2023 New Years Update

[Jan2023] Greetings all, and a Happy New Year from Roguelike Games!

A lot has changed since our last update, so let's get rolling...

Radio Silence:

It's been a long time since anything new has arrived on this site, and the same could be said for our Roguelike Games Facebook Page. There have been quite a few reasons for this, some of which have been of a personal nature. To add to that I'm just a lone operator, and trying to write a TTRPG setting for two systems is quite a major task. There have been things that have affected all of us such as COVID-19 and homeworking. At the end of the day, these might all be good reasons but they're also not the sort of things I want to get in the way of working on this fantastic project and trying to get it out to the masses. The last update was in October 2019 with the release of the Uprising: Escape from Uraz Kal adventure...that's way too long.

I could have done more to keep updates flowing even while I had my nose to the grindstone. That's on me, no excuses.

What I would like to achieve moving forward is to keep updates more consistent, even if there are times when information is minimal. Prior to writing this update I've gone through the website and made some changes, tidied it up, and removed some clutter. It should (hopefully) be streamlined and easy to navigate!

Moralinth Updates:

Despite having worked on some other projects, Moralinth: Gothic Horror RPG still remains Roguelike Games' flagship project and is still very much at the forefront of the work going on here. Since the start of 2020, an older draft of Moralinth has been rebuilt, updated, and redesigned so that it can fit into the original idea of releasing it as a dual-system game. It was always the intention that when it does go to press, it will be available on two different game systems so that Narrators and Players could choose which best suited their gaming preference. Major headway has been made in this department, but there have also been some setbacks. For one, the aforementioned radio silence was in part due to a "heads-down, working hard" attitude I employed once COVID hit. Another is that one of our two system choices has had to be completely scrapped, essentially making over a year of work obsolete. You can read more about that in "O.G.L. Drama", further in this update!

Commitment to Moralinth hasn't lessened though, quite the opposite. Now more than ever the push to get it completed to a high standard and out to players has become a top priority. Alongside the two System Editions and a system-free Worldbook, there will also be two Quickstart Guides (one for each system) coming soon that will hold a summarised version of the rules, premade characters, tokens, maps, character sheets, and an adventure to play with 3 or 4 players called "Sleepers at Dockside". Released as part of Moralinth's crowdfunding project, these will be extremely affordable options for people wishing to dip their toes into the world of Moralinth before fully committing.

Speaking of System Editions, here is where we currently are with the two versions of the Moralinth core rulebooks:

Moralinth: Uncanny Edition (previously Cypher Edition)

Designed under the Cypher System Creator Program, this was the original version of Moralinth: a setting book for the Cypher System that didn't contain information already published by MCG but rather added and expanded to it with a new setting, systems, NPCs, monsters, etc. Since that original draft, the Cypher System Creator Program has shifted solely toward creating content on Drivethrurpg which is perfect for creators wanting to make 3rd-Party content for existing Cypher licensed products but fell out of the remit of what Moralinth was, being its own standalone system that used that ruleset.

However, with the arrival of the revised ruleset, MCG also released the Cypher System Open License (CSOL) and the Cypher System Reference Document (CSRD) granting us a way to continue with our project. Since that point work has been growing apace getting this new version of Moralinth - which has been dubbed Moralinth: Uncanny Edition - fully compliant with the CSOL. A more recent update shows some changes are coming to the CSOL, which we are keeping an eye on as it will likely affect things further (hopefully in a positive manner).

Moralinth: Uncanny Edition is forging ahead at a great pace and the Quickstart Guide for it is already first-draft complete. Only editing, final art, and layout need to be done and the Quickstart Guide will be ready to go and be available at the start of crowdfunding.

Moralinth: Gloom Edition (previously 5e Edition)

While the news regarding the Uncanny (Cypher) Edition of Moralinth has been extremely positive, the same can't be said for the 5e-compatible version. After a year and a half of work, we were hit over the new year with some devastating news with regard to WoTC's Open Gaming License (OGL) which meant that a 5e-compatible version of Moralinth was no longer on the cards.

