State of Open Gaming September
September 2, 2010
I took a one month break from writing the State of Open Gaming since the website has really slowed down. I think I’ve found most of the major open games on the Internet, and now all that needs to be done is keep up with the new ones that are released.
On the other hand, there is plenty room for growth in the gratis games section of the site. There are thousands and thousands of free, closed games that could be added to the wiki. I don’t have the time or inclination to do so, however.
New Games
Open Games
Old favourite Dungeonslayers is available in five European languages. As well as English, you can read it in French, German, Italian and Spanish.
Lady Blackbird has seen another Hackbird published: Old Messila, which is a story of Billy the Kid and his escape from the law.
Icar has been free for years and is a favourite of the open gaming community. It’s now under an open licence. It’s a story of the far flung future with nicely rendered images.
Five by Five is a generic RPG that was favourably reviewed by The Free RPG Blog.
New Realms is a generic anime RPG with its own licence.
LORE bills itself as the Lightweight Universal Roleplaying System. It comes with a sourcebook called Belief.
Closed Games
Matt Snyder has released two of his games, 44 and Nine Worlds, for free.
An ashcan of cult worship by Paul Czege called Acts of Evil was released under a semi-open licence.
Wheel of Fate is a combination of FATE and Burning Wheel.
Legendary Quest is a heavy game system with a focus on real-world myth and legend.
New Material
There are character sheets and other resources for the Saga RPG.
Irregular Magazine is a closed but free RPG on the Closed Resources page.
Donjon Pak B-1 is a sourcebook for open RPG Donjon.
Island of Eo is an open supplement for the gratis game Risus.
Icke is a short story written by RPG designer Greg Stolze.
There are two new design courses on the Open Resources page: Game Design Concepts and Game Balance Concepts.
There’s a page for the Founders’ Copyright licence, a closed licence which follows the copyright law desired by the US Founding Fathers.
September 3, 2010 at 2:59 am
I didn’t know where to submit suggestions, but my friend over at the Seventh-blog finally put together the rules for his game, and posted them at http://d6plus4.wordpress.com/2010/04/20/the-rulebook-is-here/
Although he doesn’t have any license attached to it, I believe it’s his intentions to release it free (not sure about it being open though).
September 3, 2010 at 8:48 am
Thanks Jensan, I’ve added Seventh to the wiki.
September 7, 2010 at 12:41 am
Hi there, I am the friend Jensan so kindly referred to. Thanks for adding my system.
For your information: The game system does not really have a license and anyone can do whatever they like with it, even make money off it if they feel like it, however unlikely that is.
I am new to your blog but will have a short self education by browsing it. I like the concept of gathering free gaming systems.
If you have any hints tips or introduction to inform me of regarding your site, I would happily welcome it by any means of communication =)
Thank you again,
Andreas
September 7, 2010 at 7:57 am
Thanks Andreas! I’ve clarified the copyright of your game, and it’ll now file as an open game rather than a closed one.
What sort of tips or introduction were you hoping for for the site? If you’d like to edit or add anything, I suggest you just jump in and do so — I’ll come by and clean it up if it doesn’t work out for whatever reason.
Cheers,
Chris
September 8, 2010 at 2:16 am
Thanks for the reply. I guess I was hoping to know whether the wiki is something I can edit or if it is a site that only you can edit. I tried to find the info but haven’t been successful.
Fare well,
Andreas
December 1, 2010 at 6:51 am
Well, I also have a small game system called x6 at http://x6system.net . Closed but free. Could you add it to your links if you find it worthy?
December 2, 2010 at 5:11 pm
Thanks George,
I’ve added x6 System here: http://yearoflivingfree.info/x6-system
Have you considered releasing it under an open licence?
December 3, 2010 at 7:53 am
It’s possible… I’m not developing it any more because I’m occupied with another project. One of these days I may go all the way and release it as public domain.
December 23, 2010 at 10:11 pm
Hello Sanglorian, you’re missing the superb Runebearer from the list.
http://www.runebearer.com/