Mongoose to release OGL Horror

**PoC** · 24th November 2003, 04:23 PM

I note that Mongoose Publishing are to release OGL Horror at some point. See: http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/de...&qsSeries=Core

From their web site:

Originally Posted by Mongoose Publishing

In most horror games, the character creation rules become the most well-thumbed and familiar sections of the book. Few characters survive for long some fall victim to bizarre and gory fates, others go insane, and others are only used for one-shots or short campaigns anyway.

Originally Posted by Mongoose Publishing

While the focus of this book is on the modern day, with the occasional diversion to the roots of the modern horror genre in the Victorian era and the 1920s, this book can also be used to add horror to games set in any time or place.

A six page preview extract of the book is available. (592 KB)

I'm guessing that going OGL gets round those problems with WotC's 'Decency issues' that the new Delta Green dual stat has had to deal with. It should be interesting to see how Mongoose's OGL Horror can be merged with d20 CoC.

Paul

**Prestonp** · 24th November 2003, 10:42 PM

Hmmm. The book is definitely D20, so I am not sure as to what you mean by using OGL to circumvent the decency rules.

**Robbie** · 24th November 2003, 11:07 PM

Originally Posted by Prestonp

Hmmm. The book is definitely D20, so I am not sure as to what you mean by using OGL to circumvent the decency rules.

A couple of links for you:

http://www.gamingreport.com/article.php?sid=10030

http://pub64.ezboard.com/fbottledimp...icID=167.topic

Basically if you want to go 'd20' you have to adhere to a much stricter set of guidelines (than you used to). The Open Gaming License, however, is 'open' and not under the same control by Wizards.

**Fallingtower** · 24th November 2003, 11:45 PM

Man D20 can be so much work.

I don't think I will ever buy this new book.

As far as non BRP Horror goes I am going to pick this baby up...I got to see a preview of the cover art..very nice.

http://store.palladiumbooks.com/Merc...gory_Code=B700

**Prestonp** · 25th November 2003, 12:35 AM

Hmmm. Well this mongoose release looks interesting. A bit overpriced, but something I might pick up.

Thanks.

**delrio** · 25th November 2003, 01:41 AM

Originally Posted by PoC

I'm guessing that going OGL gets round those problems with WotC's 'Decency issues' that the new Delta Green dual stat has had to deal with. It should be interesting to see how Mongoose's OGL Horror can be merged with d20 CoC.

Could you elaborate on that, Paul? I thought the only difference between the original and new printings of Delta Green was the new one being hardcover and having dual stat blocks.

Del Rio

**Robbie** · 25th November 2003, 08:23 AM

As I understand it, if you go d20 -- and use the logo -- you cannot have 'native' char gen rules in your book. Thus in the case of Delta Green, because it has its own non-d20 char gen rules (BRP-based), you cannot publish the book as a d20 book. However ... the OGL (which is separate to the d20 licence) allows you to utilise the core mechanics of d20 without implicitly referencing or requiring the d20 D&D/Modern core books to generate characters. So either Pagan release a d20 version and a BRP version of Delta Green, or they pretty much had to go with the OGL.

In addition, Wizards now have the right to block -- in the courts -- any use of the d20 license if they feel, in their opinion, that it violates what they deem to be 'decent'. (They get dibs on whether you are allowed to publish the game or not.)

'Twas George Vasilakos of Eden who outlined the differences between d20 and OGL above when I worked for them at this year's GenCon; however any misunderstanding of the issues is very much my own!

**cynick** · 25th November 2003, 10:16 AM

IIRC, the decency issue was raised on the DG mailing list a couple of months ago. Allegedly Wizards had seen the manuscript and it was OK.

I'm guessing the only thing that has fallen foul of the new rules so far is The Book of Erotic Fantasy. The Decency standards were announced after this product was announced, but there is apparently no relation between the two events.

**PoC** · 25th November 2003, 07:30 PM

Originally Posted by delrio

Originally Posted by PoC

I'm guessing that going OGL gets round those problems with WotC's 'Decency issues' that the new Delta Green dual stat has had to deal with. It should be interesting to see how Mongoose's OGL Horror can be merged with d20 CoC.

Could you elaborate on that, Paul? I thought the only difference between the original and new printings of Delta Green was the new one being hardcover and having dual stat blocks.

Del Rio

Indeed the only difference between the new DG hardcover edition and the old is the addition of d20 stats - I think most of the relation between OGL and d20 has now been covered above.

It will be interesting to see it when released either for possible integration into d20 CoC or simple mining of ideas. Apparently they have their own Sanity mechanic of which they hope to reveal more soon.

Paul

**Mytholder** · 25th November 2003, 10:21 PM

Hey, writer weighing in here.

The equivalent of Sanity in OGL Horror is Fear and Loathing. It's based off the Will save, and is divided into three types of Horror check - Fear, Panic and Madness. Depending on how much you fail a check by, different things happen to you. Fail a Fear check, and you might just suffer a penalty to rolls 'cs you're jumpy. Fail a Panic check, and you run, or attack the source of the panic blindly.

If you fail a check by a significant margin, you start picking up Shock Points. Shock Points are bad. They penalise all future Horror checks until you get rid of them. You can get rid of Shock Points in lots of different ways; psychoanalysis, buying them off by taking phobias and the usual psychological issues, drawing in your inner reserves of strength and so on.

It should port over to Cthulhu d20 fairly smoothly. The PCs will be worse off in the short term (there's more of a penalty for failing a Horror check), but there isn't the same death spiral loss of SAN in OGL Horror.

As for the decency clause - it wasn't an issue. OGL Horror is OGL so we could include a character generation system.

**Robbie** · 25th November 2003, 10:42 PM

Hey Gar!

Congratulations on your (first?) Mongoose title. I will probably pick it up at Dragonmeet.

(Remembering Buffy and GenCon '02.)

**Mytholder** · 25th November 2003, 11:40 PM

Hey, I was wondering if it was you. (and it's third or fourth, depending on when it comes out, and hopefully see you at Dragonmeet

)

**trancejeremy** · 26th November 2003, 08:01 AM

Hmmm. I thought Delta Green was going to be released as a sub-license of Chaosium's d20 license from WOTC, as opposed to the one people can use for free. Since CoC d20 wasn't released using the regular license, and so isn't open content, a company has to license products through Chaosium, and thus presumably qualifies to use the d20 logo no matter what is included, be it character generation rules or "indecent" bits.

It really depends on Chaosium's contract with Wizards, though.