New SRD-based rules system...GORE...by Goblinoid Games

[Goblinoid Games]

Hi all,

I hope it's ok to post this here, but I thought it would be of interest. My small publishing company has written a free game system book, GORE, which is based heavily on the RuneQuest SRDs. It is more-or-less a complete game, but can be used as a reference for additional rules for MRQ. It is actually mainly meant as a resource for publishers first and for players second. Here is the official announcement...

Goblinoid Games announces the release of GORE, the Generic Old-school Role-playing Engine, a free role-playing game system with a free license for third-party publishers.

GORE uses Open Game Content and uniquely presents algorithms from 80s role-playing games to produce a generic role-playing system in the tradition of old-school games. GORE follows a trend that's been going on within the last few years in pen-and-paper games, that is, making material available to publishers to encourage competition and the contribution of high-quality gaming material to the market.

All new presentation in GORE is Product Identity, but Goblinoid Games provides a free license to use this material to produce third-party products that are compatible not just with GORE, but also with any of several old-school games using a percentile-based system with similar algorithms.

Visit the website for GORE here (also able to download):

www.goblinoidgames.com/gore.htm

GORE can be downloaded at RPGnow.com here:

http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=20914&

 

[Rurik]

Am I mistaken or is that a resistence table I see?

Looks nice; I'll have to give it a closer look when I have time.

 

[Goblinoid Games]

Actually, it is an "Opposition Table." :wink:

 

[Yoda300]

Oh my ! It's a mine of house rules.
There's the opposition table, which I definitely miss in MRQ.
There's a table for approximative equivalence between SIZ and height and mass.
There's a table for serious wounds sequels.
Augmenting your POW is the old way.

The spells are D&D like.

 

[Rurik]

Actually, it is an "Opposition Table." :wink:

My bad.

 

[Goblinoid Games]

No problem Rurik

Yes, you'll find that the spells get most of their names from the WotC SRD, but their effects have been modified, some more radical than others. You won't find resurrection, or Fire ball, etc, mostly lower magic.

 

[GianniVacca]

Nice booklet. As a big fan of the Basic Role-Playing System, I find it clear and concise -- yet it covers pretty much everything needed for basic games.

 

[Magistus]

I am curious why you are using the WOTC Open License?

 

[Goblinoid Games]

Hi Magistus,

I'm not sure I understand the question exactly. The SRDs I used, including the ones from Mongoose, are distributed under the OGL from WotC, so this is what I used.

 

[Magistus]

While reading this fine file, I actually happened to read the Open Source License, and noticed it was the same as used for D20, and I was curious why. But just today I happened to look at the one Mongoose is using for RuneQuest and see it's the same one. Now I am just curious why use the Open Source License that WOTC created instead of using one specific to RuneQuest or one not used by the D20 system.

So in short this appears to be a question for Mongoose Publishing now.

 

[Goblinoid Games]

That's a good question, and I can only speculate really. The way it was done with the Mongoose SRDS, it looks like are saying that their material is based on the Modern d20 SRD. They may have done that only so they can use the OGL, or for other reasons. One benefit of using the OGL from WotC is that it is a legal document that already exists.

IMO anyway.

 

[iamtim]

Because in the RPG "industry" it is the most prevalent open license. It's not only used by D20 and RuneQuest, but by the Action System, Fudge, Castles & Crusades, True20, and pretty much any supplement for any of those systems.

By using the OGL, RuneQuest publishers (such as Seraphim Guard, Otherworld Creations, and Ronin Press) can tap into the mass of content already available under the OGL and use it in their products. If Mongoose had used another license, that option would not be available.

 

[Goblinoid Games]

If Mongoose had used another license, that option would not be available.

Only if the one license prohibited the use of another license, right? I don't see a reason why someone couldn't use open game content from different OGC licenses unless specifically prohibited. One would just have to apply both to the material.

IMO

 

[iamtim]

Right.

But you can't use Open Game Content under the OGL unless you release your product under the OGL.

As far as using multiple licenses... I don't know. I'd contact a lawyer, 'cuz I ain't one.

 

[Exubae]

Aren't these open game licenses a waste of space they only seem to re-inforce ownership of the text not the rules them selves?
Ok, game worlds are protected by ip but not rules.

So other than using the SRD 'owners' logo as a selling point do they mean anything?

 

[simonh]

I think using the WOTC OGS is a completely sensible choice. It means that anyone who is already familiar with the OGL from WOTC products, or any of the many other products that sue the OGL can be confident that they aren't goign to et caught out by any obscure legal 'gotchas' in a new license. It's a familiar legal framework that is know to work, so why spend a fortune on lawyers to draw up an alternative?

 

[Exubae]

Kind of related -
Chaosium have just released BRP on Drive Thru for a couple of Dollars... which was if I remember RQ3 without Glorantha...
Could be they're gearing up for the new edition of BRP.
Which isn't OGL... but pretty compatible with MRQ...

 

[Goblinoid Games]

So other than using the SRD 'owners' logo as a selling point do they mean anything?

These are separate issues. Once an SRD is released as Open Game Content, it can be used freely under the Open Game License. This does not grant any other use of material, including logos and trademarks.

This is why you need a separate license to grant those rights. As to it reinforcing ownership of text, it's true that algorithms cannot be "owned," but their expression can be. So making certain terms and rules expression Open Game Content, or otherwise licensed, allows people to make specific references without danger of being sued. The licenses grant permission, under certain circumstances, for their use.

Keep in mind this is all my interpretation, and I am not a lawyer. I have however had legal councel in this matter, not that it makes me an expert.

 

[Exubae]

Ok... What is stopping me from taking say MRQ, rewording it, altering the layout, changing spell names, etc then releasing it as my own game with my own OGL?

MRQ, Gore, Runequest, are all takes on the BRP... the OGL just seems crazy, what exactly is it protecting or allowing?

 

[iamtim]

algorithms cannot be "owned," but their expression can be

Exactly. Adding a modifier to the roll of a twenty sided die and trying to achieve a result greater than a given number cannot be owned in and of iteself, but the literal string "Attempt to beat the Difficulty Class by rolling 1d20 and adding your Attribute modifier" can be.

The OGL allows you to use the latter as-is without having to re-word the concept itself in a way that doesn't infringe on ownership.