Paizo Announces New Irrevocable Open RPG License To Replace the OGL

​

Paizo, the maker of Pathfinder, has just announced a new open license for use with RPGs. The license will not be owned by Paizo - or by any TTRPG company, and will be stewarded by Azora Law, a company which represents several tabletop gaming companies, until it finds its home with an independent non-profit. This new license is designed to be irrevocable.

We believe, as we always have, that open gaming makes games better, improves profitability for all involved, and enriches the community of gamers who participate in this amazing hobby. And so we invite gamers from around the world to join us as we begin the next great chapter of open gaming with the release of a new open, perpetual, and irrevocable Open RPG Creative License (ORC).

The new Open RPG Creative License will be built system agnostic for independent game publishers under the legal guidance of Azora Law, an intellectual property law firm that represents Paizo and several other game publishers. Paizo will pay for this legal work. We invite game publishers worldwide to join us in support of this system-agnostic license that allows all games to provide their own unique open rules reference documents that open up their individual game systems to the world. To join the effort and provide feedback on the drafts of this license, please sign up by using this form.

In addition to Paizo, Kobold Press, Chaosium, Green Ronin, Legendary Games, Rogue Genius Games, and a growing list of publishers have already agreed to participate in the Open RPG Creative License, and in the coming days we hope and expect to add substantially to this group.

The ORC will not be owned by Paizo, nor will it be owned by any company who makes money publishing RPGs. Azora Law’s ownership of the process and stewardship should provide a safe harbor against any company being bought, sold, or changing management in the future and attempting to rescind rights or nullify sections of the license. Ultimately, we plan to find a nonprofit with a history of open source values to own this license (such as the Linux Foundation).

Read more on Paizo's blog.

 

[EthanSental]

Even if WotC went after a smaller 3pp company than Paizo, with current public sentiment trending the way it is, a crowdfunding campaign to pay legal fees to oppose the revocability of 1.0a would raise literal millions in short order.

I’m sure it would raise money, but I guess it would be $5 a person in most denominations since many people on here complain that $50 is too much to pay any time a book is about to be released, even when Amazon sells them for $30, they’re still yammer about $50 MSRP.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

I have, more than once in the past, ragged on Paizo for what they did with PF1e. This move makes up for all but one remaining aspect thereof, namely how much of anti-4e sentiment can be pinned to how things shook out there.

I respect them a hell of a lot now, which is something I didn't expect to say even six months ago.

 

[Abstruse]

We've gone through this whole week, with all the threads and all the analysis, and people STILL don't know the difference between an OGL and SRD and OGC.

I can't even...

Trust me, it's a constant struggle to keep them all straight.

For anyone else, here's some clarification:

OGL = Open Gaming License. This is the license which, under Version 1.0a, the SRDs for Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition, 3.5 Edition, and 5th Edition have been released along with other systems such as D20 Modern, Pathfinder 1st Edition, Starfinder, Level Up: Advanced 5e, and a lot of others. It is specifically JUST the license, the legal document that describes the terms of use of the content released using the license.

OGC = Open Gaming Content. This is game rules or other gaming content that has been released under the OGL. Content released as OGC can be used by any third-party to create new material under the terms of the OGL.

SRD = System Reference Document. This is a document released by a publisher which contains all of the Open Gaming Content for a system. It is meant to be a reference for third-party publishers so they clearly know what content of a game system is available for use under the OGL. The term is also used for open game content (no caps) released under other licenses, such as Creative Commons or other custom open licenses.

ORC = Open RPG Creative License. This is the announced license spearheaded by Paizo created by the law firm co-founded by one of the lawyers who wrote the original OGL. This license does not yet exist and was just announced earlier this evening.

 

[Reynard]

Trust me, it's a constant struggle to keep them all straight.

