributes="member: 6683246"><p>You can't compare the WotC OGL v1.0a with the BRP licence which introduces clauses and discretionary powers to shut down product. The OGL has a crystal-clear paragraph listing precisely which elements are IP, with no ambiguity.</p><p></p><p>As for the 3.5E SRD - hundreds upon hundreds of pages of content from the D&D core books, supplements, modern, etc., including many unique and original items which are copyrighted and/or trademarked by WotC. Even the OGL v5.1 has 400 pages of content. The BRP version has 19 pages of generic rules. Like TrippyHippy, I'm old enough to remember when BRP was in its first 16-page edition. Perhaps this is intended to be an expanded SRD for that little booklet from 1980?</p><p></p><p>There's no point having a system reference document if the user has to make up 90% of the system. An SRD is supposed to be a common point of reference, not just a vague idea to hang a logo on.</p><p></p><p>There have been many logo licence/ OGL combinations in the past, to my knowledge there have never been any all-in-one examples because the risk of allowing 3PPs to publish under your logo without oversight are simply too great. Nevertheless, the BRP document could have been a logo licence and included an SRD based on the full BRP 4E rules. It wouldn't be an OGL (but then neither is this), and Chaosium would have to approve any manuscripts before publication. More work than an OGL, but if you want to tie your trademark to the licence that's the only way to protect it. Less work than this licence, because as can be seen on the BRP Central forums potential developers are already asking a barrage of questions for clarification. Alternatively, forget about the BRP logo and just produce the BRP 4E SRD. Some people might use it as-is, but everyone will know it's "BRP". Chaosium could set up a BRP version of the Jonstown Compendium and Miscatonic Repository to encourage community content creation, keep control, and take a cut of the profits. At the end of the day, if you fear the freedom of the OGL, you don't have to make your work available through that route.</p><p></p><p>Note: I have just noticed this is a full logo rather than the more commonly seen "compatibility" logo. That strikes me as very risky from Chaosium's viewpoint. It makes anything published under it look like an official Chaosium product.</p><p></p><p>As others have said, the most confusing thing about this isn't the licence itself, obscure though it is - but why it was seen as the best way of re-awakening the BRP brand out of all the many options available. </p><p></p><p>Of course, at this point it's clear Chaosium isn't interested in reasoned discussion of their deeply flawed document ("If you don't like it, go pound sand" ??), so the above is just whistling in the wind.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Dreamscape, post: 7954005, member: 6683246"] You can't compare the WotC OGL v1.0a with the BRP licence which introduces clauses and discretionary powers to shut down product. The OGL has a crystal-clear paragraph listing precisely which elements are IP, with no ambiguity. As for the 3.5E SRD - hundreds upon hundreds of pages of content from the D&D core books, supplements, modern, etc., including many unique and original items which are copyrighted and/or trademarked by WotC. Even the OGL v5.1 has 400 pages of content. The BRP version has 19 pages of generic rules. Like TrippyHippy, I'm old enough to remember when BRP was in its first 16-page edition. Perhaps this is intended to be an expanded SRD for that little booklet from 1980? There's no point having a system reference document if the user has to make up 90% of the system. An SRD is supposed to be a common point of reference, not just a vague idea to hang a logo on. There have been many logo licence/ OGL combinations in the past, to my knowledge there have never been any all-in-one examples because the risk of allowing 3PPs to publish under your logo without oversight are simply too great. Nevertheless, the BRP document could have been a logo licence and included an SRD based on the full BRP 4E rules. It wouldn't be an OGL (but then neither is this), and Chaosium would have to approve any manuscripts before publication. More work than an OGL, but if you want to tie your trademark to the licence that's the only way to protect it. Less work than this licence, because as can be seen on the BRP Central forums potential developers are already asking a barrage of questions for clarification. Alternatively, forget about the BRP logo and just produce the BRP 4E SRD. Some people might use it as-is, but everyone will know it's "BRP". Chaosium could set up a BRP version of the Jonstown Compendium and Miscatonic Repository to encourage community content creation, keep control, and take a cut of the profits. At the end of the day, if you fear the freedom of the OGL, you don't have to make your work available through that route. Note: I have just noticed this is a full logo rather than the more commonly seen "compatibility" logo. That strikes me as very risky from Chaosium's viewpoint. It makes anything published under it look like an official Chaosium product. As others have said, the most confusing thing about this isn't the licence itself, obscure though it is - but why it was seen as the best way of re-awakening the BRP brand out of all the many options available. Of course, at this point it's clear Chaosium isn't interested in reasoned discussion of their deeply flawed document ("If you don't like it, go pound sand" ??), so the above is just whistling in the wind. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Chaosium Releases Basic Role Playing SRD
Top