The YourOGL FAQ v 1.0 (8/30/06)
What is YourOGL?
What is a role-playing game (RPG)?
What does ‘twenty-sider’ mean?
What is the Open Gaming License (OGL)?
What is Open Gaming Content (OGC)?
What is a System Reference Document (SRD)?
What are the different twenty-sider OGL game systems?
What are the different non-twenty-sider OGL game systems?
What is YourOGL?
YourOGL is the first (to my knowledge) OGL game that will allow fans to see it as it is being developed and chime in. The first where all players, not just a select playtest group, can help guide its creation.
Not only will this be a cool way for an RPG system to be made and allow you to help create a game system that you will want to play, but it will be a great ‘how-to’ guide to creating an OGL RPG.
YourOGL, or at least this version of YourOGL, will be a twenty-sider game that builds upon all previous OGL games to build a flexible streamlined universal game system that can be modified for various difficulty levels and genres.
What does ‘twenty-sider’ mean?
This is a term that references what kind of dice (twenty-sided) that are rolled primarily for task resolution (to hit, to use a skill, etc) which is usually: 1d20 + Modifiers vs. Target Number.
What is a role-playing game (RPG)?
To answer this one I will turn to Wikipedia:
A role-playing game (RPG, often roleplaying game) is a type of game in which the participants assume the roles of characters and collaboratively create stories. Participants determine the actions of their characters based on their characterization, and the actions succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines. Within the rules, they may improvise freely; their choices shape the direction and outcome of the games.
A role-playing game rarely has winners or losers. This makes role-playing games fundamentally different from board games, card games, sports and most other types of games. Like novels or films, roleplaying games appeal because they engage the imagination. Role-playing games are typically more collaborative and social than competitive. A typical role-playing game unites its participants into a single team, known as a "party", that plays as a group.
Most role-playing games are conducted like radio drama: only the spoken component is acted, and players step out of character to describe action and discuss game mechanics.
What is the Open Gaming License (OGL)?
Again, Wikipedia:
The Open Gaming License (also Open Game License or OGL) is an open content license designed for role-playing games. It was published by Wizards of the Coast in 2000 to license their Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition game as the System Reference Document, or SRD, in a move spear-headed by Ryan Dancey. It is commonly used with the d20 license to allow individuals, amateur and professional companies and groups to publish the SRD and derivative works under the d20 System trademark. It has also been used to license content unrelated to the d20 System and/or the SRD.
Those individuals, groups and publishing companies that license their works under the OGL are sometimes collectively referred to as the "open gaming movement".
What is a System Reference Document (SRD)?
Often when someone says SRD they are referencing the original SRD, which is a series of Rich Text Format documents, at the Wizards of the Coast (WotC) website, used as a set of reference role playing game mechanics licensed under the OGL by WotC based upon their Dungeons and Dragons 3rd edition RPG. However, any OGL publisher can make an SRD, but few do, or at least few offer them for free. The only major twenty-sider, non-WotC, OGL game that has been published as a free SRD is Anime d20 by Guardians of Order, which is based up their Big Eyes Small Mouth d20 RPG.
YourOGL will make a free SRD available online as a series of Rich Text Format documents.
What is Open Gaming Content (OGC)?
Basically, it is content in a book that the author declares “open.” In this case open means anyone else can copy that content and add it to their own book (or article, website, etc), either “as is” or modified. But the copyright of the source that the open text was taken from must be written in section 15 of the Open Gaming License. Taking any text that is declared closed or Product Identity (or PI) is a big no no.
Remember: I’m not a lawyer, so this is just basic info on terminology, not legal advice.
For a more detailed answer, Wikipedia:
The OGL describes two forms of content: Open Gaming Content (or OGC) and non-OGC content - that is content protected by normal copyright, commonly referred to as "closed content". The OGL permits the inclusion of both OGC - or "open content" - and closed content within a single work. Publishers are required to "clearly indicate" those parts of a work that are OGC.
The OGL also defines the concept of Product Identity (or PI). PI is defined as:
"...product and product line names, logos and identifying marks including trade dress; artifacts; creatures characters; stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and other visual or audio representations; names and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities; places, locations, environments, creatures, equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or registered trademark..."
PI must be clearly defined by the publisher and, by using the OGL, licensees are prevented from distributing, copying or modifying PI and claiming "compatibility or co-adaptability" with PI trademarks unless permission is acquired through a separate license or agreement with the holders of the PI.
Finally, the OGL requires attribution be maintained by the copying of all copyright notices from OGC a licensee is copying, modifying or distributing. Unlike other open source licenses, this requires that the license notice itself must be altered by adding all copyright notices to the Section 15 part of the license.
What are the different twenty-sider OGL game systems?
OGL started out as a twenty-sider game. Since then, there have been many twenty-sider spin-offs. Here is a list in alphabetical order of the ones I know. Click on the link to get, either for free or for a fee, a copy of the rules:
Anime d20 - published by Guardians of Order [free RTF]
Core Elements – by Buth Curry; originally created by James D. Hargrove [free PDF]
D20 3.5 - published by Wizards of the Coast [free RTF]
D20 Modern - published by Wizards of the Coast [free RTF]
F20 - published by Chine Games [free PDF]
Grim Tales – published by Bad Axe Games [free html]
Live SRD - created by Levi Kornelsen
Mutants & Masterminds 2nd Edition - published by Green Ronin
‘OGL Mongoose’ - published by Mongoose Publishing*
Perfect 20 - published by Postmortem Studios [free PDF]
Spycraft 2.0 - published by Crafty Games; originally published by AEG [PDF]
True20 - published by Green Ronin
* This is my nickname for the various OGL one-shot books that Mongoose has made. I currently can only draw from the ones I own which are OGL Ancients, OGL Horror and OGL Steampunk.
What are the different non-twenty-sider OGL game systems?
Not all OGL games are based on the ‘sacred’ twenty-sider. Some were created using other types of dice, while others were already established games that decided to open their game rules with the OGL. Here is the list in alphabetical order of ones I know (I’m sure there are more). Click on the link to get, either for free or for a fee, a copy of the rules:
Action – published by Gold Rush Games [free RTF]
FATE (Fudge Version) – published by Evil Hat Productions [free RTF]
FUDGE – published by Grey Ghost Press [free RTF]
OpenCore – published by Battlefield Press [PDF]
RuneQuest – published by Mongoose Publishing [free RTF] [free PDF]
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