Openquest SRD released!

Today the Openquest SRD was released by Newt of D101 Games. Openquest is an D100 RPG based on the open content of the Legends RPG released by Mongoose. It has a small but growing community of fans behind it.

A D100 OGL Carol

Appreciate the feed back on a A tale of two OGLs. During the various discussions I reviewed the various D100 based System reference Documents that Mongoose put out.

And there is an issue.

A recap to understand my next point.

Mongoose has released open content for a RPG using d100 mechanics in three products.

• The Runequest System Reference Document. 2006
• D100 II System Reference Document, 2011
• Legend Core Rulebook, 2011

In the Open Game License Section 7 reads

7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that Product Identity. 

You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity.

The issue

Per section 7 not only you can't cite compatibility with a trademark, since trademark are also consider product identity, a strict interpretation means you can't use the trademark as part of the text. Since Mongoose lost their license to the trademark Runequest they can't grant a license to use it as part of open content.

The Runequest System Reference Document

Fails the compatibility test by having Runequest as part of the title, and fails the use of product identity test by referencing Runequest numerous times in the text.

The D100 II System Reference Document

Does not mention Runequest at all until Section 15. Which also the very last bit of text in the SRD. D100 II SRD cites three release by Mongoose. The Runequest System Reference Document, the Runequest Companion System Reference Document, and the Runequest Monsters System Reference.

Shades of Gray vs Crystal Clear

The reason to make this distinction is that if you want to publish something using open content without the advice of attorney then the open content has to be crystal clear. A major point of the OGL is make it easy for people to understand they are allowed to use.

The first SRD, the Runequest System Reference Document, clearly has issues in whether it crystal clear to use it open content. The second one, the D100 II System Reference Document, was a lot harder a call on.  It Section 15 "using Product Identity or citing compatibility" as Section 7 state? 

The common sense answer is doesn't violate either provisions. There is an issue that the presence of the three citations means that the open content of the D100 II SRD is based on part on the open content of three documents that Mongoose no longer has the license to give permission to use. Thus tainting the open content of the D100 II SRD despite it not using any of Runequest or Glorantha IP and being Mongoose's original work. 

However luckily for fans of D100 RPGs, the open content of Legends has none of the above issues. And with the core rulebook having been expanded with the open content of the "Legend of" series, you are not missing out on anything found in 

Gore and OpenQuest

The Gore RPG by Dan Proctor along with OpenQuest and OpenQuest II by Net Newport both cite one or more of the Runequest SRDs. In the long run they may to be fixed by only using the open content of the Legend RPG. 

Wrapping it up

Upon reflection, if I was in Chaosium shoes I would have an issue with the original Runequest System Reference Document. Trademarks are valuable and with it being part of the title in the text would cause numerous issues with dealing with third parties.

I think complaining or taking legal action is going out on a limb with the D100 II SRD. Runequest not referenced in the title or the main body of the text. The only part where Runequest makes an appearance is in Section 15. Going after folks that used the D100 II SRD just make Chaosium look like bullies.

I recommend for future projects based on the D100 mechanics is to use the open content of the Legend Core Rulebook, and to the various Legend of  line for additional content. That way it is crystal clear. 

If you have any doubts then please consult an IP attorney. However just be aware you may have to walk them through what open content and what open content licenses are. IP attorneys first instinct is to give advice that either protect your material to greatest extent allowed by law, or to protect from any possibility of lawsuits. 

The key question I found to be useful is "This is my understanding of what this means, and this is what I want to do. I am correct? Or am I missing something?". I consulted with an attorney prior to publishing as Bat in the Attic Games as I was starting out as a licensee of Judges Guild and also using the open content of Swords and Wizardry

How not to design a RPG

Since their successful Runequest Classic kickstarter, Chaosium has been working on a new edition of Runequest. This editions is built on Runequest and is designed to support the Glorantha setting the same way Runequest 2 did. Yesterday they formally announced the new name which will be Runequest: Roleplaying in Glorantha.

As part of this effort Chaosium has released a series of designers note.
Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Overall I applaud this project. It is a bit of downside that the folks at the The Design Mechanism are not involved due to creative differences but they are still in business and writing excellent material for the renamed Runequest 6, Mythras.

