This is great news. I am so happy to see publishers opening up their rulesets to 3rd parties to publish games using their rules. I think this is great for the hobby writ large.
[Call of Cthulhu and RuneQuest rules become free for anyone to make their own RPGs with under new D&D OGL rival | Dicebreaker](https://www.dicebreaker.com/companies/chaosium/news/basic-roleplaying-open-rpg-creative-licence-call-of-cthulhu-runequest) |
The roleplaying system that powers seminal horror RPG Call of Cthulhu and classic fantasy game RuneQuest is being opened up to allow anyone to freely make their own tabletop RPGs based on its ruleset.
Though there is part of me that worried we wouldn’t make it to this space at all. In late March the furor and consternation around the changes to the Open Gaming License from Wizards of the Coast seem over for now though during those weeks in January I felt like I was trapped in a gelatinous cube. I remember watching the discourse online as the D&D Beyond articles dropped covering changes to the OGL (see below), and then watching the community response (see far below) with consternation. I didn’t know the ending at the time, though it brought into stark light how much I connected my hobby and my game (which brought such value to my life) with this company that had shareholders, budgets, and corporate goals. I don’t begrudge Wizards in making a profit (everyone deserves a living wage) though I did need to break away my D&D game from Wizards; the painter does not connect their artwork solely to their paintbrush. D&D is a toolset that we use to tell stories and we always have that toolset no matter what happens. There is of course nuance to the situation(s) at everyone’s table though I am finding some peace in focusing on the rules at my table and not what is going on at the D&D mothership (I am now looking to do a LOT more home-brew as a result too.)
Original OGL Posts from D&D Beyond:
- An Update on the Open Game License (OGL) - Posts - D&D Beyond
- A Working Conversation About the Open Game License (OGL) - Posts - D&D Beyond
- OGL 1.2: Where to Find the Latest Information, Plus FAQs - Posts - D&D Beyond
- OGL 1.0a & Creative Commons - Posts - D&D Beyond
Below is a list of articles about Wizards of the Coast and the OGL changes during the times leading up to the ruleset being released into the Creative Commons.
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[Beware the Gifts of Dragons: How D&D’s Open Gaming License May Have Become a Trap for Creators Electronic Frontier Foundation](https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/01/beware-gifts-dragons-how-dds-open-gaming-license-may-have-become-trap-creators) -
[RPG fans irate as D&D tries to shut its “open” game license Ars Technica](https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/01/rpg-fans-irate-as-dd-tries-to-shut-its-open-game-license/) -
[Dungeons & Dragons content creators are fighting to protect their livelihoods TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2023/01/12/dungeons-and-dragons-ogl-wizards-of-the-coast/) -
Dungeons and Dragons Is Jeopardizing Its Greatest Strength: Its Ubiquity
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‘People are leaving the game’: Dungeons & Dragons fans revolt against new restrictions
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An Update on the Open Game License (OGL) - Posts - D&D Beyond
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A Working Conversation About the Open Game License (OGL) - Posts - D&D Beyond
- OGL 1.2: Where to Find the Latest Information, Plus FAQs - Posts - D&D Beyond