Free League Publishing joins a growing group in the TTRPG industry. In light of Wizards of the Coast's leaked OGL 1.1, developers big and small have made plans to move away from the publisher's restrictive license. The Swedish tabletop developer continues these recent trends with the announcement of their Year Zero Engine OGL, allowing aspiring designers to use their tools.
Free League and the Year Zero Engine OGL
Free Leagues' announcement of the Year Zero Engine OGL comes from an official press release. It opens by stating work on this license began last year but was intensified in response to OGL 1.1. This is because the Year Zero Engine license was based on OGL 1.0a. To quote Free League's CEO Tomas Härenstam, "It's clear that it is high time for Free League to have an OGL that is fully our own."
The press release states that the Year Zero Engine OGL will be irrevocable, worldwide, and royalty-free. Furthermore, Free League will release a System Reference Document (SRD), which will include the most up-to-date version of the game system. The SRD will also include variant rules for certain game elements like chases, vehicles, magic, and travel. This RPG system has been the foundation for many of Free League's work over the years. That body of work includes Mutant Year Zero, Tales From The Loop, Alien, Blade Runner, and Vaesen.
In addition to the Year Zero Engine OGL, Free League will release a third-party license for the Scandinavian TTRPG Dragonbane. With this license, third-party developers can make supplements and modules for the Dragonbane RPG, and sell them wherever they wish. The only restriction is that only supplemental content can be made; no standalone games are allowed, as this license does not include an SRD for Dragonbane's system,
Free League's press release ends by addressing their future of producing third-party D&D 5e content. Both production and support Ruins of Symbaroum and The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying will continue largely unaffected in light of WOTC's recent actions.
