After reading through OSRIC, reading this article at Uncle Bear about GORE and FACERIP, and most importantly, reading the series of articles by Jerry Stratton about copyright law on hi Biblyon blog I got to thinking.

Thinking of all the great games that got me in to the hobby when I was a kid, of course, but also about games that still exist and newer games that writers are somewhat locked out of developing for. Sure, you can make a supplement for, say, GURPS or WoD, but you can't refer to them in your game. You can't promote it as being for that game (as I understand it).

I was wondering what you all think about this both as developers and players.

Obviously I predict most people are going to be at least moderately okay with rewriting games which are no longer available and putting them under an OGL, or CC, or GFDL, but I'd still like to hear what you have to say about it. And what about rewriting something which is still in print and doing the same thing with opening up the license. So that, maybe people couldn't develop a product for Mage: The Ascension, but they could make (and sell) something for "Urban Arcane."

Further, what if the system in question, although technically still in print in it's original form no longer had any real commercial support?

Obviously I have ideas in my head...

I would be interested to see what you do with your idea and even a bit on what it is before I judge. Right now I am working on taking aspects from alternity 7th sea (aeg's version) and besm 3rd ed, in an effort to scrap together what I feel are the very best aspects of gaming. I would be interested in seeing what open ended concepts might be able to breath some new life into the old systems that stand as the foundation of gaming today.

regards, Seth