Possibilites for a non WotC Open Source Game?

[glass]

I know of three open systems other than d20. They are the Action! System, the Iridium System, and FUDGE. There may be a 4th, but I didn't catch the name.

Is Dominium still around?


glass.

 

[mythusmage]

Is Dominium still around?


glass.

That might be it.

Update: Nope, not it. But the Dominium Rules License is still available. Or you can get the PDF.. There's more stuff available on this page. The rules can be downloaded via this page

The game I was thinking of turns out to be Four Color alFresco A superhero RPG set in Renaissance Italy. This game was released under the October Open Gaming License, but is now released under Wizard's OGL and a Creative Commons license (depending on which you prefer to use.)

So with Phil's Vs. System rd that makes it 6 open systems that I know of. Any more out there?

Almost forgot. I have run across indie-games released under a Creative Commons license. Don't know if such exactly qualify as open however.

Update: Guess what I found? The same folks that brought you Four Color alFresco also bring you their version of a revised d20SRD. You can find links to the books on this page. I'm off to find more open gaming stuff.

 

[kenobi65]

In order for a non-d20 system to catch on it would first have to be connected with a product that attracts an audience. And I have yet to see any RPG that does that well. Even D&D draws more thanks to reputation than presentation.

I'd have to agree with that. IMO, the reason for any success of OGL products has been the ability to (in theory) attract players of what is, by far, the largest RPG franchise out there. While there are undoubtedly romantics who just love the idea of the Open License, I don't think OGL would have been particularly successful if it hadn't been linked to D&D.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Well What I think will happen is:

As you have suggested WoTC will come out with 4th ed that will be closed content.

For the record, I don't think so. (Far be it from me to understand why certain decisions are made at a corporate level, however...)

They have seen the amount of money they could have made in 3/3.5 on all the suplements published by third-party publishers.

WOTC didn't want that business to begin with. HASBRO doesn't want that business.

Imagine for a moment a wildly successful 3rd party product that sells 10,000 units-- a hardcover priced at $40. The publisher sees $16 of that cover price.

Believe me, WOTC isn't kicking themselves over $160,000 in "lost" revenues.

Keep in mind this estimate is not only wildly generous, it doesn't even factor in the cost of producing the product. Just a very generous, gross-income kind of estimate.

Many publisher will continue to publish stuff for 3.5 after 4th ed comes out. A couple of the larger thirdparty publishers will try to launch a new games with big plans and fail while WoTC will mop up with 4th ed.

4th edition will be Open, WOTC will indeed mop up, and 3rd party publishers will still squabble over the supplements market like carrion crows.

The larger 3rd party publishers will launch big new games that will not fail-- just that they will only "succeed" by the current definition of "barely scraping by in a market that no sane person will try to make a living at."

Sadly, RPG Publishing is just not a good career choice for responsible grown-ups.

 

[Henry]

Sadly, RPG Publishing is just not a good career choice for responsible grown-ups.

Can I quote that? It would go great with Monte's line about d20.

 

[philreed]

Sadly, RPG Publishing is just not a good career choice for responsible grown-ups.

I always thought I was irresponsible.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

I always thought I was irresponsible.

Don't focus so much on the "responsible" part as much as the "good" part of "career choice."

 

[Ranger REG]

The Action! System is not well known. Nor is the Iridium system, and it has the further drawback of being a bit too busy for its own good. Fudge has the problem of being the Linux of RPG systems. A good tool kit, but to do anything with it you need to put the kit together.

Well, anyone who knows the Fuzion System will immediately recognize the Action! System engine. It has potential, it just needed more exposure, like D&D did for d20.

If FUDGE is to Linux, what d20/SRD is to?

 

[mythusmage]

If FUDGE is to Linux, what d20/SRD is to?

DOS

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

DOS

Mmm...good. I always liked DOS. I'm only just finally getting used to this damn GUI thing, and I've been using it since Apple IIGS.