Prime Evil

You missed the fact that Legend is released under the OGL so it is now possible for third-party publishers to produce compatible material so we might see a few people producing products that can be used with the new game. Also, the books are now digest-sized. (I'm really hoping that we see the Spirit Magic rules soon though!)

Hehe...it reminds me of the way that the pauldrons get larger and sillier in each expansion for World of Warcraft...

It's funny how much the existence of Ducks offends some gamers. I've met people who won't even try Runequest because they regard the existence of the Durulz as so offensive. Even though they aren't a major part of the Glorantha setting and can easily be ignored, some people just can't get past this prejudice. The one thing that people who don't play RQ seem to know about the game is that it includes a race of sentient ducks. Very strange.

Good luck with that - I really hope that you guys get the licence again! I get the feeling that Paradox were hoping that the recent Conan movie would increase the value of the IP, but when it tanked at the box office they might have priced themselves out of the market. It's a pity, because thew movie wasn't all be - Jason Mamoa was surprisingly good in the lead role and a number of the sets were excellent. It's just that the plot was fairly lame, feeling like a bad example of the 1970s Conan comics...

Hmmm...interesting. Does this mean that you have plans for the system beyond Clockwork & Chivalry?

No...I wasn't aware of them, but they look sweet! I still think that the Legend system is best suited as a vehicle for swords & sorcery gaming - I'm hoping that the Spider God's Bride is an awesome adaptation of the d20 adventure that showcases the strength of the system and will draw in some new players. I'm also hoping that Legend will serve as a gateway to the broader d100 gaming community, encouraging people to try BRP and the forthcoming edition of Runequest. Divorcing the game from the Runequest brand may be a blessing in disguise, because it means that people will approach the game without as many preconceptions. Sadly, some gamers seem have strong prejudices against Runequest that are based entirely on hearsay. Giving them a chance to try out the system without any expectations may make it easier to get them to try out Glorantha as well...

I know that this is way off topic, but there is evidence that Walt Disney didn't include the correct copyright notice on some of the earliest films featuring Mickey Mouse - notably Steamboat Willie. When a former Disney employee revealed that the copyright notice was invalid under the Copyright Act of 1909, a Professor at Arizona University invited his students to write a paper examining this claim. When one of them published her research paper on the Internet, the Disney corporation threatened to sue her for "slander of title" unless the paper was withdrawn. Furthermore, when a Georgetown University law student investigated the claims and discovered that Disney had not renewed the copyright as was required under the law at that time, he received a letter from Disney's General Legal Counsel threatening him with legal action if he advanced the claim publicly. The letter stated that ""With respect to your plans to otherwise promote these as being in the public domain, please be advised that slander of title remains actionable under California law for both compensatory and punitive damages." From a legal perspective, it is highly likely that Mickey Mouse is already in the public domain - but anybody who tries to claim this in any meaningful way will be sued into oblivion by the Disney juggernaut, so it is a moot point. The moral of the story is that intellectual property rights are often more about who has the deepest pockets that who has the strongest claim. Getting back on topic, this is the reason that I love the Open Gaming License - for all of its flaws, it gives us the freedom to do whatever we like with IP such as the Legend system without fear of being sued. It's one of the best things that has ever happened in our hobby and will help to ensure its long-term survival - publishers and game systems may come and go, but material released as open game content will be available for our use forever.

One other question... I know that the Rennaisance system is based upon OpenQuest, but will you adapt any rules from MRQII now that the Legend rules are also being released under the OGL?

Good to hear! It's an era of history that hasn't been explored by many RPGs. I've also been wondering whether the Rennaisance system will be a good fit for the Napoleonic period?

Unfortunately that's very true - there's already speculation about another copyright term extension act to prevent Mickey Mouse from falling into the public domain in 2023. The 1978 extension and the 1989 extension were both passed under pressure from the Disney Corporation to prevent their IP from becoming PD. And now there is increasing pressure on other countries to "harmonise" their copyright laws with those of the US...

