Open D6 update!

Over at the WEG Fan Forums Eric Gibson, the owner of West End Games, has posted an update on OpenD6. For your convenience, I want to quote his post here:

OpenD6 OGL
Moving forward, OpenD6 is ACTIVE. By that I mean the the system is now open as previously discussed. I have yet to publish the actual SRD for the D6 System, but that is coming. For the record, all of the text copyrights to the 51000 series of books is cover by OpenD6 and will be released as part of the evolving OpenD6 SRD.

The 51000 series of books include:
51005 The D6 System: The Customization Roleplaying Game (a.k.a. the D6 Cookbook)
51011 D6 Adventure
51012 D6 Space
51013 D6 Fantasy
51015 D6 Fantasy Creatures
51016 D6 Adventure Locations
51017 D6 Space Ships
51019 D6 Gamemaster Screen and Aid
51020 D6 Fantasy Locations
51021 D6 Adventure Creatures
51022 D6 Space Aliens I
51024 D6 Vade Mecum of Magic

The previous is all released under the OGL v1.0a. Per that license, I’m designating the D6 System, and OpenD6 and any derivative trademark as Product Identity (PI) meaning it is not open under the OGL. Rather, the trademarks to the D6 System will be subject to a separate System Trademark License (STL). I still need to put together the exact wording of the STL, however the skinny will simply be, to use the D6 System and OpenD6 trademarks, you have to submit any newly developed share-alike OpenD6 material (non- PI) to me, or ultimately to the OpenD6 website (when it is finally working fully) for archival. There are not other content restrictions. Simply put, whatever you were going to release as open under OpenD6’s OGL, should be archived in a single central location and that location is OpenD6.com.

Ultimately, someone will ask if the Legend System (D6 legend) is covered under this license. Yes, it is. However Legend system was never produced in a purely generic form and I cannot as easily indicate what may and may not be used. Legend is, for all intents and purposes, merely a variation of the basic D6 System and, since the OpenD6 OGL allows you to create variations, Legend is naturally covered. Putting the Legend system into the OGL is another matter however. It is very time consuming to create text for the OGL and naturally my focus must be on creating commercial material that we have in the works for GenCon. To that end, any assistance anymore wishes to provide in creating the text is a easily dissected or dissectable format either for Legend, or D6 will be appreciated.

OpenD6.com
As most know, OpenD6.com’s back end system is being actively worked on by a passionate and underpaid developer. Though still much more has to be done on this ambitious project, a lot of progress has been made. The database is set up (though recent discussions have suggested changes are needing to be made regarding rules classifications, requisites while will ultimately determine how the server processes the rulebook designs) and is able to take data and the Workstation (the interface that you enter and edit rules data) is nearing completion. the OpenD6 workstation not supports images as well as text. This is useful for rules that require charts, maps, or other graphic features for full functionality, is simply if a developer wishes to include flavor art.
The website will now dynamically generate PDFs of individual selected rulests which is the first step in possibly the most ambitious part of OpenD6 — fully customized rulebooks.

I really, really interested in OpenD6 and I hope it will be a great success not only for Eric but for the whole RPG community. I can still remember the outburst of creativity when the d20 System was released under the OGL. I hope the same thing will happen with D6. It’s a great system and it would be a shame if it would be lost to history. But with OpenD6 it has a chance to live through a renaissance!