Deterred but not defeated, research has begun into an alternate system to use with this other version of Moralinth. We are currently looking at many viable options with other publishers who have their own open licenses for independent creators such as ourselves to use, or we may even look to create our own in-house ruleset for this second system. Regardless of which system ends up being used, an update will become available on this website to announce what the second system we intend to use as a framework for this other version of Moralinth - which has been dubbed Moralinth: Gloom Edition.

Going forward you will no longer see the systems referred to by their old names of Moralinth: Cypher Edition and Moralinth: 5e Edition, but by their new monikers:

"Moralinth: Uncanny Edition" and "Moralinth: Gloom Edition".

Moralinth Worldbook

The Moralinth Worldbook, a standalone lore book designed to accompany the two core book editions, remains unaffected by the system changes that have been required for the Uncanny and Gloom Editions of Moralinth.

As the main component of this book existed in the original Cypher Edition of Moralinth, it has been transcribed wholesale into this new tome and acts as a framework to which information on the various nations, cultures, flora, and fauna of The Known World has been added.

The Moralinth Worldbook remains on track as a standalone product that will be offered as a stretch goal for the crowdfunding campaign and should it be unlocked, will be provided free of charge. While the two core book editions hold enough information about the world and setting to run games, the Worldbook will add extra depth, lore, and character to that information to give Narrators a larger amount of content to draw from to bring their games to life.

O.G.L. Drama

In a move that seemed to come out of the blue for most of us, on 21st December 2022 Wizards of the Coast: owners of the Open Gaming License (O.G.L.), currently in its 1.0a version, announced upcoming changes to the OGL that had been in place for 20+ years and allowed independent publishers to create content using the d20 system, a set of rules used to create among other things, dnd 5e. Following a leaked copy of the new OGL 1.1 that found its way onto the Internet on January 5th, 2023, it became apparent that WoTC was looking to enforce a new version of the OGL which would require 3rd-party publishers to report earnings, pay royalties to WoTC and perhaps worst of all, surrender all rights of their IP's (Intellectually Properties) to WoTC meaning that they could do whatever they wished with them. This new 1.1 version of the OGL was to supersede the previous 1.0a version (something which that version stated could not happen) and that any works made under the previous 1.0a OGL would also be affected. Those publishing under the 1.0a OGL were given until the 13th of January to sign this new 1.1 OGL or face legal action.

Sufficed to say this did not go down well with the dnd community or the internet as a whole.

The internet backlash was so severe in fact, that WoTC let the 13th of January get extremely close (much to the panic of 3rd-party developers whose livelihood was on the line) and then canceled the original agreement date of the 13th. On the 13th of January 2023, WoTC gave an update on the 1.1 OGL backlash and attempted to reconcile it into a new, amended OGL 2.0. By this time, however, the damage was seemingly done. Many larger independent publishers were beginning to announce their own open gaming licenses, offering 3rd party publishers alternative options to publishing under the 1.0a, 1.1, or 2.0 OGL. As of writing, this debate is still in full swing.

Roguelike Games' stance on the OGL

Following the drama pertaining to the Open Gaming License and the uncertainty that surrounds it, we have decided to cease all progress on the Moralinth: 5e Edition, effective immediately. All previous blog posts surrounding Moralinth: 5e should be considered archived material, now shelved. We cannot in good conscience produce material that might be apprehended or modified in the future without our consent, and we would not want to put anyone who has purchased our products in the same situation. To those looking forward to a 5e version of Moralinth anytime soon, we apologize.

While we will keep a close eye on the progress of the OGL and may rethink our stance on working with OGL-compliant content in the future, for the time being only the Deck of Many Stings supplement and Uprising: Escape from Uraz Kal adventure will feature any 5e/OGL content. As they exist purely in PDF format there is little concern around these products, but if things become messy we will pull those products from Drivethrurpg and Dungeonmaster's Guild if necessary to protect all parties.

Right now Roguelike Games are exploring alternative options to the OGL for the Moralinth: Gloom Edition as mentioned above, once that is decided upon an update will be announced.

