Open Legend: An Open Source Tabletop RPG now on Kickstarter

[kylesgames]

I just thought I'd tell everyone about this. I'd mentioned it before, but hadn't really talked much about it. Open Legend is an open source (literally, it has a github page) tabletop roleplaying game that recently has come out on Kickstarter to fund high-production-value PDF and print materials. There's about a week left in the Kickstarter fundraiser, so feel free to check it out: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/62 ... escription

In the interest of full disclosure, my the Legacy of Eight setting won the backer's choice mini-campaign contest, so I actually am making some money off of Open Legend, though at this point further backers don't really increase the moolah for me (though it is kinda cool).

The mechanics are fairly simple (and available online already: the Kickstarter is just to put them in print), with a lot of exploding dice but a generally D&D-lite feel. Spells are replaced with an effect list that can be triggered by characters with the appropriate levels in the selection of the ~18 attributes which can trigger those effects. Rather than having individual skills, attributes abstract most actions into a few possible elements (e.g. Learning for knowledge skills, Agility for stealth and dexterity, Presence for leadership).

It's a heckuvalot of fun to play (I've proselytized so that one of my former players is going to run his first campaign [I think, unless he's double-dipped on us] using the system in just a couple weeks), and it has some real wiz-bang stuff going into it. Heck, Ed Greenwood's working on it (and gave it a formal endorsement!).

[Rob Lang]

Cool! Best of luck with the Kickstarter.

[Evil Scientist]

Wow! Impressive! Congratulations, Kyle, on winning the mini-contest!

[kylesgames]

Thank you. Now it's all lawyers and handguns under the table. (I kid; Bryan's a good guy, and the only reason I am getting lawyers involved is because I have a concierge law service so I may as well use it.)

As someone who has now done a not insignificant amount of writing, I have to say that there's some pleasure to be found in writing without any need to worry about mechanics, which Open Legend handles handily.