Hello Summoners!
Firstly, a happy 2023 to all!
As you may have seen, the 0.94 update ended up taking a “little” longer, and still hasn't been fully published, with runes, formulas and heritages still in the oven for release.
But unfortunately I didn't come to talk about 0.94 today, I came to talk about the (perhaps temporary) stoppage of Runarcana development as a whole.
The OGL
As some may know, Wizards of the Coast (WotC) is due to release One D&D in 2024 and with that some preparations are being made, the main (and worst) being the OGL.
For those who don't know, the OGL is the license that allows us to use the base of D&D (d20) for the system, even though it has already moved away from D&D.
Unfortunately (and that word should be repeated quite a bit) WotC's moves don't seem to be the best, ever since a version of OGL 1.1 was leaked, creators all over the world are stunned by the possibilities.
On my Youtube channel I've been covering this subject for a few weeks, but in this one in particular we've reached a complicated point that means that any development can be wasted work.
For this reason, until January 13, 2023, all Runarcana development is paralyzed, the day on which the new OGL that will give the scenario the new rules so that we can continue forward.
What does that mean? Runarcana will continue to exist, but depending on what happens on the 13th, we have 3 paths to follow:
1 – Release of OGL in leaked form
With that, it takes effect automatically and Runarcana becomes unfeasible to continue existing and being worked on in the current format, requiring a complete overhaul of the central system.
Although Runarcana uses the OGL and SRD as a base, a lot has been produced in these 4 years that is not part of the SRD and therefore does not need the OGL to exist, but much of the underlying structure still needs to be modified. It is a long and laborious path, but it will be followed anyway.
2 – Release of a better OGL
In the event that some miracle happens, such as Hasbro and WotC's perception of the community's reaction influences something, we will analyze what is released and make a decision accordingly.
If there is space, we will resume production of Runarcana towards 1.0 and later a new system direction will be taken.
3 – Silence from WotC
If the 13th arrives and we don't have any releases from the OGL or even any pronouncements from WotC, we will maintain the Runarcana development stoppage until some official news is released.
It becomes impossible to continue any development based on the current system with this possibility on the horizon, as everything done using this system could become completely invalid with the release of this OGL.
It's the end?
No, it's not the end, as you've seen, there is the will to continue, but without a resolution we have no way of knowing which way to go at that moment, since if a complete change is necessary, it would take months of development.
As you can imagine, it's not the best news we'd like to give you, especially after more than 200 pages of updates as was the case with 0.94. This possible change affects Runarcana so deeply that we are truly stunned by what happened.
Complications
In case you're interested, here's some information on why OGL 1.1 derailed Runarcana as it currently exists:
The two pillars of Runarcana are the OGL 1.0a that currently exists with the Legal Jibber-jabber of Riot Games, which, together with the contract signed in 2020, allow Runarcana to remain in the current format.
However, the new OGL means that any content created within it can be used by WotC as it pleases. This implies that any material created for Runarcana with this new license in effect will fall under this issue, as the Intellectual Property used for Runarcana is owned by Riot Games.
As you can imagine, having a contract with Riot Games does not give Runarcana any rights over the I. P., and continuing to publish the same (even if non-commercially, as it is done) has very complicated legal implications.
Therefore, if this new OGL really comes into force, the only real and responsible possibility will be the creation of a new system.
Projects that use the same legal Jibber-jabber and OGL end up falling into the same problem, the difference here lies in the responsibility that each one understands and assumes, for this reason, we chose transparency with you.
People with knowledge of laws can make a more direct and clear analysis on this, but that's the summary of what affects Runarcana.
Updates
As this format (post on the official website) is not the most agile, we ask you to keep an eye on our official Twitter, where we will keep you informed about any news in a more agile way.
Additionally, this publication may also receive updates, either to inform new developments in the situation, or to clarify any point that has become unclear.
The date given above, January 13, 2023, can define a lot about Runarcana and RPG itself around the world, so let's wait for the story to develop.
Thanks for the support!
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