.

[Gandalf]

.

 

[Sacibengala]

Labyrinth Lord (and Mutant Future), Oldschool Essentials, Lamentations of the Flame Princess are B/X clones (free without art on drivethrurpg for LL e LotFP and SRD for OSE); OSRIC (Adnd1e); Gold and Glory (ADnD2e); Basic Fantasy; Stars (Worlds) Withouth Number (free withouth art on DTRPG. all of kevin's crawford stuff is); Swords & Wizardry (ODnD).

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Clones under OGL or similar:

• https://www.paulelliottbooks.com/what-is-cepheus-engine.html OGL Traveller
• Delta Green. I don't remember the specifics, but this is Call of Cthulhu recreated under OGL. Essentially, one of Mongoose's products was Runequest until it wasn't due to license issues, so Mongoose scraped the trademarks off and re-released it under OGL as Legend to Chaosium's unending butthurt to this day. A few games have taken this and recreated other BRP games using it, Delta Green is one of them.
• OpenQuest, similar to Delta Green except for RuneQuest. Originally based on Mongoose's Legend, I don't quite know what it is now. https://openquestrpg.com/srd/
  • Proofs: https://openquestrpg.com/srd/legal-appendix/ "Legend Copyright 2011, Mongoose Publishing; Author Lawrence Whitaker Pete Nash et al."

Standalone games or products re-released under OGL(or similar):

• https://www.d20srd.org/index.htm (duh), endless products built upon this. Castles & Crusades from Troll Lord Games is a notable example, Pathfinder is a gay example.
• https://fate-srd.com modern Fudge. Many free games are also based on this.
• http://opend6.wikidot.com AKA "that system that powered the only star wars RPG worth playing" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D6_System , Like FATE it has many free games based on it but is also fully compatible with old WEG D6 products/licensed D6 stuff.
• https://openlegendrpg.com/

There's countless "retroclones" and honestly I think most are rather crap. 99% of them are just B/X copy-pasted into a thesaurus program. Very, very few based on RPGs that have more complicated rulesets.

NOT recommended:

• Chaosium's BRP ""OGL"" SRD. They modified the OGL and heavily restrict what you're allowed to publish which includes restricting anything that may compete with an exiting chaosium product. Calling it OGL is a flat out farce, Chaosium is full of douchenozzles. Use Mongoose's Legend or OpenQuest instead. It is in essence, a reaction to games like Delta Green which wouldn't be possible under this license despite using public domain material.
  • https://www.chaosium.com/brp-system-reference-document/
  • CAN’T I MAKE A GAME DERIVED FROM THE PUBLIC DOMAIN PARTS OF THE CTHULHU MYTHOS?
    
    You are certainly entitled to create your own game using creatures, stories, characters, or locations derived from the public domain stories of the Cthulhu Mythos – you just can’t use Chaosium’s BRP system to do that. Chaosium already has a game that does just that (Call of Cthulhu), the BRP-OGL does not allow you to publish your own variant of Call of Cthulhu.
  • HOW ABOUT LE MORTE D’ARTHUR – THAT STORY IS SIX HUNDRED YEARS OLD!
    
    You are certainly entitled to create your own game using creatures, stories, characters, or locations derived from the Le Morte d’Arthur – you just can’t use Chaosium’s BRP system to do that. Chaosium already has a game that does just that (King Arthur Pendragon), the BRP-OGL does not allow you to publish your own variant of King Arthur Pendragon.
  • And not only does it restrict games that are similar, it restricts mechanics that are similar. Ridiculous.

 

[JamesDixon]

You are certainly entitled to create your own game using creatures, stories, characters, or locations derived from the public domain stories of the Cthulhu Mythos – you just can’t use Chaosium’s BRP system to do that. Chaosium already has a game that does just that (Call of Cthulhu), the BRP-OGL does not allow you to publish your own variant of Call of Cthulhu.

The funny thing is that you can recreate the mechanics of their system and call it something else. Mechanics cannot be copyrighted or patented in the US.

 

[saint amchad]

You are certainly entitled to create your own game using creatures, stories, characters, or locations derived from the public domain stories of the Cthulhu Mythos – you just can’t use Chaosium’s BRP system to do that. Chaosium already has a game that does just that (Call of Cthulhu), the BRP-OGL does not allow you to publish your own variant of Call of Cthulhu.

The funny thing is that you can recreate the mechanics of their system and call it something else. Mechanics cannot be copyrighted or patented in the US.

Which is why Im surprised there is not a library of mechanics somewhere. Why not pick and choose your favorites for a new modular system?