The copyright status of the Conan stories is hotly contested at the moment. The situation is both interesting and amusing, but unfortunately the estate of REH doesn't stand to benefit either way. In the US, the copyright period was calculated from the date of publication and the copyright needed to be periodically renewed until 1963. The stories published during the lifetime of Robert E. Howard are therefore theoretically in the public domain. Indeed, Project Gutenburg makes these works available for free online. However, many of the Conan stories were republished in a modified form in the late 1960s and these altered versions are covered by copyright until at least 2030. Furthermore, a number of Howard's stories were published long after his death and the copyright status of these varies greatly. Many of them will not enter the public domain until 2072 - assuming no further changes to copyright law to extend the copyright period. To complicate matters, the Swedish company Paradox Entertainment gained control of Conan Properties Inc from Stan Lee Media Inc in 2001. Paradox has taken out a trademark on the name Conan and the names of a number of other Robert E. Howard characters. They also assert that they own the copyright to all of the material that Robert E Howard wrote, although this claim is fairly dubious (due to the fact that a lot of it is in the public domain). They also claim ownership of all stories written by other authors under license from Conan Properties Inc since the 1960s and this claim is on more solid ground as the rights to these were held by Conan Properties. Paradox have also exploited a loophole in European copyright law to gain control of a number of works of Robert E. Howard that would otherwise be in the public domain. Basically, if a work is in the public domain but hasn't been published in the European Union, the first person to publish it in the EU can claim publication rights for at least 25 years - with the possibility of further extension. In 2007, Paradox published a book containing Robert E Howard's prose and poetry not previously released in the EU - with a print run of only eleven copies! On the basis of this work, they claim exclusive ownership of these works. This means that a number of works of Robert E. Howard that had clearly entered the public domain may now be back under copyright due to a legal technicality! Just when you thought that things couldn't get any more messy, in August Stan Lee Media Inc brought a lawsuit against Paradox claiming that the transfer of the ownership of Conan Properties Inc back in 2001 was fraudlent because it was unauthorized by its shareholders. According to SMLI, the Conan IP was unlawfully transfered when the company was in bankruptcy protection. Stan Lee Media Inc is also engaged in litigation with Marvel Entertainment over the ownership of Spiderman, the Incredible Hulk, the Avengers, et al which were transferred across to Marvel Entertainment around the same time. The whole thing is an ungodly mess and nobody will benefit but the lawyers. No matter who wins the current dispute, the estate of Robert E. Howard won't see a single cent. And it makes me think that Mongoose might hesitate to renew the Conan license through Paradox until the legal situation becomes clearer.

Actually, "Legend of Conan" is a great title!

What's the collective noun for a stack of RQ editions? I've only got a single copy of RQ II, but I've got three copies of RQ III - not that any of them have stood up to frequest use...lol

Good news. I'm thinking of using the Rennaisance system for a homebrew game in the style of Solomon Kane - Puritan adventurers for the win! I've been thinking about adapting the Northern Crown setting from Atlas Games. Oh....and congratulations on the Oggie

Heh...I'm still hoping thast we get a Legend-compatible version of the Conan RPG. The Hyborian Age and the d100 system were made for each other. And it would bring the game system to a much wider audience. Sadly I don't think it will ever happen though

I think that was a wise choice. You get the nostalgia factor, plus you clearly distinguish RQ from generic fantasy games inspired by D&D. The image promises the audience something special....

That's an excellent piece of artwork - not only is it a nice homage to a classic cover, but it also conveys the feel of the game instantly! I like the fact that the armour and weaponry helps to distinguish RQ from the pseudo-medieval setting of most fantasy RPGs on the market.

And...here I was trying hard not to be the one to make that comment ;P

Does this mean that we might see a new version of Merrie England I bought the original and would love to see it re-released either for Legend or the forthcoming RQ 6.

I'm glad that you feel this way - MRQII was a great system and I'm looking forward to seeing what people do with Legend. This is a great time to be involved in d100 gaming - we've got Legend and a new version of Runequest and some interesting stuff coming up soon for BRP. Very cool.

Doesn't the OGL forbid publishers from adding new conditions to the license? The relevant part of the OGL reads: I don't think that Mongoose can alter the "historical" definition of OGC without permission from WoTC (since the actual text of the license is owned by them). Mongoose does have the right to declare certain content as product identity, but it sounds like they are waiving that right - except for the artwork in the rulebook. Note that Section 7 of the OGL still prohibits you from using any trademarked terms from the books, except as permitted by the Compatibility License: If the titles of the books or key terms within them (such as the "Legend" title) are trademarked, you are limited in how you indicate compatibility as stated in the license. The language is a bit loose, but it's probably OK. The OGL simply indicates that you must clearly indicate which portions of the work that you are distributing are Open Game Content, and this statement does fulfill that requirement. Where it might get fuzzy is if some third-party publisher decides to produce a foreign language translation of the rulebook.

I presume that the OGL will be printed at the back of each "....of Legend" book. If Mongoose is follows the typical approach, this is where the formal designation of what is Open Game Content and what is Product Identity will be found. Still...this document does indicate that their intention is to release the entire system as OGC. The main reason that the compatibility license exists is to allow third-party publishers to indicate compatibility with the Legend product line - something that is explicitly prohibited by the OGL. Note that the license only grants the right to display the Legend Compatible logo if you are using Open Game Content from the books - it doesn't grant any other rights in and of itself. With a strict reading of the OGL, this means that you can't indicate compatibility with the Legend product line in any other way. You can display the logo, but you can't claim that your work is an "official Legend product" or indicate that it has been approved by Mongoose or publish stuff for Elric or Hawkmoon without a seperate agreement of some kind. But you can use Open Game Content from the books in any way perrmitted by the OGL and you can place the compatibility logo on any derivative works that you produce. I wonder whether works such as Aeon and OpenQuest will benefit from the generosity of Mongoose....

Mongoose have just published the compatibility license earlier today. Here's the link: http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/pdf/leglogopack.zip The conditions are extremely generous! FYI, here's the full text of the license: I presume that the OGL will be printed in the rulebooks themselves. I think that many people will be happy with this license!

I'm delighted to hear that the next book is coming. Any idea what format it will appear in yet?