Mongoose's new RPG License - speculation?

[Shawn_Kehoe]

Hi all,

The News Page includes a vague news blurb from Mongoose about an "extremely popular gaming IP" license that will be the basis of a new RPG system, to be announced on Saturday.

Anyone want to take a break from 4th Edition speculation and speculate about this instead?

"Gaming IP" could refer to either an RPG or a computer game / video game.

If they are referring to a pen n' paper RPG, well ... the choices narrow depending on how seriously we take the "extremely popular" boast. GURPS and World of Darkness have had revisions in the past two years, and I can't imagine WotC offering up a setting after all the non-renewals of the past year. So I'm gonna go out on a limb and say...

Call of Cthulhu
Reasons why this makes sense:

1) Mongoose has the license to RuneQuest, which the original CoC system was based upon. They even mention RuneQuest in the announcement.
2) Most of the Cthulhu Mythos stories have fallen into public domain - whereas when CoC first premiered in the 1981, Chaosium had the exclusive license to the stories. (Hence the Deities & Demigods debacle.)
3) The defining gameplay mechanic of CoC (Sanity rules) became Open Gaming Content with the publication of Unearthed Arcana.
4) To call Chaosium's publication schedule of the past few years erratic would be incredibly generous.

Without claim to the Sanity mechanic or the stories themselves, the only real tool that Chaosium is the name itself: "Call of Cthulhu" is a registered trademark in Chaosium's name, even if the story itself is public domain. I could see Chaosium leasing out the CoC RPG rights to Mongoose, keepers of Runequest, while a skeleton staff at Chaosium handled the IP in other forms.

But they did mention a new RPG system, and the CoC faithful are notoriously conservative, as CoC d20 showed us. I'm probably wrong, and instead we'll get a Viva Pinata RPG.

Theories?

Shawn

 

[Yair]

Harry Potter.

OK, not.

 

[DragonLancer]

I'm still hoping that they have the license for Dr Who.

 

[The_Universe]

The only other serious theory I've seen bandied about has been that they somehow got the license to make a HALO RPG, which would be decidedly different than CoC. However, I (unfortunately) don't think there's quite enought information to confirm or deny either option.

 

[Glyfair]

Gaming IP?

Monopoly the RPG?

My guess is they ended up with a video/computer game license (Residenr Evil?)

 

[jdrakeh]

I doubt that it's CoC, as Pelgrane Press currently has a limited license to do the Trail of Cthulhu RPG. That said, it could be just about anything else, from Dune to Lord of the Rings.

 

[jdrakeh]

Without claim to the Sanity mechanic or the stories themselves, the only real tool that Chaosium is the name itself: "Call of Cthulhu" is a registered trademark in Chaosium's name, even if the story itself is public domain.

Well, Chaosium also has the exclusive tabletop RPG rights to the Cthulhu Mythos as granted by Arkham House.

 

[Glyfair]

That said, it could be just about anything else, from Dune to Lord of the Rings.

I don't think so. The wording suggests the IP is gaming IP, rather than IP popular among gamers.

Some options:

Mongoose acquired a popular RPG IP that hasn't been around a while.
Mongoose acquired a non-RPG hobby game license (miniature game perhaps).
Mongoose acquired the license to the IP of a board game.
Mongoose acquired the license to the IP of a video computer game.

I think the last is most likely, the first one least (because there aren't many popular RPGs that aren't tied up already).

 

[Brown Jenkin]

Mongoose aquired the IP to D&D 4th edition. All the previous licenses were brought back in so that they could be bundled into one license for the company that would do fourth edition.

I don't think Harry Potter would be it. Now that would be a mega license. I could see Doctor Who, that is a small enough franchise but one that is disporportionately large in the gaming community.

 

[Vascant]

How can so many people miss what the new IP is...

With the release of the recently huge movie it has to be.. (Drum roll)


Simpsons RPG


Actually rather then a new IP, I wish they would get new editors and proof readers, I almost feel like the bad end of a joke reading some of their books I purchased.