OD&D Rob Kuntz Licenses RPG Materials For 1E & 5E

Rob Kuntz has licensed his library of RPG work -- including his original Grehawk Castle levels (from 1974) -- to Paul Stormberg's companies, TLB Games and Legends of Roleplaying. Also available for licensing to companies interested in making 5E version of them are other materials, including Castle El Raja Key (which was a dungeon used in the OD&D playtests back in 1973-74). The RJK Estate...

Rob Kuntz has licensed his library of RPG work -- including his original Grehawk Castle levels (from 1974) -- to Paul Stormberg's companies, TLB Games and Legends of Roleplaying.

Also available for licensing to companies interested in making 5E version of them are other materials, including Castle El Raja Key (which was a dungeon used in the OD&D playtests back in 1973-74).

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 PRESS RELEASE


The RJK Estate recently entered into an agreement with TLB Games ( TLBGames.com ) and Legends of Role Playing ( LegendsofRolePlaying.com ) --both owned and operated by Paul Stormberg--wherein the latter acquired the rights to publish and/or develop under oversight my large library of RPG published and unpublished RPG materials for OSRIC®/1st Edition. The agreement included the right to publish/develop my original Greyhawk Castle Levels, circa 1974 that were used in the play-test of the original D&D game with my mentor and co-DM, Gary Gygax.

The RJK Estate is seeking to license these titles and many of its other RPG materials not included in the above licensing agreement, to established companies interested in producing these for 5th Edition. This would include access to Original Greyhawk Castle levels and to the first rendition of Castle El Raja Key (the second castle-dungeon used for the play-test of the original D&D game, 1973-1974), among many other published and unpublished titles.

Inquiries should be e-mailed to: rjk.estate@orange.fr
 

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Morrus

Well, that was fun
Staff member
I'm somewhat confused by the notation that Paul Stormberg owns TLB Games; last I heard, that was Rob's company, releasing things like his El Raja Key Archive and K1 The Sunken City. Did a change of ownership take place prior to this, or was Paul involved in TLB Games from the beginning?

Also, I previously noted that the recent release of The Game That Changed Everything had a note from Rob, calling it his "bon voyage to the role-playing game industry." Was that an indication that he's decided to step back and let Paul run things on his behalf?
I only know what it says up there.
 

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Whizbang Dustyboots

Gnometown Hero
Well, if Kuntz owns the rights to this material and is willing to sell them, one would think whoever buys those rights would in theory be able to use and publish said material.

Won't open up all of Greyhawk to 3pp's, just whatever bits Kuntz contributed.
That's still 100% more than Gail Gygax is interested in opening up right now. Hopefully, whoever publishes Kuntz's stuff does so in a way that's modular enough to be connected with EGG's stuff, if we ever see it.
 

I'm somewhat confused by the notation that Paul Stormberg owns TLB Games; last I heard, that was Rob's company, releasing things like his El Raja Key Archive and K1 The Sunken City. Did a change of ownership take place prior to this, or was Paul involved in TLB Games from the beginning?

Also, I previously noted that the recent release of The Game That Changed Everything had a note from Rob, calling it his "bon voyage to the role-playing game industry." Was that an indication that he's decided to step back and let Paul run things on his behalf?
Hiya. To clarify. Paul owns both companies and was the World Wide distributor through TLB Games for Three Line Studio, my outfit located in France. Three Line Studio is in the process of completing the reorganization and consolidation of its IP (under the expanded RJK Estate umbrella) and will thereafter be TLS Publications limited to large non-RPGame books. Part of the RPG holdings not destined for other development (5E or other media ventures, for example) were licensed to TLB and his new outfit LORP for 1E publication rights only. This coincided with changes in directions--2 currently under contract--for the RJK Estate's IP. Note that the estate has in excess of 1,000 unpublished and published manuscripts, 400 maps, short story collections, a fiction novel, a non-fiction novel, a screenplay, various treatments for film and television, and a massive amount of art files accumulated from my previous companies Creations Unlimited and Pied Piper Publishing, et al. The two contracted projects are from the latter non-RPG category.

Though I will not be creating print RPG material as a mainstay living any longer, I will interface on print projects for licensed works as a creative director and consultant and provide treatments on more complex projects where needed, this in the hope of conveying the essence of Fantasy that Gary Gygax and I captured and extolled during D&D's formative years, 1972-1974, and thereafter. I am ensuring that the fans also get a shot at those many projects that I could not get to by way of these licensing arrangements as my career takes another, though not unfamiliar, course change.
 
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I really appreciate you doing this, Rob, both for the sake of the fans and to ensure your part in the history of the game doesn't get overlooked by future generations.
The future belongs to us all! It is humbling to note that many still appreciate past endeavors, but still remember that as a free-lancer all these years I always matured as a designer, I had to keep track of the market and adapt or die. Thus my design philosophy is fluid as it has to be to evolve or meet that dead end. No more is that apparent than in my recent, and last, contribution to 1E "Beyond the Living Room" through LORP. I feel that if one studied it closely they might not be able to recognize a relation to any past adventure, though I could be mistaken as I am not a font of all knowledge on the thousands of adventure designs out there. I had really never done anything like it before; and that is what Gary extolled very early on, to not be the same, but differentiate. BtLR is an example of that philosophy and thus a fitting example to end upon--I also believe that it is my 22nd or 23rd? adventure design. Man. That's a PHEW! ;)
 
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imagineGod

Legend
To avoid looking clueless and help others who started role play in the 90s and 2000s, I found this helpful list of Rob Kuntz's work from the 70s and 80s

 


imagineGod

Legend
A more up to date (including several new releases) and comprehensive list of my published works and creative involvement occurs here:

Thank you very much, good sir.
I will post this link to my friends elsewhere. .
 

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