Chaosium Inc., the publisher renowned for the Call of Cthulhu tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG), has introduced the Basic Roleplaying: Universal Game Engine Design Challenge. This competition is open to TTRPG designers worldwide, offering cash prizes to ten participants. The initiative aims to support and promote innovation within the TTRPG community.
The competition centers around Chaosium’s Basic Roleplaying (BRP) system, which is a flexible, roll-low D100 mechanism first introduced in the 1970s with RuneQuest. This system is now the foundation for several notable games, including Call of Cthulhu and Pendragon. The BRP core book, released in 2023 under the ORC license, allows creators to use and publish their own games based on its rules without needing to pay royalties.
The BRP Design Challenge encourages the submission of games that utilize the BRP engine, with a focus on supporting emerging creators to bring their projects to either digital or print publication. Chaosium is looking for entries that demonstrate originality in concept, design, and marketability. Participants are asked to submit a game production budget and explain how the challenge’s prize money would contribute to their game’s development, including aspects such as artwork, writing, editing, and marketing.
Chaosium emphasizes the importance of ownership and creative control, assuring entrants that they will retain full rights to their work without any obligation to transfer intellectual property rights as a condition of entry. The competition is designed to be accessible, with no entry fees required.
Michael O’Brien, Vice President of Chaosium, expressed excitement about the potential of the BRP system to adapt to a wide range of settings and genres. He highlighted the company’s eagerness to see the creative worlds and designs that participants will submit.
Following the submission deadline on May 31, 2024, Chaosium will announce ten shortlisted games, each receiving $500 USD. Out of these, three winners will be chosen to receive an additional $2,000 USD each. There will also be a Player’s Choice award, determined by public vote, with the winner receiving an extra $500 USD.
Winners, shortlisted participants, and the Player’s Choice awardee will receive custom award logos for their product covers and a trophy. Additionally, Chaosium plans to continue promoting these games as they move towards publication.