Paizo Announces New Irrevocable Open RPG License To Replace the OGL

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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.

 

[Hex08]

I guess the question comes down to whether or not (general) you are looking to make a "statement" against Wizards of the Coast? From a lot of the talk here on the boards, making a really strong statement seems to be many people's goals.

Now if (general) you don't really care to make a really strong statement... then sure, you can play a D&D-like all you want. That makes sense. But at least from my perspective... you can't make a very strong statement against Wizards of the Coasts when your entire focus is playing a series of games directly inspired by the game owned by Wizards of the Coast. To me that doesn't make sense.

But whatever. People can and will do whatever they want and justify things however they want.

My only counter would be if you stop giving Hasbro/WotC your money then you are making a strong statement against them, even if you are playing D&D-like games. When it comes to a business the best way to make a statement (positive or negative) is with your money. That way you can play what you like without supporting an organization you don't.

 

[overgeeked]

My only counter would be if you stop giving Hasbro/WotC your money then you are making a strong statement against them, even if you are playing D&D-like games. When it comes to a business the best way to make a statement (positive or negative) is with your money. That way you can play what you like without supporting an organization you don't.

And just because you don't buy new books from the company doesn't mean you can't continue to play using your old books as long as they last. You can then buy new-to-you copies second hand to continue playing the game you want without supporting the company you don't want to support.

 

[overgeeked]

On the off chance this wasn’t posted already.

Paizo President Jim Butler Reveals Plans for a Universal RPG License

The Open RPG Creative License (ORC) will be created in order to support the industry in conjunction with fans and creators.

gizmodo.com

@Morrus

 

[overgeeked]

On the off chance this wasn’t posted already.

Paizo President Jim Butler Reveals Plans for a Universal RPG License

The Open RPG Creative License (ORC) will be created in order to support the industry in conjunction with fans and creators.

gizmodo.com

“So, how long will it take? We expect a first draft released for feedback in February, and the final iteration depends on the publisher feedback we receive, finding or establishing the right foundation to protect the ORC, setting some standards agreeable to all publishers, and other elements vital to the long-term health of the ORC. Ultimately, the timeline will be driven by Azora Law, and they won’t release the final version until it’s ready.”

 

[Zehnseiter]

Paizo's statement to the OGL and ORC is also heard a foreign shores so to speak.

Ulisses Spiele who does the German translation of Pathfinder 1 + 2 for example put a German translation of the announcement on their homepage.

Paizo-Statement zur OGL und die ORC - Ulisses Spiele

Bereits letzte Woche haben unsere Freunde von Paizo ein Statement zur aktuellen Situation rund um die OGL (Open Game License) und die sich im Umlauf befindenden Gerüchte veröffentlicht. Als langjähriger Partner unterstützen wir selbstverständlich unsere Freunde von Paizo und alle die von dieser...

ulisses-spiele.de

Just to drive home that this has international importance.

Also if you interested how the Pathfinder 2 rulebooks looks like in German:
It is currently at pay what you want at drivethru.

Pathfinder 2 - Grundregelwerk (PDF) als Download kaufen - Ulisses Spiele | Pathfinder 2 | Ulisses Spiele

Pathfinder 2 - Grundregelwerk (PDF) als Download kaufen - Verbessere dein SpielDiese Einführung in das Pathfinder-Rollenspiel bietet dir alle wichtigen Grundlagen, um in eine We

www.ulisses-ebooks.de

 

[Zehnseiter]

Well it looks like that a number of games will might join the ORC. Ulisse Spiele just announced in their twitch stream that they are talking with their lawyers for a way to make the ORC compatible with German laws so that the can bring their lines into it.

We are talking here about Torg, Fading Suns. The dark Eye and also their German only lines Hexxen 1733 and Die schwarze Katze (The black Cat a The dark Eye spin-off system)

 

[overgeeked]

Well it looks like that a number of games will might join the ORC. Ulisse Spiele just announced in their twitch stream that they are talking with their layers for way to make the ORC compatible with German laws so that the can bring their lines into it.

We are talking here about Torg, Fading Suns. The dark Eye and also their German only lines Hexxen 1733 and Die schwarze Katze (The black Cat a The dark Eye spin-off system)

That's awesome.

 

[mhd]

Well it looks like that a number of games will might join the ORC. Ulisse Spiele just announced in their twitch stream that they are talking with their lawyers for a way to make the ORC compatible with German laws so that the can bring their lines into it.

Wait, what? Now that's a surprise. As far as I know they never made any reasonable moves towards the OGL. Yeah, they have a wiki for the current Dark Eye rules, but that's rather cut down content, you couldn't make open source character generators etc. (Their own DM's Guild setup excepted)

I mean, they don't have to fear that much, as the fanbase is really tied to the setting, so you couldn't run into a Pathfinder type scenario. But still, rather unexpected. Gives me hope that Chaosium, too, will work with an unmodified ORC.

 

[glass]

The deeply, deeply depressing thing about the fandom is that they 100% absolutely WILL lose customers over something so petty.

Enjoyment is idiosyncratic, and the most unlikely things can detract from it. Probably best not to get too judgemental about it.

 

[Zehnseiter]

Now the official statement from Ulisses on their homepage

Offizielle Ankündigung: Ulisses und die ORC - Ulisses Spiele

Hallo lieber Pen & Paper Fan, die Unruhe, die seit 14 Tagen in der Rollenspiel-Community auf Grund der Ereignisse rund um die OGL- und ORC-Lizenzankündigungen herrscht, wird dir wahrscheinlich nicht entgangen sein. Falls doch, findest du im Video alle notwendigen Informationen, um dir zumindest...

ulisses-spiele.de

It so far only in German language but google translate always helps. I found that part highly interesting (translated by google):

"Ulisses Spiele has also decided to join this movement, which serves the well-being of the entire Pen & Paper community. We will do our part to ensure that the ORC also works under German law and translate it into legal German if necessary (this all depends on what our lawyers say). Ulisses Spiele will pay for all costs incurred as a result and then make the ORC available to all German publishers, content creators and interested parties."

That a way deeper comitment then I expected. And as Ulisses is the biggest German RPG publisher it stands to reason that other German publishers might follow.