Editing Basic Role-Playing (section)

== History ==
The core rules were written by [[Steve Perrin]]<ref>{{cite journal| last =Ehara| first =Tadashi| author-link = Tadashi Ehara| title =My Life and Role-Playing| journal =[[Different Worlds]]| issue = 3| pages =8–9| publisher =[[Chaosium]]|date=June–July 1979}}</ref> as part of his game ''RuneQuest''.<ref>{{cite journal| last =Donohoe| first =Jim| title =Open Box: Runequest| journal =[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]]| issue = 11| pages =18–19| publisher =[[Games Workshop]]|date=February–March 1979| issn = 0265-8712}}</ref> It was [[Greg Stafford (game designer)|Greg Stafford]]'s idea to simplify the rules (eliminating such mechanics as Strike Ranks and Hit Locations) and issue them in a 16-page booklet called ''Basic Role-Playing''. Since the first ''BRP'' release, designers including [[Sandy Petersen]], [[Lynn Willis]], and [[Steve Henderson (game designer)|Steve Henderson]], have contributed to the system.

The system was notable for being the first role-playing game system to introduce a full skill system to characters regardless of their profession. This was developed in ''RuneQuest'' but was also later adopted by the more skill-oriented ''Call of Cthulhu'' RPG.<ref>{{cite journal | last =Turnbull | first =Don | title =Open Box: Call of Cthulhu | journal =[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]] | issue = 32 | pages =18 | publisher =[[Games Workshop]]|date=August 1982| issn = 0265-8712}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal| last =Szymanski| first =Michael | title =Call of Cthulhu in the Eighties| journal =[[Different Worlds]]| issue = 45| pages =8–9 | publisher =[[Chaosium]] |date=March–April 1987}}</ref>

''BRP'' was conceived of as a generic system. Specific rule systems for support differing genres could be added to the core rules in a modular fashion. In order to underscore this, in 1982 Chaosium released the ''[[Worlds of Wonder (game)|Worlds of Wonder]]'' box set, which contained a revised main booklet and several booklets providing the additional rules for playing in specific genres. The [[superhero]]-themed ''[[Superworld]]'' originated as part of this set. A third edition of the core booklet, now entitled ''Basic Roleplaying: The Chaosium System'', was released in 2002.<ref>{{cite book|title=Basic Roleplaying: The Chaosium System|last1=Stafford|first1=Greg|last2=Willis|first2=Lynn|isbn=9781568821689|year=2002|publisher=Chaosium, Incorporated }}</ref>

In 2004, Chaosium began publishing the ''Basic Roleplaying'' monographs, a series of paperback booklets. The first four monographs (''Players Book'', ''Magic Book'', ''Creatures Book'', and ''Gamemaster Book'') was the same as ''RuneQuest'' third Edition, but with trademarked elements removed, as Chaosium had lost the rights to the name but retained copyright to the rules text. Additional monographs allowing for new mechanics, thereby extending the system to other genres, were released in the following years. Many of these monographs reproduced rules from other Chaosium-published ''BRP'' games that had gone out of print.

Jason Durall and Sam Johnson gathered up previous works and updated them to a new edition. published in 2008. This comprehensive book, ''Basic Roleplaying: The Chaosium System'' was nicknamed the "Big Gold Book". It allowed game masters to build their own game out of the included subsystems.<ref>{{cite book|title=Basic Roleplaying: The Chaosium System|last1=Durall |first1=Jason |last2=Johnson |first2=Sam |isbn=9781568823478 |year=2008|publisher=Chaosium, Incorporated }}</ref> A quickstart booklet for new players accompanied it. In 2011, it was updated to a second edition.<ref>{{cite book|title=Basic Roleplaying: The Chaosium System|last1=Durall |first1=Jason |last2=Johnson |first2=Sam |isbn=9781568823478 |year=2011 |publisher=Chaosium, Incorporated |edition=2nd}}</ref>

In 2020, Chaosium released ''Basic Roleplaying'' in abbreviated form (vs. the 2008 edition) as a [[System Reference Document]] (SRD).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Michael |first1=O'Brien |title=Announcing the Basic Roleplaying System Reference Document and Open Game License |url=https://www.chaosium.com/blogannouncing-the-basic-roleplaying-system-reference-document-and-open-game-license/ |website=Chaosium.com |publisher=Chaosium Inc. |access-date=August 23, 2020}}</ref>

A new edition, updating the 2008/2011 editions and titled ''Basic Roleplaying: Universal Game Engine'', appeared in 2023, initially as a [[PDF]], later as a hardbound book, and later still as a standalone SRD under the "ORC License" (Open RPG Creative) and has since spun off a market of multiple commercial products, both standalone BRP adventures and full-fledged RPG's, published under the terms of the ORC license. The full text (not the art, trade dress, etc.) of the PDF and print version was also ORC-licensed as a SRD.