There must be dozens of game worlds from the past 30 years of publishing that languish, out of print and undeveloped for modern gaming.

The first one that comes to my mind is the old Chaosium Questworld planet. This only got one not-very-good suppliment published in 1982, but the work done on the world itself was quite thorough and interesting.

Chaosium can't possibly think they'll ever make money on Questworld again. So why not release the source material under a Creative Commons license and let the world revitalize it?

I recall some heady months in the mid eighties at the VCU Gamesmasters club where we collaborated on a grand design for the history, magic, mythology and biology of the largest continent on Questworld. I may even have some of those notes! Of course, now all those guys who worked on it are spread across the country–some of them at various game companies: Les Brooks, Bill and Jon Bridges, Sam Inabinet, Lee Watts, Ric Strong, and several others. No idea how we could possibly tease loose who owned what idea and put that work back out.

What other worthwhile game worlds out there are lost in the dark, copyright-restricted dustbin of unprofitability?

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