OGL: Kobold Press 'Raising Our Flag' For New Open RPG

Kobold Press has announced its plans regarding the upcoming new OGL v1.1, which involves a new, open game codenamed Project Black Flag.

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Kobold Press has been and always will be committed to open gaming and the tabletop community. Our goal is to continue creating the best materials for players and game masters alike.

This means Kobold Press will release its current Kickstarter projects as planned, including Campaign Builder: Cities & Towns (already printed and on its way to backers this winter).

In particular, Deep Magic Volume 2 will remain fully compatible with the 5E rules. We are working with our VTT partners to maintain support for digital platforms.

As we look ahead, it becomes even more important for our actions to represent our values. While we wait to see what the future holds, we are moving forward with clear-eyed work on a new Core Fantasy tabletop ruleset: available, open, and subscription-free for those who love it—Code Name: Project Black Flag.

All Kobolds look forward to the continued evolution of tabletop gaming. We aim to play our part in making the game better for everyone. Rest assured, Kobold Press intends to maintain a strong presence in the tabletop RPG community. We are not going anywhere.

Raising Our Flag - Kobold Press

Kobold Press is committed to open gaming. We are moving forward with clear-eyed work on a new Core Fantasy tabletop ruleset: available, open, and subscription-free for those who love it—Code Name: Project Black Flag.

koboldpress.com

 

[Riley]

I'm glad to see Kobold is going to try to put together their own game... but I also know that getting enough buy-in on your new product to be able to keep your doors open is not easy. Especially when it does not have a substantial built-in fanbase to access.

So just because Kobold are saying this right now... there's still plenty of time for them to come back to 5E if HasbrotC ends up changing their decisions on 1.1 and makes it more enticing for them to continue as-is. Which means those fans who are trying to wipe their hands completely clean of HasbrotC might be jumping the gun a little bit by going all-in on this product.

All that Kobold has announced is that they have begun “work on a new Core Fantasy tabletop ruleset: available, open, and subscription-free for those who love it—Code Name: Project Black Flag.”

Depending on how things shake out, Project Black Flag could be a new system, or it could be an almost-but-not-quite-fully-compatible 5e/dnd1 clone.

They probably don’t even have to decide which for a while yet.

EDIT: The Kobolds have elaborated:

“While we wait to see exactly what shape the Open Gaming License might take in this new era, Kobold Press is also moving forward with some clear-eyed work on keeping the 5E rule set available, open, and subscription-free for those who love it: the Core Fantasy experiment.”

Kobold Press Announces New Core Fantasy Experiment

Kobold Press Announces New Core Fantasy Game As Dungeons & Dragons moves toward the 50th anniversary of the game, foundational changes are afoot in the tabletop roleplaying game arena. While we wait to see exactly what shape the Open Gaming License might take in this new era, Kobold Press is...

koboldpress.com

 

[DEFCON 1]

All that Kobold has announced is that they have begun “work on a new Core Fantasy tabletop ruleset: available, open, and subscription-free for those who love it—Code Name: Project Black Flag.”

Depending on how things shake out, Project Black Flag could be a new system, or it could be an almost-but-not-quite-fully-compatible 5e/dnd1 clone.

They probably don’t even have to decide which for a while yet.

Indeed! I'm just saying that because we don't know anything yet... those people who are right now jumping into this Project with both feet in order to thumb their nose at "The Man" just need to be careful-- they might be accidentally subsidizing another eventual D&D and WotC-adjacent project after all.

 

[bedir than]

Raising the black flag of Edward Kenway, James McGraw/Flint

 

[overgeeked]

All that Kobold has announced is that they have begun “work on a new Core Fantasy tabletop ruleset: available, open, and subscription-free for those who love it—Code Name: Project Black Flag.”

Depending on how things shake out, Project Black Flag could be a new system, or it could be an almost-but-not-quite-fully-compatible 5e/dnd1 clone.

They probably don’t even have to decide which for a while yet.

According to the landing page they put up it reads like they will attempt to clone 5E and put it into the wild.

 

[Malmuria]

The problem is people can only play one (or a couple) systems at a time. Unless they are very cross compatible, these D&D-likes will be competing instead of mutually beneficial.

I don't know...I played probably ~20 different games last year, some in (mini) campaigns of 10-20 sessions and some for just one shots. Even with my most regular group, the long-burn, single system campaign just practically doesn't work. Someone's schedule gets busy and we have to switch to a new GM or we just want more variety. If I'm prepping something beyond a one shot, I'm probably only thinking 10 sessions, and if it goes longer I'll figure it out when we get to that point.

 

[Ondath]

Indeed! I'm just saying that because we don't know anything yet... those people who are right now jumping into this Project with both feet in order to thumb their nose at "The Man" just need to be careful-- they might be accidentally subsidizing another eventual D&D and WotC-adjacent project after all.

In order for Project Black Flag to be what you describe, WotC would need to severely backtrack on the path that they are currently on.

And if that happens, and we get actual, concrete ways to assure that OGL remains irrevocable and no future MBA guy can try to backtrack on it, then yeah, sure, I can hop back on the WotC train.

But anything below that and I'm pretty sure I'm entirely done with them.

 

[Reynard]

I don't know...I played probably ~20 different games last year, some in (mini) campaigns of 10-20 sessions and some for just one shots. Even with my most regular group, the long-burn, single system campaign just practically doesn't work. Someone's schedule gets busy and we have to switch to a new GM or we just want more variety. If I'm prepping something beyond a one shot, I'm probably only thinking 10 sessions, and if it goes longer I'll figure it out when we get to that point.

And you don't think you are an outlier?

 

[Aldarc]

New? What makes you think this will be "new"?

It's 2008 all over again. This will be 5.1 SRD based OGL 1.0a version of D&D 5.5e. This is Pathfinder redux.

Not sure. There were a lot of people dissatisfied with 4e D&D, and PF1 promised to be a continuation of 3.5e. There was enough of a difference between systems. But between 5e and One D&D? I'm not sure if the changes are substantial enough to get the Average Joe to jump ship and raise the Black Flag if it's just 5e Redux.

 

[Vaalingrade]

According to the landing page they put up it reads like they will attempt to clone 5E and put it into the wild.

Unfortunate.

I'd hope making their own would include improvement.

 

[Riley]

But between 5e and One D&D? I'm not sure if the changes are substantial enough to get the Average Joe to jump ship and raise the Black Flag if it's just 5e Redux.

If Project Black Flag is simply an Open document publishers can reference when publishing ‘5e Redux’-compatible content, then there is no need for customers to “raise the Black Flag.” Kobold Press will just go on selling D&D-compatible books to D&D players.

It worked for them in the 4e-era,… so much so that Wizards contracted Kobolds to write the first 5e hardback adventures.