Paizo Paizo Launches Community Content Program

Paizo has joined the likes of WotC, Chaosium, EN Publishing, and many other publishers in launching a community content program at DriveThruRPG which grants access to much of its IP for both Pathfinder and Starfinder. Like WotC's DMs Guild, the royalty is 50% of the proceeds.

Today at Gen Con, we announced a new way for members of the Pathfinder and Starfinder communities to create content to expand the brands and make a lasting mark on the games we all love: Pathfinder and Starfinder Infinite.

Beginning on October 13, 2021, content creators will be able to sell adventures, fiction, setting supplements, rules expansions, maps, art packs, and more using Paizo’s intellectual property. That means that you can, for the first time, write an RPG supplement set in the official Pathfinder or Starfinder settings that references our locations, organizations, characters, deities and more, and sell it to your fellow players and GMs.

Want to tell the story of Kyra and Merisiel’s adventures on what they’d hoped would be a restful honeymoon? Now you can!

What about that side quest adventure you’ve always wanted to share to support your favorite Pathfinder Adventure Path? Now’s the time!

How about that custom character class or alien species you made for your Starfinder campaign that you just know others are going to love? Yep, that too.

Our partners at OneBookShelf (DriveThruRPG, DriveThruCards, Astral Tabletop) will be hosting and managing the program, bringing years of experience running similar community content marketplaces for other tabletop properties to bear.

Check out the content creation guidelines, frequently asked questions, and the starter layout templates and art assets available to community creators at pathfinderinfinite.com and starfinderinfinite.com.

We’ll have more information to share in the coming weeks, but the real excitement won’t start until all of you can share your Pathfinder and Starfinder creations with the world in just under a month. I’m looking forward to seeing what incredible things you come up with!

 

[kenada]

Can't think why. The OGL has been used for 20 years now with no complaint, for D&D, Pathfinder, and a ton of other games. Pathfinder itself is published using the OGL (it has to be, as it was originally derived from the 3.5 SRD). Why would it deter anybody? It's the most awesome thing!

It is, but OGL normally allows you to use it without contributing back — new rules can be declared as product identity. I’ve got several games (e.g., Pugmire, Old-School Essentials Advanced) which do just that. The terms of the Pathfinder/Starfinder Infinite explicitly disallow doing that. If you publish something with new rules on the store, the rules must be published as open content under the OGL. You can’t declare them product identity. That’s what I was wondering might deter people.

 

[Morrus]

It is, but OGL normally allows you to use it without contributing back — new rules can be declared as product identity. I’ve got several games (e.g., Pugmire, Old-School Essentials Advanced) which do just that. The terms of the Pathfinder/Starfinder Infinite explicitly disallow doing that. If you publish something with new rules on the store, the rules must be published as open content under the OGL. You can’t declare them product identity. That’s what I was wondering might deter people.

I see, yeah, it says you can't declare rules as Product Identity. I don't have a problem with that though. If you're going to use somebody else's rules, it seems weird to then turn around and try to wall off your own.

 

[embee]

As someone that sells on DMSGUILD, I can tell you that getting only 50% for your work is not fun....Less than 40% of items on the site, give or take, sell even 51 copies. Less than 27% sell even 101 copies.....

I think that the trick is to think of it as a hobby or a passion project. In which case, it's "found money."

Otherwise, all you've done is turn something you enjoy into a low-paying job.

 

[Zaukrie]

I think that the trick is to think of it as a hobby or a passion project. In which case, it's "found money."

Otherwise, all you've done is turn something you enjoy into a low-paying job.

Correct.

 

[Morrus]

I think that the trick is to think of it as a hobby or a passion project. In which case, it's "found money."

Otherwise, all you've done is turn something you enjoy into a low-paying job.

There are people killing it on DMsG. A small number, but it can be done.

 

[Inchoroi]

Oh my.

I'm kinda thrilled about this, actually. I've always wanted to write stories in this setting and actually publish them, so now I can.

Now, I just have to find the time to do that.

 

[CapnZapp]

Like it says in the OP, exactly the same.

And imagine Epic bitching about a paltry 30%

 

[CapnZapp]

I'm kinda thrilled about this, actually. I've always wanted to write stories in this setting and actually publish them, so now I can.

I believe you have always been able to do that.

 

[CapnZapp]

I think that the trick is to think of it as a hobby or a passion project.

THIS

 

[CapnZapp]

It is, but OGL normally allows you to use it without contributing back — new rules can be declared as product identity. I’ve got several games (e.g., Pugmire, Old-School Essentials Advanced) which do just that. The terms of the Pathfinder/Starfinder Infinite explicitly disallow doing that. If you publish something with new rules on the store, the rules must be published as open content under the OGL. You can’t declare them product identity. That’s what I was wondering might deter people.

I find it entirely reasonable that if you want to play in their back yard you can't hold onto anything you come up with, you need to share it with all the others playing.

After all, Paizo started out as a kid in WotC's back yard, they should know what could happen