By now I am sure you are asking what this has to do with how not to design an RPG. While reading Part 2 I noticed this section

The RuneQuest percentage skills character sheet elegantly serves non-combat roleplaying through these two important design rules:

RPG Design Rule a: "If it's not in the rules, it's not in the gameplay." [ie, player knows it's not an important thing to think about]

RPG Design Rule b: "If, in a scenario crisis, a player can't find problem-solving tools on their character sheet, they won't look elsewhere for them." [ie, When players are flummoxed, they look to their character sheets for inspiration. And they won't be inspired to use any tool they don't find there.]

I strongly disagree that the above are two important design rules for a RPG. In fact they are bad design because theylimit the flexibility that is one of the primary strength of a given RPG.

Consider this what is the point of a RPG? Over the year I have come to the conclusion that is not to play a set of rules in the way that we play chess, backgammon, Risk, Panzerblitz, Axis & Allies, etc, etc. Rather the point of tabletop roleplaying to experience a campaign by playing a character interacting with a setting where the action is adjudicated by a human referee. The rule are an a tool to facilitate this.

And to be clear,  while I contend playing the rules may not be the point of tabletop roleplaying, which set of rules is an important personal preference, and referees find certain sets of rule work better with the way they run tabletop rpg campaign. Both directly impact the enjoyment of the campaign.

The first point made in Chaosium's post was that if it not in the rules it is not part of the gameplay. When it comes to tabletop roleplaying campaign, it is the setting that defines and limits what the character can and not to do. If the rules and the setting conflict it is the rules that need to bend. If the rules don't cover something that the character could reasonably do within the setting then it is the referee job to figure out how to adjudicate. Never say "Well it not the rules". This is especially pertinent to Glorantha which has DECADES of background details about how it does and does not work.

The second point is way off the mark. In my 30 years of tabletop roleplaying when I run into the situation where the players ONLY look to their character sheet for solution is because the referee is browbeat them into thinking that if it is not in the rules it can't be done. I always been a referee that said roleplay first, we will figure out what you need to roll second.*

I think the authors behind the new Runequest need to think long and hard about their approach if they believe the above two are true. My advice is to focus writing good tools to allow players to experience Stafford's Glorantha as various characters. To remember that anything they write will never cover everything that is possible in Glorantha.  Especially considering the mythic nature of the setting.

So D100 (Runequest, Legend,BRP) or Fudge/Fate?

I have two issues with GURPS first is the comparative lack of ready made content and second the comparative lack of a third party publishing program. Now to be clear about this I inserted the work comparative because GURPS does have ready made material, and does work with third parties. The problem is that for both those areas alternatives are not just easier to work with they are a lot easier to work with. 

So why D100 and Fudge? Because both are skill based systems with options for detailed combat, and featured extensive character customization. Well suited for how I run my campaigns. Both have open license that I can choose to take advantage of. And both have a sizable audience as far as RPGs goes.

This this the way I feel about the two at the moment and note I haven't had the opportunity to put these two games to the test.

D100

Basic Roleplaying, Runequest 6, Legend, and OpenQuest are all close relatives. All feature a large library of creatures, NPCs, magic, and items. The work is coming up with religions/cults that fit my Majestic Wilderlands along with deciding which of the myriad options for magic to use.

Fudge/Fate

This is a system with a growing audience. The game simple mechanic allows for a large range of results at various level of details. Like GURPS it primarily a toolkit to make your own game. And it a lot closer to how GURPS work than D100 is. Which makes sense given the origins of the game and its initial community. At first I wasn't sure I wanted to deal with another toolkit RPG after my years with GURPS and Hero System. 

But as I collected material and kept at reading and rereading the rules I am impressed with how it all hangs together. Compared to D100 I have to put a lot more work implementing it for my Majestic Wilderlands. If I use it the result would be game more "crunchy" then how most people I read play Fate or Fudge. And will it probably be more Fudge than Fate.

Open Gaming

In Fudge Dice terms both are +0 to each other. How much more open can you get with Legends or OpenQuest? With Legends it doesn't stop with the core rulebook either. The Fudge and Fate SRD are available as well as a lot of third party products with varying degrees of open licenses.

Ah hell I just might work with both given time. So what your thoughts?

