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

 

[mrswing]

So, is it out yet??????????

 

[Riley]

Oooh, very interesting,…

Does it mean that Project Black Flag is mostly 5e compatible?

Yep. KP briefly had a Black Flag announcement page that said as much, but it was quickly revised to a less specific statement.

 

[Greg Benage]

This is something I really want to happen, but KB press, more than most, on every possible level, really need to take their time.

 

[humble minion]

This is something I really want to happen, but KB press, more than most, on every possible level, really need to take their time.

Definitely.

I love Kobold Press's setting material, but their game mechanical stuff is their weakest point, both in game balance and in precision of language. Deep Magic was a mess. Southlands and Tome of Heroes are significantly improved but still have their issues. You can get away with this sort of thing in a supplement cos the DM can just case by case ban the messed-up stuff, and not every game is going to use every single one of the 700-odd spells in Deep Magic anyway. You absolutely cannot get away with it in a core book which is going to be heavily relied on every session. If Black Flag is anything other than a straight copy-paste of the 5e SRD, KP is going to have to get much, much better at editing and quality control.

 

[overgeeked]

Now with a play test sign up and t-shirts!

Project Black Flag Update: Sticking To Our Principles

What is Project Black Flag from Kobold Press? It's a new core fantasy RPG system, available to any publisher or creator who accepts the terms of the soon-to-be-released Open RPG Creative License (ORC). Find out more!

koboldpress.com

 

[TerraDave]

I just saw the update above. Their new Deep Magic books which are being kickstarted, and which are for "fifth edition games" are supposed to be BF compatible.

The Flag, is it were, is very much described like an SRD. Unclear if its the basis for its own game, or just something that gives you ORC cover to publish for the worlds most popular RPG.

 

[darjr]

I just saw the update above. Their new Deep Magic books which are being kickstarted, and which are for "fifth edition games" are supposed to be BF compatible.

The Flag, is it were, is very much described like an SRD. Unclear if its the basis for its own game, or just something that gives you ORC cover to publish for the worlds most popular RPG.

They put out a call for GMs at GenCon ti run games of it.

So probably?

 

[overgeeked]

They put out a call for GMs at GenCon ti run games of it.

So probably?

Especially with core parts of the mechanics being released under CC-BY it makes it even easier to just keep on with 5E-compatible books and new games.

 

[mamba]

From Kobold Press

“Celeste Conowitch, our Senior Game Designer, is the lead on game design for this new fantasy RPG. She has been working on Project Black Flag behind the scenes since the summer of 2022. Additional designers and developers are currently engaged with the project, as well as several partners from the community.”

playtest to start in February

Project Black Flag Update: Sticking To Our Principles

What is Project Black Flag from Kobold Press? It's a new core fantasy RPG system, available to any publisher or creator who accepts the terms of the soon-to-be-released Open RPG Creative License (ORC). Find out more!

koboldpress.com

 

[TerraDave]

Actually, if they are playtesting, then they must have something to playtest. Which means a game, not just a list of keywords. A 5e compatible game.

And this all means, we are on the brink of a wizard vs orc 5.5 playtest showdown!