 

[JamesDixon]

You are certainly entitled to create your own game using creatures, stories, characters, or locations derived from the public domain stories of the Cthulhu Mythos – you just can’t use Chaosium’s BRP system to do that. Chaosium already has a game that does just that (Call of Cthulhu), the BRP-OGL does not allow you to publish your own variant of Call of Cthulhu.

The funny thing is that you can recreate the mechanics of their system and call it something else. Mechanics cannot be copyrighted or patented in the US.

Which is why Im surprised there is not a library of mechanics somewhere. Why not pick and choose your favorites for a new modular system?

Most people are ignorant of the law when it comes to copyright and patents. They are under the impression, which companies exploit through OGL/Creative Commons, that the mechanics are copyrighted. The only thing that is copyrighted is that exact expression of the mechanics and that's it. That exact expression extends to the look of the tables, how the information on the tables is organized, trade dress, etc..

Companies are counting on people being ignorant to maintain control over the rules they publish.

Using the names of the published rules systems are trademarks and follow a different set of laws. You could write an exact copy of AD&D 2E's mechanics, but you can't call it that or say you're compatible with any products made for it without infringing upon said trademark.

In the end, people just would rather not deal with three different sets of laws and concede their rights to a corporation.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

You could write an exact copy of AD&D 2E

The text itself can be copyrighted(which is not the same as the rules as you noted above,) so if you used their words you'd run afoul of IP laws. You could write a functionally exact copy of AD&D 2E's rules as long as the rules are being expressed in your own words.

 

[JamesDixon]

You could write an exact copy of AD&D 2E

The text itself can be copyrighted(which is not the same as the rules as you noted above,) so if you used their words you'd run afoul of IP laws. You could write a functionally exact copy of AD&D 2E's rules as long as the rules are being expressed in your own words.

I said that. I was referring to the actual mechanics bud. I will clarify my statement.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

Swords & Wizardry (not OD&D)

OSRIC (not AD&D)

Labyrinth Lord (not B/X D&D)

Dark Dungeons (not BECMI D&D)

For Gold & Glory (not AD&D 2nd edition)

Mazes & Minotaurs (if D&D had been based on the classical era rather than primarily on late-medieval/Renaissance Europe)

 

[deuxhero]

Mutants and Masterminds 3E is another OGL system. The supplement books basicly never add new content (and when they do its very niche) and are almost all just examples (here's a villain you can throw at your PCs, here's how you can make this power effect do this) and setting, and you can find plenty of fanmade conversions for free on the internet, and the relatively recent books (~2016 onward) are total shit anyways.

 

[FriendlyMerchant]

At tabletop games are free if you have a computer and the right programs.

 

[saint amchad]

You are certainly entitled to create your own game using creatures, stories, characters, or locations derived from the public domain stories of the Cthulhu Mythos – you just can’t use Chaosium’s BRP system to do that. Chaosium already has a game that does just that (Call of Cthulhu), the BRP-OGL does not allow you to publish your own variant of Call of Cthulhu.

The funny thing is that you can recreate the mechanics of their system and call it something else. Mechanics cannot be copyrighted or patented in the US.

Which is why Im surprised there is not a library of mechanics somewhere. Why not pick and choose your favorites for a new modular system?

Most people are ignorant of the law when it comes to copyright and patents. They are under the impression, which companies exploit through OGL/Creative Commons, that the mechanics are copyrighted. The only thing that is copyrighted is that exact expression of the mechanics and that's it. That exact expression extends to the look of the tables, how the information on the tables is organized, trade dress, etc..

Companies are counting on people being ignorant to maintain control over the rules they publish.

Using the names of the published rules systems are trademarks and follow a different set of laws. You could write an exact copy of AD&D 2E's mechanics, but you can't call it that or say you're compatible with any products made for it without infringing upon said trademark.

In the end, people just would rather not deal with three different sets of laws and concede their rights to a corporation.

This leads to a lot of new rpg systems made by indie creators having some stupid shit baked into its mechanics or lore. Can't copyright rules but they can copyright unique settings. I see so many projects that would make a solid base rpg system but are then tailored to a gimmick that ruins any public marketing appeal.

 

[JamesDixon]

This leads to a lot of new rpg systems made by indie creators having some stupid shit baked into its mechanics or lore.

You mean like DANDINO systems bearing the name Dungeons & Dragons? Pathfinder? There's an entire list of games made within the past twenty years that fit that description.

Also, I didn't say anything about lore. I was talking pure mechanics.