By now, you know that Project Black Flag is the code name for Kobold Press’s endeavor to update and streamline a core fantasy RPG based on 5E Dungeons & Dragons SRD 5.1.
One part of this effort is publishing the Core Fantasy Roleplaying rules, to be released under an open, perpetual, and irrevocable license.
That might be a bit of a word salad, though. So let’s talk this out.
Project Black Flag is the whole big idea of what Kobold Press is doing. It has a lot of pieces, some of which are not even visible yet, but it includes things like creating partnerships, streamlining rules, and supporting the community.
The Core Fantasy Roleplaying (CFR) rules are a big piece of Project Black Flag. These rules will be available to anyone who wants to publish game content with them. CFR is the rules system that will support Project Black Flag supplements you create and the ones we create.
Kobold Press aims for the CFR rules to keep 5E products that the community has already created relevant. And we want to do it while providing a compatible option for the future.
How to Find a Core Fantasy Roleplaying Game in the Wild
But you’re going to need to know what’s what on the store shelves, right? So we made a logo for that.
The Core Fantasy Roleplaying logo will be available to all partner companies and freelance publishers who create content for Project Black Flag. This makes it easy for gamers to identify 5E-compatible releases.
For instance, a virtual tabletop might show a CFR logo in a product release. Or you would find a PDF on DriveThruRPG in both the CFR section and the 5E search section.
What’s in the Rules?
The Core Fantasy Roleplaying rules will contain basic classes, lineage, spells, talents, and monsters. This includes a complete Player’s Guide and a GM’s Monster Vault with encounter-building tools.
We expect to have the CFR rules complete for public use by the end of the year. That means freelancers, companies, and individuals can begin creating using CRF by 2024 at no additional cost and with no strings attached.
Get Involved!
We update our Project Black Flag FAQ Page weekly to keep you in the loop. Check the FAQ to get your questions answered.
Finally, remember that Playtest Packet #1 Feedback is due Monday, February 27, at 11:59 PM PT. Use the feedback form to tell us your thoughts!
Getting your input now provides the design team time to review it while preparing Playtest Packet #2 (coming March 2023). We appreciate all the submissions the community has provided to date. We’re paying attention, and we look forward to more to come. Until next week!
Questions? Check out the Project Black Flag FAQ page. We update this weekly to provide a more transparent view of our process.
This system needs a catchier, more memorable name when Kobold Press rolls out its own rulebooks. How about Kobolds and Kingdoms? Kobolds and Knights? Kobolds ‘n Kritters? (That last one is a stretch, I admit.)
Kobold Quest? KQ For short.
Quests for Kobolds? QK for short ;P
I like that
You’re miss reading it. This isn’t their system, this is their version of the SRD.
*misreading
You’re misreading it. They’re updating 5e. That’s a new rule set. That’s what an SRD is.
In the spirit of Black Flag, please establish some sweet rules for nautical and sea campaigns, and some boss pirate stuff 🏴☠️
Yes nautical ship, Space ship, land vehicle, and mounted combat rules, please.
Barrel full of Kobolds?
Personality I want to see more combat maneuvers (charge, cleave, bull’s rush, sunder, etc) and fantasy or setting specific archetypes (weapon master, duelist, knight, shadow dancer, etc), a spell less ranger and paladin (with a half spellcaster archetype each), a bard “half spellcaster” (with a spellcaster archetype), and a non spellcaster inventor class.
Fighting Style Maneuvers: off hand parry for two weapon fighting for exemple, all in for heavy weapon fighting style, etc.
Kobolds & swobolds
Kingdoms & Kobolds (K&K)
Kingdoms & Kobolds (K&K)
Why not “Black Flag”? It sounds much more interesting than “Core Fantasy Roleplaying”.
> Why not “Black Flag”?
Because the goal is actually to have something kind of boring. “Core Fantasy Roleplaying”. It does exactly what it says on the tin. The goal isn’t to make the system itself particularly exciting. It’s just a holder for the glue of the system.
The Kobold Press version of the system will probably have a more interesting name.
To be clear, Core Fantasy Roleplaying is the name of the rules system. It’s NOT the name of the actual game (that has not been revealed quite yet 🙂 )
Hey, Kobold Press. You are doing everything in reverse order. You start by making everything around the game – how someone else can use the rules, partnerships, ect.
I think you should focus on just making a great game. Because unless your game is really good no one is going to want to use your rules for anything.