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Tabletop RPG Pathfinder, created by Paizo, made a landmark announcement last night via Twitter. In response to Wizards of the Coast’s disastrous OGL leak, Paizo, alongside several other tabletop game developers, developed a system-neutral OGL. This license is known as the Open RPG Creative License (ORC). Paizo’s leadership stated that what Wizards of the Coast is doing is against the very nature of the Open Gaming License.
The Open RPG Creative License will be a license owned by nobody and irrevocable. This way, creators can create content without fear, unlike the leaked Wizards’ OGL 1.1. This, to say the very least, has made fans of Pathfinder and tabletop RPGs incredibly excited.
Content creators, game developers, RPG fans, and more have come out in droves to speak about the situation.
Paizo, creators of Pathfinder, announce a new OGL in the wake of Wizards of the Coast backlash
The announcement by Paizo was so popular that it completely crashed the OGL website. Thankfully, one enterprising Twitter user archived it, so you can still read the details of what Pathfinder’s developers are planning for the future.
In a statement made by Paizo’s owner Lisa Stevens and president Jim Butler, they said that they do not believe OGL 1.0a can be deauthorized by Wizards of the Coast or anyone else. They also threatened legal action if necessary. After all, many smaller tabletop developers don’t have the power or resources of Paizo.
Gamers and developers alike have met this announcement with excitement and joy. A significant number of developers have already signed up. This includes Kobold Press, Chaosium, Green Ronin, Legendary Games, Rogue Genius Games, and Battlezoo.
Wizards of the Coast’s leaked OGL 1.1 has been incredibly unpopular with fans and content creators. Paizo’s announcement has given hope to both groups of people that they can safely continue to create content.
They did this in response to Wizards of the Coast’s silence after the OGL 1.1 leak was triggered. The ORC will not be owned by Paizo or any company that makes a living on tabletop RPGs. Their goal is to find a nonprofit with open-source values to control this license.
As of this writing, Wizards of the Coast still has not made a response to the announcement by Pathfinder’s owners or in response to their own leaked OGL 1.1. However, the community has spoken loud and clear. They overwhelmingly favor the ORC from Paizo and other gaming developers.
Tabletop RPG fans voice their support of the ORC
Many content creators and game developers have opined on social media. TeamFourStar’s Takahata101 replied succinctly to the announcement in the form of Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s “Takin’ Care of Business.”
Other D&D content creators also spoke up, such as High Rollers’ Mark “Sherlock” Hulmes, who signed up to hopefully give feedback on Pathfinder’s upcoming license. Dungeon Masters, content creators, and more spoke up about their excitement.
Daniel Fox, designer of the Zweihander Fantasy Horror Tabletop RPG, also spoke up, offering his name to be among the many who will participate in this new creative license from Pathfinder’s owners.
Some would make memes or post gifs of their hype for this major announcement. After all, it could shift the landscape of tabletop gaming, or it could also potentially force Wizards of the Coast to walk back their alleged OGL 1.1 plans.
This move by the Pathfinder owners brought some new users around to their tabletop RPG products and confirmed that it was a brilliant move for the whole tabletop RPG community.
Wizards of the Coast is yet to respond about the ORC or the leak of the OGL 1.1 that occurred recently. Regardless, it’s clear that fans are incredibly excited about the future of tabletop gaming, whether as content creators, viewers, or people who gather around the table to roll dice with their friends.