For anyone else, here's some clarification:

OGL = Open Gaming License. This is the license which, under Version 1.0a, the SRDs for Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition, 3.5 Edition, and 5th Edition have been released along with other systems such as D20 Modern, Pathfinder 1st Edition, Starfinder, Level Up: Advanced 5e, and a lot of others. It is specifically JUST the license, the legal document that describes the terms of use of the content released using the license.

OGC = Open Gaming Content. This is game rules or other gaming content that has been released under the OGL. Content released as OGC can be used by any third-party to create new material under the terms of the OGL.

SRD = System Reference Document. This is a document released by a publisher which contains all of the Open Gaming Content for a system. It is meant to be a reference for third-party publishers so they clearly know what content of a game system is available for use under the OGL. The term is also used for open game content (no caps) released under other licenses, such as Creative Commons or other custom open licenses.

ORC = Open RPG Creative License. This is the announced license spearheaded by Paizo created by the law firm co-founded by one of the lawyers who wrote the original OGL. This license does not yet exist and was just announced earlier this evening.

Good post.

Just for clarity: Open Gaming Content does not need to be released via a System Reference Document, and usually isn't. The Open Gaming Content is in the specific work published under the Open Gaming license, and is designated in that work (along with what ISN'T OGC).

 

[Steel_Wind]

Well, it's all kind of speculation, but the resources of Lisa Stevens and the resources of Paizo are not the same thing

All true.

HOWEVER, when Paizo goes out of their way to announce on their Blog, on Discord, Facebook, Twitter, and to the media that they are prepared to fight WotC in court over the de-authorization issue? I'm going to take Lisa Stevens at her word. I suggest that we all should.

I'd play Magic: TG, PF 1, Starfinder, PF2 -- and Toon, Paranoia, Settlers of Catan and Lawyers, Guns and Money with Lisa Stevens at the same table any day.

But I'm not playing poker with her. I don't have that kind of cash.

 

[Matt Thomason]

All true.

HOWEVER, when Paizo goes out of their way to announce on their Blog, on Discord, Facebook, Twitter, and to the media that they are prepared to fight WotC in court over the de-authorization issue? I'm going to take Lisa Stevens at her word. I suggest that we all should.

I'd play Magic: TG, PF 1, Starfinder, PF2 -- and Toon, Paranoia, Settlers of Catan and Lawyers, Guns and Money with Lisa Stevens at the same table any day.

But I'm not playing poker with her. I don't have that kind of cash.

I also think the fact they have an apparently gamer-friendly law firm on standby could help somewhat with the risk of legal fees should this turn into a waiting game.

I also feel it's not going to turn in to that anyway from the comments I've seen, and that they're likely confident any case will be dealt with in an affordable manner, or that they have such a strong case that even Hasbros lawyers will be reluctant to go to court.

More importantly though is the mental image I now have of you and Lisa surrounded by eight tables with all of those games going on at once.

 

[RavinRay]

Good post.

Just for clarity: Open Gaming Content does not need to be released via a System Reference Document, and usually isn't. The Open Gaming Content is in the specific work published under the Open Gaming license, and is designated in that work (along with what ISN'T OGC).

And I'm glad that sites like d20srd.org reprinted the entirety of the 3.5 SRD along with OGC from Unearthed Arcana, re-organizing the content with hyperlinks, which is a real time-saver.

 

[Riley]

Ah, I was under the impression they used OGL. If they have their own license already, then they could certainly choose to stay that way.

The 5e OAR books are directly licensed from Wizards.

My DCC RPG (4th/Kickstarter printing) contains the OGL license text.

 

[Matt Thomason]

I’m sure it would raise money, but I guess it would be $5 a person in most denominations since many people on here complain that $50 is too much to pay any time a book is about to be released, even when Amazon sells them for $30, they’re still yammer about $50 MSRP.

Perhaps Paizo should produce a one-off book that's on direct sale from them only, at half the usual list price, with all profits going to the legal fund Everyone wins!

 

[collin]

Sh*t just got real.