Runequest Publishing Question

[olivier legrand]

Hi !

I'd like to know if the Open Content / OGL aspect of the Runequest rules would allow an individual or company to publish a simplified, generic and revisited version of the RQ system under another title and including variant or alternate rules - ie something along the lines of Green Ronin's "True 20" or Mob United Media's "Quick 20" but based on the RQ engine).

If so, would there be special restrictions / conditions to take into account, including for the name of the product (should its name make it readily identifiable as a RQ spin-off etc etc) ?

 

[Magistus]

That has sorta been done by Goblinoid Games with the GORE rules.

http://www.goblinoidgames.com/gore.htm

 

[olivier legrand]

That has sorta been done by Goblinoid Games with the GORE rules.

http://www.goblinoidgames.com/gore.htm

GORE is a de-Cthulhuified version of the old CoC rules and it's not really the kind of thing I had in mind (hence my True20 / Quick20 analogy). So if publishing something like this based on the RQ system (but with simplified and even modified rules) is indeed possible, is there any restriction or obligation regarding title, credits etc etc ? Can the blurb of the book say something like : "Based on the Runequest system" or is such mention precisely forbidden / restricted etc etc ?

 

[medievaladventures]

The most accurate answer to the question is:

Retain an intellectual property lawyer and follow his counsel.

However, a quick non-attorney response is that the OGL requires you to include its text in full with the "credit" being handled in the copyright section. If you are marketing it as a RuneQuest product you'll need to do the separate license for that which is also free.

 

[Magistus]

GORE is a de-Cthulhuified version of the old CoC rules and it's not really the kind of thing I had in mind (hence my True20 / Quick20 analogy). So if publishing something like this based on the RQ system (but with simplified and even modified rules) is indeed possible, is there any restriction or obligation regarding title, credits etc etc ? Can the blurb of the book say something like : "Based on the Runequest system" or is such mention precisely forbidden / restricted etc etc ?

Looks at the GORE system again you will notice it is mostly the SRD rules for MRQ.

 

[olivier legrand]

Looks at the GORE system again you will notice it is mostly the SRD rules for MRQ.

Uh... there are a few things I identify as MRQ-inspired (ie the damage bonus for instance) but unless I'm mistaken the elements lifted from the old BRP or CoC rules are far more numerous (ie the list of skills, their base chances etc) than the ones taken from MRQ - but hey, that's not really important.

Getting back to my initial question, does this mean that anyone can publish something which would borrow ideas (and even whole rules) from the MRQ SRD and mix them with different rules to produce "something else" (ie something that would not be a "Runequest product") ? If anyone could provide me with a clear / official answer on this (including "Do's" and "Dont's", this would be much appreciated.

 

[medievaladventures]

Getting back to my initial question, does this mean that anyone can publish something which would borrow ideas (and even whole rules) from the MRQ SRD and mix them with different rules to produce "something else" (ie something that would not be a "Runequest product") ? If anyone could provide me with a clear / official answer on this (including "Do's" and "Dont's", this would be much appreciated.

There are two ways to do this:

1. Use the SRD as your base and then modify rules and add new rules to the SRD. This work would be a derivative work under traditional copyright law and be forbidden. However, the OGL allows you to create derivative works as long as your work adheres to the rest of the OGL requirements which require including the OGL licensing information and making those derivative sections open game content.

2. Take the game mechanics of the game and don't use the SRD. The mechanics of a game are not protected by copyright. However, this runs a risk of the company whose work you relied upon filing a court action against you. It costs money to sort disputes out, so you could be out considerable money defending yourself against the claim.

Check out Wizards FAQ's on the OGL license for more answers:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/oglfaq/20040123f

Which brings me back to the best answer:

Retain an intellectual property lawyer and follow his counsel.

 

[olivier legrand]

Which brings me back to the best answer: Retain an intellectual property lawyer and follow his counsel.

Okay, thanks for the advice !

 

[Goblinoid Games]

I'm not a lawyer either, so take this advice with a grain of salt. The MRQ OGC is released under the OGL, so you have to follow all the usual rules of the OGL. This means you cannot indicate compatibility with Runequest without some special license from Mongoose, and their license, if I recall, specifically forbids indicating compatibility if your product is a complete game.

Other than that, I don't see why you couldn't create a simple rpg system based on the MRQ SRDs just like other people have for the WotC SRDs, assuming you follow the rules of the OGL and don't infringe on anyone's IP or copyright.

I hope this helps.

 

[olivier legrand]

Other than that, I don't see why you couldn't create a simple rpg system based on the MRQ SRDs just like other people have for the WotC SRDs, assuming you follow the rules of the OGL and don't infringe on anyone's IP or copyright. I hope this helps.

Well that was EXACTLY what I had in mind.

I've read the OGL but to be frank all the judicial technicalities (combined to the fact that English is not my native language) leave me a few doubts here and there.

And the last thing I want is to infringe on anybody's copyright or anything like this. I wonder if Mongoose would accept to take a look at such a game (once it is written and before it is published) and tell me "this is OK, this is not' (on a legal, OGL-ey perspective) so that I can be sure my product wouldn't cause/have any problems...

 

[medievaladventures]

I wonder if Mongoose would accept to take a look at such a game (once it is written and before it is published) and tell me "this is OK, this is not' (on a legal, OGL-ey perspective) so that I can be sure my product wouldn't cause/have any problems...

See below.

Mongoose Publishing is (finally) reading to begin distributing the RuneQuest Developer's Kit, including the full Open Content SRD of the main rulebook. Parties interested in producing material for the new RuneQuest system should contact me at msprange@mongoosepublishing.com