License & Community Guidelines

The Accord RPG and the Synergy Engine were built to be shared, hacked, and expanded. We believe that tabletop RPGs thrive on community creativity.

Whether you want to write a new adventure for the official Accord Fantasy setting, or build a completely new cyberpunk world using the Synergy mechanics, you have our blessing.

1. The Synergy Engine (The Core Rules)

The underlying mechanics of this game—the Synergy Engine—are released under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

You are free to:

• Share: Copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.
• Adapt: Remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.

Under the following terms:

• Attribution: You must give appropriate credit to M. Frank Paluch (Edge of the World Productions LLC), provide a link to the license ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ), and indicate if changes were made.
• Sample Attribution to Copy and Paste:
• This work is based on The Synergy Engine (found at https://accordrpg.org/rules/), created by M. Frank Paluch and Edge of the World Productions LLC, and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

2. The Accord Settings (Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Horror)

Unlike many game systems that lock their lore behind copyright, the official Accord RPG Settings (including Accord Fantasy, Accord Sci-Fi, etc.) are also released under the CC BY 4.0 License.

We encourage you to take our worlds and make them your own.

• Want to write a module about the Clubs Faction in Accord Fantasy? Go ahead.
• Want to change the history of the Accord Sci-Fi universe for your home game or a published zine? Do it.

All we ask is that you credit the original source material.

3. Creating Your Own Worlds

If you want to create a completely unique game or setting using our rules (e.g., a Western, a Superhero game, or a noir mystery), you are free to do so.

The “Powered By” Logo You are welcome to state that your game is “Powered by the Synergy Engine” or “Compatible with the Synergy Engine.”

Distinguishing “Official” vs. “Community” To help players distinguish between our core books and community creations, we ask that you do not use the title “The Accord RPG” for your own unique standalone games.

• Good: “Neon Nights: A Cyberpunk RPG (Powered by the Synergy Engine)” (An original Setting)
• Good: “The Lost Temple: An Adventure for Accord RPG Fantasy” (An original Adventure)
• Good: “GrimDark Fantasy – an Accord Fantasy RPG with my cool changes” (You have taken the Accord RPG – Fantasy Setting, and made some changes)
• Avoid: “The Accord RPG – GrimDark Fantasy” (implies it is an official Accord RPG Setting).
• Avoid: “The Accord RPG: 2nd Edition” (implies it is the official core rulebook).

Commercial Use and Remixes

• Can I sell what I make? Yes.
  • Even if I just took an official Accord RPG Setting, changed the name of one Mountain, and nothing else? Yes, just please include a slightly modified License:
  • This work is based on The Synergy Engine (found at https://accordrpg.org/rules/) and the Accord RPG – [insert name of Setting you modified], created by M. Frank Paluch and Edge of the World Productions LLC, and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
  • … and continue to follow the product naming convention above to make it clear it is not an official Accord RPG release.
• Can I modify the rules? Yes.
• Do I have to pay you royalties? No.