RPG Systems that are Free to use?

[werescythe]

So there have been a few times during my young adult life, I have wanted to create a tabletop rpg game. And after several attempts I have come to the conclusion that it isn't so much the system(s) that appeal to me as it is the world-building and lore that I enjoy creating.

So I thought I might ask if any of you know of any RPG systems that are free to use and modify without the fear of being arrested.

[Arbane]

So there have been a few times during my young adult life, I have wanted to create a tabletop rpg game. And after several attempts I have come to the conclusion that it isn't so much the system(s) that appeal to me as it is the world-building and lore that I enjoy creating.

So I thought I might ask if any of you know of any RPG systems that are free to use and modify without the fear of being arrested.

Well, for starters, there's the 'd20' thing that was popular a decade or so ago.... :smallbiggrin:

(Semi-seriously, it's not possible to copyright a dice-rolling system. Otherwise, everyone who's written an OSR game would be doing hard time.)

The Open Gaming Network (http://opengamingnetwork.com/) has OSR wikis for over a dozen RPGs. And there's lots more out there.

[werescythe]

Well, for starters, there's the 'd20' thing that was popular a decade or so ago.... :smallbiggrin:

(Semi-seriously, it's not possible to copyright a dice-rolling system. Otherwise, everyone who's written an OSR game would be doing hard time.)

The Open Gaming Network (http://opengamingnetwork.com/) has OSR wikis for over a dozen RPGs. And there's lots more out there.

So if I used the D20 system for a game I was designed and began to sell the game to make a profit, I would be fine?:smallconfused:

[Arbane]

So if I used the D20 system for a game I was designed and began to sell the game to make a profit, I would be fine?:smallconfused:

There's a bunch of rules you need to follow (which I am not qualified to comment on), but if Pathfinder can make an entire system out of the d20 OSR, so can you.

But consider: Does the world really NEED another "D&D, but ________" game?

[Knaight]

So if I used the D20 system for a game I was designed and began to sell the game to make a profit, I would be fine?:smallconfused:

That's literally the point of the OGL, along with other licenses like Creative Commons (albeit much more broadly) - both of which are pretty common on RPGs, with the OGL being used much more broadly than just D&D. Off the top of my head Fudge, Fate, Dramasystem, and WR&M all use at least one of these, and that's without getting into the whole status of mechanics as unavailable for copyright.

That said if you're interested in world building and lore I might suggest a system which isn't so incredibly crunchy. If playing around with mechanics was your jam it would be a better (but not necessarily good) option - as is though, give Fudge a look.

[Pleh]

So if I used the D20 system for a game I was designed and began to sell the game to make a profit, I would be fine?:smallconfused:

It's a lot more complicated than just that. If you were looking to profit, best advice is to hire a lawyer to help you (preferably one who is familiar with this kind of work and the laws that govern it).

Angry DM did a great article on it (https://theangrygm.com/save-vs-lawsuit-how-to-publish-dd-content/) where he explained the basic rule of thumb is (paraphrasing) "use anything in the OGL/SRD completely free as long as you copy/paste the license notice into your work" (even if you are customizing content from the OGL/SRD). BUT you have to be careful, because wizards has openly licensed the SYSTEM, but not their BRAND. If you created a module for a game using D&D 3.5, you can't say it's for D&D 3.5 anywhere in the work unless you ask WotC for special permission (which they might require half your royalties). You can include an Orc with all the stats published in its MM entry (if you include the OGL license somewhere), but you can't just tell the reader where you got it (as that might be an illegal use of their brand to sell your product).That's where Angry's friend got into trouble. He followed the OGL to the letter, but in trying to inform players what system his game wanted to use, he had violated copyright.

There are sometimes ways around this, but again, if you are serious about making money off an OGL game you've made, it's probably worth hiring a professional to help you guard yourself in case they decide to make a claim (because even if you're in the right by law, they might try to make a case that you're not anyway). Most people around here (myself included) are lay opinions and are not lawyers familiar with IP laws.

[Rhedyn]

The Savage Worlds Fan license is free, but your resultant work is free too.

They are starting up an adventure guild (like 5e's DMs guild) if you want a free/easy license and also be able to sell work.

The biggest restriction on the licences is that whatever you make must require the core rulebook.

[kyoryu]

Fate has incredibly permissive licensing.

Pretty much "stick a Powered by Fate logo on your product and include some boilerplate". They don't even require you to use OGL (though you can), so you don't have to open your content.

http://www.faterpg.com/licensing/

FUDGE is also available through OGL, though that is a "viral" license.

[Arbane]

One common workaround for the 'can't say the name' thing is to say your book is 'fully compatible with the 3.5th edition of The World's Most Popular RPG!' or similar.

[DonEsteban]

Apocalypse World has the very lenient "Powered by the Apocalypse" policy. Read more about it here: http://apocalypse-world.com/pbta/policy
It has been quite successful. It's also much easier to recreate and adapt than, say, d20.

[Knaight]

FUDGE is also available through OGL, though that is a "viral" license.

It's available through some other licenses too. The OGL is just preferred at the moment because it's a bit of an industry standard, and as such often works a bit better then a CC license or similar, or the specific licenses of individual systems (which applies to Fudge in particular, given that Grey Ghost Press has never been awash in lawyer money for system writing).

On the other hand, Grey Ghost Press is super chill about other people using Fudge even for commercial products, and Ann Dupuis (the person in charge of it, and basically half the company) will give approval and generally even support to basically anything done with that actually goes anywhere.

[kyoryu]

Apocalypse World has the very lenient "Powered by the Apocalypse" policy. Read more about it here: http://apocalypse-world.com/pbta/policy
It has been quite successful. It's also much easier to recreate and adapt than, say, d20.

PbtA is also a very good chassis to use as a base. The work to be done is pretty obvious and usually self-contained enough to make it a reasonable small project platform.

[Arbane]

PbtA is also a very good chassis to use as a base. The work to be done is pretty obvious and usually self-contained enough to make it a reasonable small project platform.

If all you know is D&Dish games, Apocalypse-style ones can be hard to wrap your head around at first, though.

[kyoryu]

If all you know is D&Dish games, Apocalypse-style ones can be hard to wrap your head around at first, though.

Any narrative system, really. Fate, BW, etc., but yeah.

(I even wrote a whole thing about learning Fate coming from a "traditional" background - more GURPS than D&D, though.)

[Lorsa]

Eclipse Phase is free to use, and you can freely get all the pdf's online. If you can't find them for some reason, I could send them to you without any legal issues.

[Anonymouswizard]

Fate has incredibly permissive licensing.

Pretty much "stick a Powered by Fate logo on your product and include some boilerplate". They don't even require you to use OGL (though you can), so you don't have to open your content.

http://www.faterpg.com/licensing/

Looking at their explanation you don't need a Powered by Fate logo. The PbF logo seems to be a way of clearly marking on your book 'uses Fate', the actual logo is on a seperate licence.

I do like how Fate is CC-BY though, it makes it significantly easier to use. I'm considering writing a game which uses Fate as it's core, and I love that I have the option to include the actual Fate rules via Creative Commons instead of OGL.


Eclipse Phase is free to use, and you can freely get all the pdf's online. If you can't find them for some reason, I could send them to you without any legal issues.

EP is CC-BY-NC-SA, which is important to note.

Unlike CC-BY, which has the primary requirement of giving credit to the original creators, CC-BY-NC-SA also states that you can't make any money off derivative products, and that any derivatives must be under a CC-BY-NC-SA licence.

[shawnhcorey]

If you want a D20 system, consider Basic Fantasy (https://www.basicfantasy.org/).