Trifletraxor Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 (edited) Using the core rules from RuneQuest II, Legend is a new fantasy roleplaying game that serves as the basis for a multitude of settings and worlds. 100% compatible with all previous RuneQuest II books, including Elric of Melnibone, Deus Vult and Wraith Recon, Legend repackages the rules into a new digest-sized format. RPG fans will not be dissappointed in the attention lavished on the new game. In particular they can expect: A streamlined and revised character creation system, with greater emphasis on character background, but also significant changes that influence a character's starting skills and abilities and the speed with which adventurers develop, improve and progress. Particular attention has been paid to training and skill improvement, but you will also find that the structure and range of skills is greatly enhanced, meaning that new adventurers begin with a greater degree of competence across the board. Although all the familiar concepts remain (Combat Actions, Strike Rank and so forth), the combat process is based on simple rolls, does not rely on any resolution matrix, and introduces special Combat Manoeuvres simulating the cut and thrust of real combat whilst offering a truly epic, cinematic edge. Combat is faster than before an perhaps more deadly, but every character will find a greater range of tactical options and combat effects that create a satisfying, exciting, combat flow. The presentation of the game rules has been restructured to make it easier for Games Masters and players to find what they need, when they need it. The system is designed with clarity and ease of use in mind. Great pains have been taken to ensure full backwards compatibility with RuneQuest II. All RuneQuest II books and expansions remain compatible with Legendand, indeed, material presented in earlier editions has become the foundation for the new game. So, it is with great pride that we bring you Legend; a new take on a classic system, assembled by designers and writers who have more than 50 years of RuneQuest experience between them. By Lawrence Whitaker and Pete Nash. 242 Pages. Published by Mongoose Publishing December 2011. Edited February 12, 2012 by Trifletraxor Quote Ef plest master, this mighty fine grub! 116/420. High Priest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mongoose_Matt Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 Just to let everyone know; The Legend RPG is now in stock and will be hitting stores starting next week. Using the core rules from RuneQuest II, Legend is a new fantasy roleplaying game that serves as the basis for a multitude of settings and worlds. 100% compatible with all previous RuneQuest II books, including Elric of Melnibone, Deus Vult and Wraith Recon, Legend repackages the rules into a new digest-sized format. You can find more information, as well as downloadable character sheets, previews, and a limited alternate cover at; UK: http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/rpgs/legend/legend.html US: http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/rpgs/legend/legend.html The entirety of text in the Legend core book has been designated as Open Content. This means there is no messing around with SRDs and separate documents - what you see is what you get! This will also be true of all books in the 'core' Legend line, including Monsters of Legend, Pirates of Legend, and many other titles due to follow the release of the core book, allowing you to build an extensive library of Open Content material. You will find the Legend Compatible Logo and reference guide in a Zip file on this page; http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/rpgs/legend/legend/legend-core-rulebook.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Vile Traveller Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 So, is anyone here thinking of producing any 3rd party products soon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RosenMcStern Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Where can the definition of "Open Game Content" be found? I can see no reference to the OGL, either the original one by Wizards or the one produced for RuneQuest in 2006. As of its current formulation, the document included in the zip file has no legal value. At least not in an Italian court, but I doubt a US or British one would find it more effective. I hope the text found in the actual Legend books will be more legally binding. Quote Proud member of the Evil CompetitionTM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mongoose_Matt Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Where can the definition of "Open Game Content" be found? You could try looking in the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedopon Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 I didn't see anything in either the book preview or the logo package that explained exactly what OGC means. Quote 121/420 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Evil Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 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: The entire text of the Legend RPG is designated Open Game Content, as is the entire text of all books in this line with plain colour covers and the words ‘… of Legend’ in their title. By using any Open Content material in any of these books, you also have permission to freely use the Legend Compatible logo on any publication or web site where this Open Content is used or modified. The Legend Compatible logo may be re-sized but may not otherwise be altered in any way. Legend, the text of Legend rulebooks, the Legend logo and the Legend Compatible logo remain Copyright Mongoose Publishing 2011. Any and all artwork included in Legend rulebooks is specifically not designated as Open Content, and may not be used without written permission from Mongoose Publishing. I presume that the OGL will be printed in the rulebooks themselves. I think that many people will be happy with this license! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RosenMcStern Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 (edited) I think Mongoose Matt explained this above: it is in the physical (or PDF) book, the complete one, not the preview. I know that some people already have their copy of Legend, so they could confirm whether it is compliant with the "historical" definition of OGC, or it introduces new details. Including a copy of the OGL in the zip file could have been more convenient for third parties, however. Oh, and on second thought: The entire text of the Legend RPG is designated Open Game Content, as is the entire text of all books in this line with plain colour covers and the words ‘… of Legend’ in their title. IANAL, but if I were to use this license I would really, really like to have something more appealing (no pun intended) for a court as the delimitation of what is "Open Game Content". Legalese is not attractive to gamers, but is a sore necessity if you have to publish something that is for sale. In other words, the preamble "This book is designated as Open Game Content" is probably still necessary for all the ".. of Legend" books. You know, better safe than sorry. Edited November 17, 2011 by RosenMcStern Quote Proud member of the Evil CompetitionTM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Evil Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 (edited) 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.... Edited November 17, 2011 by Prime Evil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Evil Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 I know that some people already have their copy of Legend, so they could confirm whether it is compliant with the "historical" definition of OGC, or it introduces new details. Including a copy of the OGL in the zip file could have been more convenient for third parties, however. Doesn't the OGL forbid publishers from adding new conditions to the license? The relevant part of the OGL reads: No terms may be added to or subtracted from this License except as described by the License itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content distributed using this License. 