9 responses to “ORC License: The Final Version is Here!”

1. Anonymous July 5, 2023 at 10:46 am

   I started using 5E Level Up (a modified version of 5E) awhile ago. While I enjoy the Level Up changes and would continue to support them, I will no longer buy anything from Wizards. Their future stance with Wizards upcoming release of their new version will not change this opinion. They tipped their hand already, and it wasn’t just pulling the OGL, but so many additional rules, regulations, and in my opinion easily accessible theft on their part that has turned me completely away.

   ORC is fantastic, but even without it I would still be putting my money into Paizo and the Pathfinder system. I will say I’m thoroughly enjoying your alternative RPG system write ups you’ve been doing, I actually wrote a long reply to your Dungeon Crawl Classics thread (I love DCC), but alas it was eaten by the internet and never actually posted. Unfortunately, it is quite difficult to find groups willing to try more obscure systems. Now that my home group dissolved due to some family issues with three of my players, I’m stuck running games at the local game store. Even there, it is difficult to find people willing to even play Pathfinder.

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   • Ronny July 5, 2023 at 12:07 pm

     Could you give me a link to a web site where I can find out more about the “5E Level Up” rules? It is such a generic term I am having a hard time finding it.
     I am leaning in the same direction as you regarding Wizards. However I’m not a big fan of Pathfinder. I personally prefer games with less crunch. I find that all the extra time required to account for all of the bonuses and penalties for each attack don’t really make much difference in the final outcome – lots of work for one or two points difference in the roll required to hit or the damage. Otherwise Pathfinder is probably better in almost every way than 5th edition.
     Kobold Press has a new game they are calling “Tales of the Valiant” that is scheduled to be released early next year that will use the ORC License. It, like the new version of D&D, is being written to be fully comparable with 5th edition D&D. I don’t think that there will be enough difference between that and the new version of D&D to keep me from switching to Tales of the Valiant.
     I’ll give Wizards, and Hasbro, until the release of their new version next year to convince me that they have changed, but its not looking good. I’ll not be giving them any of my money before that.
     One other RPG I intend to try is ShadowDark, but it may be a little too rules light for my taste. We’ll see.

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     • Utkarsh G. July 13, 2023 at 10:50 am

       Level Up Advanced 5e has all its rules published for free online: https://a5e.tools/
       I really like what they did with overpowered or just clunky 5e spells, like Conjure Animals. I hope they get more playtime.

       In defense of Pathfinder 2e specifically, it does not have more bonuses than 5e, because they limit it by one of three bonus types. If someone can handle a 5e fighter with a d4 bless that attacks with a +2 sword with advantage due to Help and can add a d8 to their roll via Precision Strike Maneuver, then in my opinion they can handle the bonuses involved in Pathfinder 2e more easily.

       That said, the name Paizo and the name Pathfinder carry their own particular connotation (1e was called “Mathfinder” for a reason), so I completely understand people being wary of trying out the new edition, expecting it to be more of the same.

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     • Ronny July 13, 2023 at 2:27 pm

       Thanks for the link. I’ll check it out.

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2. Chubby July 6, 2023 at 8:45 am

   Both links seem to go to the same page on blizzardwatch. You may want to update the first one.

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   • Ronny July 6, 2023 at 9:28 am

     How embarrassing.
     Thank you very much.

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3. Micah July 20, 2023 at 12:44 pm

   (Not sure if adblock prevented the script going through or if comments have to be approved, tried before, but didn’t show up)

   As someone who assisted in revisions to the ORC License, and even was among those who found specific loopholes and offered suggestions on how to close them *that did get utilized*… The ORC License has enough ambiguities in it that it is only suitable for a) dry SRDs, quarantining content (which WotC already does, so that’s fair), b) articles in a magazine or Works in a Collected Volume (also quarantining, out of necessity, but requiring at least 2 different systems and licenses in order to do that in the latter case), or c) those who are willing to give up everything regardless… who could (and likely will) also use CC-BY 4.0 if they don’t care about forcing others to give out their own content. If they do care about that latter part, then yes, the ORC License works for them. But only if they’re willing to risk more being taken than what is clearly mechanical in nature within the system their work is for, and what they additionally declare beyond that. The ORC License has a *lot* of issues with ambiguities. I can still use it, but it has a minefield to navigate if you’re not as versed in legalese to understand where those issues lie buried in the text, under the surface.

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   • Micah July 20, 2023 at 12:45 pm

     Seems it was adblock. XD

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     • Ronny July 20, 2023 at 1:25 pm

       Thank you very much for your incite on this.
       Perhaps you could put together an (unofficial) guide to the ORC License, pointing out where some of the potential pitfalls lie buried and where the reader might want to use it depending on their particular publishing need. And some examples might be useful. If you post it somewhere I would be glad to post a link to it. Or, if you would email it to me, I could post it here on my blog.
       I would do this myself, but I lack your expertise.

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