The news regarding the changes to the Open Gaming License for Dungeons & Dragons it was a huge mess for Hasbro, Wizards of the Coast and D&D. Many other companies have used this opportunity to build goodwill with the community. Paizo, the company behind it Explorer which many believe to be the main focus of the changes OGL recently announced a system-independent open RPG license called the Open RPG Creative License, or ORC. The key parts of ORC are that it is designed to be open, perpetual, and irrevocable!
You can, and should, read Paizo’s entire blog post, but in short, they don’t believe Wizards of the Coast can “decommission” OGL 1.0, and are willing to fight in court about it. He also talks about how ORC is designed to allow any game publisher to participate with “their own unique open rules reference documents” for creators to use. The thought process behind ORC is as follows:
We believe, as we always have, that open play makes games better, increases profitability for all involved, and enriches the community of gamers who participate in this great hobby.
It’s important to note that ORC won’t be owned by an RPG company, but rather by Azora Law, an intellectual property law firm representing several publishers, including Paizo. The idea is that this will provide greater safety and security of the ORC and prevent a similar debacle as is now happening with the OGL. It’s also exciting that Paizo isn’t starting ORC himself. Rather, Chaosium, Kobold Press, Legendary Games and others have already agreed ORC with Paizo.
Other notable notes include the fact that Paizo will continue to release Explorer And Star finder products and many upcoming products will still claim to be published under OGL 1.0(a) because they are in print and the ORC has not been finalized. So, there will be products released without any license and then when the ORC is finalized, the products will list it. If you go to Paizo’s shop and use the code OpenGaming during checkout, you will get 25% discount on the purchase of Core Rulebook, Core Rulebook Pocket Edition and Pathfinder Beginner Box.
by Tommy Williams
Source: Geek Tyrant
Lloyd Grunewald is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. He is a talented writer who focuses on bringing the latest entertainment-related news to his readers. With a deep understanding of the entertainment industry and a passion for writing, Lloyd delivers engaging articles that keep his readers informed and entertained.
