RPG: Chaosium Announces New Edition of ‘Basic Roleplaying Engine’ Coming Using ORC License

Chaosium dips their tendrils into the ORC License pool with the announcement of a new ORC-fueled Basic Roleplaying: Universal Game Engine.

Chaosium’s Basic Roleplaying or BRP system has been around for decades. It is the d100 system that powers the eldritch abominations you run into in the course of any Call of Cthulhu Adventure. Whether you set your campaign in the 20s, 40s, or even the Victorian era, the Basic Roleplaying System is there.

And yesterday, Chaosium announced an update to the core BRP system. An “updated edition” that will incorporate the new ORC License, which is the first we’re hearing of the ORC since Pathfinder’s big announcement back at the tail end of the OGL saga earlier this year.

Chaosium Announces Updated Edition Of Basic Roleplaying Using ORC License

The announcement on their Twitter page outlines the forthcoming updated edition:

Basic Roleplaying (“BRP”), is the game engine that powers Chaosium’s most popular games including Call of Cthulhu and RuneQuest. For 40 years the BRP system has been lauded for intuitive and easy-to-understand “roll low” mechanics, which makes games designed with BRP accessible and quick to learn. BRP games keep the focus on roleplaying, and exploring the setting that the game master has prepared.

This release serves as an update to the core BRP system. Under the new Open RPG Creative License (ORC), game creators are free to use the BRP rules engine to develop their own games, royalty-free and without further permission from Chaosium.

It’s worth noting that Chaosium was one of the first major game publishers to sign on to the ORC License. And this marks some of the first news we’ve had in a while. With a PDF available in April, it seems like that’s a good chance to get a first look at the license. Unless someone else beats Chaosium to the punch.

With the BRP system, players can take the Call out of Cthulhu. That is, you’ll be able to use the core mechanics of the popular game, in your own universe. Eldritch horrors not required. But nobody’s going to stop you.

In fact, using the d100 system at the heart of BRP, it’s a pretty easy stretch to imagine Sci-Fi settings, since there are many notable games that use d100s and are in space, like Dark Heresy and its ilk.

After the April PDF release, Chaosium expects a hardcover release later in 2023.

Until then, it’s time to get real basic.

Author: J.R. Zambrano

Bell of Lost Souls Staff Writer and DM, J.R. covers RPGs of all stripes and on occasion eats sandwiches. You can ask him about either at [email protected]