Runequest is dead, Long live Wayfarer

Mongoose has announced that they are dropping the agreement with Issaries for Runequest. However they are not abandoning the d100 system they developed with Runequest II. They intend to drop the Runequest references and release it as Wayfarers. There is a thread on their board devoted to the topic.

Gloranthan Classics on RPGNow!

Issaries has released their multi-volume series of Gloranthan Classics on RPGNow. I am getting a copy of Griffin Mountain myself. I have vague memories of it and given my interest in sandbox campaigns I wanted to pick a copy. The cover isn't as cool as the original tho.

Runequest 2nd edition questions

Does Runequest really cause this amount of amputations? There were over a half dozen plus one PC getting a leg smashed. Luckily the PC had Healing 6 but still. The rule states that if a limb take more than 6 over the amount of hit point it is severed or irrevocably crippled. For example arm with 4 hit points will be severed if it takes 10 points of damage. Part of this was due that one of the players had a pole ax doing 3d6 or so damage.


My second question is that when you fire a missle weapons what defense the target gets? I know that if the target moves the skill is reduced by 1/4 and if the target is actively dodging the skill is reduced by a further 1/2. So moving and doding mens 1/4 skill.

Also I am not getting how movement and strike ranks work. I guess is boils down to what determines who moves when when they are not engaged. Plus how do you get out of melee if you want to run away? Rather are their any penalities for moving out of melee. Or moving from one melee to another (provided you only move half your move).

Thanks
Rob

Runequest Nights and oh the body parts flew,

Dwayne of Gamer's Closet came into town on vacation and we decided to do some gaming with Tim of Gothridge Manor. Being my usual self I suggested we try Runequest ... 2nd edition not II not Mongoose I. At first character generation went fairly quickly. Rather too quickly. My reaction was "That all there was?" There was a pair of lame 16 years old characters. I dug into the rules and found that you can get loans from three different guilds/cults/organizations. In addition there were prior experience rules that allowed to you age to 21.

So Loans were taken out and the characters shaped up much better. Tim plowed everything into his healing spell and wound up with a Healing 6. He bought a grain flail as it was one of the cheapest weapons in the book. I don't think he was supposed to use his thief and fighter funds to do this but hey it was a one night game. Dwayne rolled really well on his attributes and elected to do take shimmer, detect magic, and a really big ass pole axe.

So off they went to Apple Lane and were promptly ambushed by two goblins. I typically run a short combat before the game to give me and everyone else a feel for how it work. It was short. One goblin died with a smashed head and the other died nearly severed at the abdomen.

They went to the Tin Inn in Apple Lane where they were accosted by Gringle the proprietor of Gringle's Pawn Shop. After buying their character a meal and a drink he told them of his problem. Apparently an adventurer stole a magical crystal from a local goblin tribe and sold it to him. A couple of members of the tribe came into the shop and wanted it back. When they balked at the price (20,000 Lunars) they attacked and when beaten off by Little John his halfling bodyguard they threatened vengeance.

He received a vision of his pawnshop being attacked by the 8 goblins and it was defended by Tim and Dwayne characters. He has important rituals to perform tonight so needs to hire the two to defend his shop and the crystal. After some haggling they agreed on a price.

Now at this point some of you who are familiar with Apple Lane are going mmm what is Rob talking about. Sorry folks I just can't take Baboons tribesmen, and ducks, that seriously. So I waved my DM Pen and turned them into Goblins and Halflings. The stats remained the same.

So as Gringle and Little John went off to do their Ritual. Tim and Dwayne tried to setup some traps but only succeeded at the front door.

Then late at night the attack game. The goblins busted though the front door. Using the bars of the public area as a shield the Dwayne successfully mauls the goblins coming through the front. Every time that pole axe hit a body part or two flew off. Meanwhile more goblins tore through the roof and dropped into the whirling flail of Tim's Character. Alas the fight didn't go so well when Tim's Legs was crushed by a luckly mace hit and was attached only by a few shreds of meat. However Tim managed to pull himself together (literally) and with the aid of his Healing 6 ,and a miss by the goblin, reattached his leg and heal most of the damage.

Tim got the upper hand after that, the remaining goblins on the roof ran away, and he killed the two that were in the building. At this point Xarban's Gang busted through the back door. The two parties raced through the building to meet in the Temple. Dwayne stepped behind a doorway and Tim kept healing them.