Staff Additions at Roguelike Games

Up until fairly recently, Roguelike Games has been, with the exception of a cadre of dedicated proofreaders and play-testers, essentially a one-man show. The entire of the Uncanny Edition rulebook and Quickstart Guide for Moralinth, the Moralinth Worldbook, the content in the Products tab of this website, the material in the Free Archive and the website itself have all come from the fevered ramblings of one noggin. But no more! About halfway through work on the now-scrapped Moralinth: 5e Edition, I took on the assistance of a veteran in the 5e field who helped me navigate rules plot holes, the often janky game design that comes with 5e, and the lexicon contained therein. We have been in discussions since the OGL situation blew up, and it has been agreed upon that they will remain on board as a second writer from the upcoming Moralinth: Gloom Edition, and hopefully two heads working on a project will get it done in a much shorter time!

Roguelike Community: Discord, Facebook, and more

Though the Roguelike Games website and Facebook page have been rapidly gathering views and interest, the lack of updates (see "Radio Silence", above) has rightly seen people with scant content to actually talk about. We would like that to change, and while we believe regular updates will obviously help with that in the short-to-mid term, a thriving community can only really exist in today's society if it makes use of social media in one form or another. To that end, we are exploring additional outreach options to connect with and build a fan base for Roguelike Games, specifically Moralinth. Some of the ideas being banded around are:

• A specific Facebook Group Page for Moralinth, with regular updates and sneak peeks.

• A Discord Server for Moralinth, giving people a place to go and chat about anything to do with the project.

• More than minimal use of the Roguelike Games Twitter profile (I personally don't use Twitter so need reminding).

• A push to promote the Roguelike Games website (and also Moralinth) using online advertising.

• Potentially looking into hiring the assistance of digital marketing professionals.

We'd love to hear your thoughts on this or anything you think we might be missing, but please don't forget good old-fashioned word of mouth: tell your friends!

Crowdfunding

It has always been our intention to release Moralinth as part of a crowdfunding campaign, and that is still the end goal. Despite myself (and now my co-writer) being exceptionally driven individuals doing our own writing, designing, research, promotion, and art, we're fully aware that there are simply aspects of this project that is outside of our skill set. For our vision to be realized to its best potential and its highest quality, we'll need to be able to employ the assistance of editors, layout designers, marketing professionals, and hopefully additional artists to expand our repertoire.

Though we did look into the option of using something like Patreon to get Moralinth off the ground, it didn't prove to be the best fit of a business model for our needs. More likely would be Kickstarter or Backerkit which have proven successful in short-term crowdfunding projects with a marketable product as an end result, rather than an ongoing subscription with a constant flow of smaller content.

As things stand at the moment, we're looking more to crowdfunding through Kickstarter, though this is in no way final and is subject to change as we finish the product(s). We will, of course, let you know what our chosen platform is well ahead of actually pitching a crowdfunding campaign.

Moving Forward into 2023 and beyond!

With new staff writers, an OGL shakeup, and the end of (most) COVID restrictions, Roguelike Games is heading into 2023 with a clearer vision for the future than ever before. We'll be looking at building the community so that we can better interact with our fans leading up to the start of the crowdfunding campaign. Collecting people's opinions on what they like and aren't so keen on is a big part of what we do, and we don't just want to present this great game setting, we want people to be invested in it.

As soon as a rough outline has been hammered out with regard to a Moralinth Community, we'll let you know.

Updates should now be more consistent and impactful. A new blog will go up each month at a bare minimum. While we'd love to give weekly updates the unfortunate truth is sometimes a whole week can pass with little external news to share, we've often just got our heads down writing!

Of course, sometimes unexpected updates will appear or there will be new stuff we just can't keep quiet about anymore, so while once a month is a minimum for updates going forward, there could well be far more than that!

...and that about wraps it up for this month's update. Once again a Happy New Year from Roguelike Games and come back soon for more information. In the meantime,

Happy Gaming!

- Adam