In an ambitious effort to establish a system-agnostic, perpetual, and irrevocable open gaming license, leading tabletop game publisher, Paizo, along with several other publishers, is now ready to release the third draft of the ORC (Open RPG Community) License for final commentary.
This endeavor, which will offer a legal “safe harbor” for sharing rules mechanics, is aimed at encouraging innovation and collaboration within the tabletop gaming industry. For several months, Paizo has been actively engaged in group-editing the license and the accompanying Answers and Explanations (AxE) document. This collaboration included contributions from hundreds of publishers and interested parties via the ORC License Discord.
Thanks to this concerted effort, the third draft of the ORC License and AxE is considered robust enough to serve as the final draft. However, the team is aware that fresh perspectives can expose new opportunities for improvements or areas that require further clarification. As such, they’re inviting the community to take one last critical look and provide any final comments before the terms of the license are finalized.
In order to aid in comparison between the second and third drafts, a redline version of both the ORC License and the AxE is available, with “clean” copies of the third drafts also provided for those who prefer to start fresh.
Commentary will remain open on the official ORC License Discord for the next few days. The goal is to lock the final version of the license by the end of next week. During this period, any necessary refinements will be incorporated into each document, resulting in a Final Interim ORC License that will be released on the Azora Law and Paizo websites among others.
Once the Final Interim ORC License is released, publishers will be able to utilize the license to publish materials by including the appropriate ORC Notice. At the same time, these documents will be filed with the United States Library of Congress, which is expected to issue copyright registration in approximately six months. Upon receipt of the registration, Azora will publicly release the ORC License, inclusive of the final AxE.
With the finish line in sight, the team is calling for community support in reviewing the third draft and providing feedback via the official ORC License Discord. The team extends its heartfelt appreciation for the assistance provided thus far and looks forward to the community’s continued support in this final stretch.