However the bandit gang was more skilled than the baboons err goblins. Dwayne and Tim were pushed back taking minor hits here and there. The turning point game when they managed to sever the arm of Xarban a Beaked Dragonnewt, the gang's leader. In the gang's retreat, a crested dragonnewt went down with a crushed skull, and the centaur, Big Laugh, got cut off. As Xarban and Pinfeather escaped, Tim and Dwayne hacked down Big Laugh. First by severing an arm, then the killing blow by Dwayne in the hindquarters.

After sunrise Gringle was impressed and paid the party the agreed fee plus a bonus for the bandit gang. Dwayne was shrewd enough to have as part of the term the right to all the goblin's and bandit's equipment. So they sold that to Gringle for a tidy sum as well.

---

My impression of Runequest 2nd edition is that like all older games it has some really fiddly bits. Don't get me wrong it was interesting and fun in many ways. With roughly the same stat range and probability range as GURPS it is a far bloodier game. Especially with the big ass pole axe.

The Magic System has some useful bits and has a different feel. I can't say I like it. But I can see how it work in terms of the Glorantha setting.

The importance of paying for training was very different than most games I am used too.

I am glad refereed this. After getting some current projects done I plan to do some work on what I call Majestic Quests a d20 version of Runequest % system. This session showed me some of the strengths and pitfalls of the original game.

I will say that first scenario for Apple Lane is rather lame. The raid on Gringle's Pawnshop has a lot of plot holes in it. But as an introduction to Glorantha, the cast of Baboons, Ducks, Dragonnewts, Centaurs, and Rune Lord or two certainly a good example of the setting.

Still don't really got a grip on how Strike Ranks and movement interact. I can see why BRP got away from it. Plus what do you defend with against missile attacks?

d20Quest

In this post I give some thoughts on Runequest (namely the 2nd edition) and some thoughts on my ideal RPG. Here on Knight-n-Knaves I expand on those thoughts during a discussion about the OSR. At one point I make the comment that there is no reason why Runequest can't work with a d20 roll high system.

For example if Rurik (our favorite RQ sample character) has a Shortsword skill of 55 then on a d20 roll high system he would have a +11 bonus to a d20 roll. If he rolls 20 or higher he succeeds. If you look at much of Runequest much of the bonuses and calculation are divisible by 5. This just makes it easier to convert over to a d20.

The reason for this exercise is to try to roll back Runequest more to it's D&D roots. Runequest originally started out as the Perrin Conventions a set of house rules for D&D popular on the west coast of the US. The transformation to Runequest came about because the players were SCA players (medieval reenactors) and found the abstract combats system unsatisfying for visualizing their fights. The work was combined with Greg Stafford's Glorantha setting and the result was Runequest.

By taking Runequest back to it's D&D roots it is my hope that a system can be built that can easily use the wealth of material published for older editions of D&D. Such a RPG would not feel the same as playing a game of D&D. It purpose is appeal to those that wants more realistic combat, and being able to customize their characters through the mechanics of the game. Yet still take advantage of perfectly good D&D material.

By converting a Runequest character over and use a d20 roll high system it become obvious how a D&D monster COULD be used directly. To take Rurik +11 with a shortword we see that we can simply say that to hit a S&W Red Dragon with a 17 ascending AC he will need to roll a 6 or better with on a d20.

Now the numbers are little out of whack here. A D&D fighter that is as experienced as Rurik probably would have a reduced chance here. If we say that 5th level is equal to a starting Runequest (this is a number off of the top of my head) then the D&D fighter has only a +2 to hit and needs a 15 or better to hit that S&W Dragon. We could fix this and say that in combat involving Runequest characters add 10 to the AAC giving the Red Dragon a 27 AAC. Now Rurik needs a 16 or better to hit the dragon. Runequest damage is roughly compared to D&D damage so we can just apply the result to the Dragon's hit point.

I have to put in some thought on how the Dragon would hit Rurik which I will do in a later post.

The end result is that I think it is possible to design a RPG that has more realistic combat, more character customization options yet be able to use the bulk of older edition material. I will keep you posted on my thoughts on this. I got a few more projects, (yes I know Tim shut up) to get out of the way before I start worrying about designing my own RPG.