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: You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. 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. IANAL, but if I were to use this license I would really, really like to have something more appealing (no pun intended) for a court as the delimitation of what is "Open Game Content". Legalese is not attractive to gamers, but is a sore necessity if you have to publish something that is for sale. In other words, the preamble "This book is designated as Open Game Content" is probably still necessary for all the ".. of Legend" books. You know, better safe than sorry. 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mongoose_Matt Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 In other words, the preamble "This book is designated as Open Game Content" is probably still necessary for all the ".. of Legend" books. You know, better safe than sorry. In _every_ OGC Legend book, there is a page dedicated to the OGL and, preceding it, an explanation that, among other things, defines the entire text of said book as Open Content. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mongoose_Matt Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Doesn't the OGL forbid publishers from adding new conditions to the license? We are not adding conditions to the OGL - you can use the Legend books as OGC to your heart's content. The conditions are applied to the use of the Legend Compatible logo - think of it as the difference between the OGL and the old D20 logo licence (but with way less restrictions ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mongoose_Matt Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I wonder whether works such as Aeon and OpenQuest will benefit from the generosity of Mongoose.... They would be more than welcome - we did it so it would get used! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RosenMcStern Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 In _every_ OGC Legend book, there is a page dedicated to the OGL and, preceding it, an explanation that, among other things, defines the entire text of said book as Open Content. Ah, ok. This is awfully boring for the casual gamer to read, but also painfully necessary for the OGL to be legally enforceable. Barring mis-spellings that invalidate the whole things in some of the books, I think this puts an end to all questions. The game is OGL and the core books are OGC. Quote Proud member of the Evil CompetitionTM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Evil Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 They would be more than welcome - we did it so it would get used! 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soltakss Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Ah, ok. This is awfully boring for the casual gamer to read, but also painfully necessary for the OGL to be legally enforceable. Barring mis-spellings that invalidate the whole things in some of the books, I think this puts an end to all questions. The game is OGL and the core books are OGC. As to being legally enforceable, Mongoose would have a difficult job taking anyone to court who used the Legend OGC, especially following Matt's comments in this thread and in others. Other people might try, but I would have thought that anyone who signs up to the OGL knows that they are making all their stuff available to anyone who wants to use it, so would have a hard time taking anyone to court over it. However, IANAL ... Quote Simon Phipp - Caldmore Chameleon - Wallowing in my elitism since 1982. Many Systems, One Family. Just a fanboy. www.soltakss.com/index.html Jonstown Compendium author. Find my contributions here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soltakss Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Personally, I think that the way that Legend has been made OGL immediately and has a very easy to use licence is excellent. I am sure that a lot of supplements will be produced that are Legend compatible, even if they don't have the Legend Logo. Quote Simon Phipp - Caldmore Chameleon - Wallowing in my elitism since 1982. Many Systems, One Family. Just a fanboy. www.soltakss.com/index.html Jonstown Compendium author. Find my contributions here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Vile Traveller Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 There are no plans to make the AEON core rules Legend Compatible. However, the similarity of the stat block and the basic D100 system means that supplements will by-and-large be cross-compatible - rather like most RQ/BRP products. I do look forward to seeing what new 3rd party products will be born out of both the 'Legend Compatible' and the RQ6 'Gateway' licences. Interesting times! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agentorange Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Sorry guys, but my Acronym Fu is weak this morning. What does IANAL mean ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonewt Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Sorry guys, but my Acronym Fu is weak this morning. What does IANAL mean ? Isn't that a new Apple product? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mankcam Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 I see that Amazon.com has LEGEND listed as a paperback? If Matt is reading this, I am wondering if there are any plans to release it as a hard cover? Quote " Sure it's fun, but it is also well known that a D20 roll and an AC is no match against a hefty swing of a D100% and a D20 Hit Location Table!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Evil Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Personally, I think that the way that Legend has been made OGL immediately and has a very easy to use licence is excellent. I am sure that a lot of supplements will be produced that are Legend compatible, even if they don't have the Legend Logo. 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Vile Traveller Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Isn't that a new Apple product? I am not a lawyer, but that sounds like a knock-off to me. If it was genuine Apple it would be written ianal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Evil Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 I am not a lawyer, but that sounds like a knock-off to me. If it was genuine Apple it would be written ianal. And...here I was trying hard not to be the one to make that comment ;P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soltakss Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Does this mean that we might see a new version of Merrie England Another one? After the BRP version? Probably not as a rulebook as it would just be a retread of the BRP one. I bought the original and would love to see it re-released either for Legend or the forthcoming RQ 6. I might put together some conversion notes. However, I might think about some generic adventures that would be Legend-compatible. Quote Simon Phipp - Caldmore Chameleon - Wallowing in my elitism since 1982. Many Systems, One Family. Just a fanboy. www.soltakss.com/index.html Jonstown Compendium author. Find my contributions here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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