Governance Model

OpenTabletop uses an RFC-based governance model designed to evolve with the project’s maturity.

Current Phase: Founder-Led (BDFL)

While the project has fewer than 10 active contributors, the founder makes final decisions on spec changes, ADRs, and project direction. This keeps velocity high during the bootstrap phase.

Future Phase: Steering Committee

At 10+ active contributors, the project transitions to an elected steering committee:

• 5 members, elected annually by active contributors
• Staggered terms – 2-3 seats rotate each year for continuity
• Decisions by majority vote with the founder holding a tiebreaker vote during the first transition year
• Geographic and linguistic diversity – the committee should aim to represent the international communities the specification serves, not just English-speaking contributors

Language and Accessibility

OpenTabletop is a global standard. Contributions, discussions, and RFC proposals are welcome in any language. The core team will work with community translators to ensure key discussions are accessible across language boundaries. Non-English contributions are valued equally – a Japanese developer’s RFC is as valid as an English one.

Decision Process

Spec Changes (RFC Process)

Changes to the OpenAPI specification follow a formal RFC process:

flowchart LR
    A[RFC Proposal] --> B[GitHub Discussion]
    B --> C{Community Review\n7 days minimum}
    C --> D[Steering Committee Vote]
    D -->|Accepted| E[Spec + Docs PR]
    D -->|Rejected| F[Closed with rationale]
    E --> G[Merged]

1. Propose: Open a GitHub Discussion using the RFC template
2. Discuss: Minimum 7-day community review period
3. Vote: Steering committee (or BDFL) votes
4. Implement: Accepted RFCs require a PR with the spec change and updated documentation

Architecture Decisions (ADRs)

Significant technical decisions are recorded as ADRs:

• Use /create-adr to propose a new decision
• ADRs start as proposed, move to accepted after review
• ADRs are immutable once accepted – only the status field changes
• To change a decision, create a new ADR that supersedes the old one

Taxonomy and Example Data Corrections

Corrections to the controlled vocabulary (mechanics, categories, themes) and spec example data use a lighter-weight process:

1. Open an issue using the Data Correction template
2. Provide source references
3. One maintainer verifies and merges

Roles