Help!
The lines between D20, DnD, OGL (whatever that is), and GameMastery are completely blurry to me.
What is GameMastery? Is this an independent games system, or does it use rules from D20 or OGL or DnD?
How are DnD, D20, and OGL related and how are they different? Or, do they all mean the same system now?
Btw, what does OGL stand for? Who plays this?
Does WotC own GameMastery? Who does?
Thanks for your help!
Gamemastery is published by Paizo, and is comprised of different products including modules.
DnD is well... DnD.
D20 is basically DnD, but a bit different.
OGL stands for open-gaming-license. Basically it means (afaik) that anyone can write content for DnD. To do that, you have to make your own product OGL, which means anyone can write something about it.
I think that's how it goes...
Here goes.
Gamemastery is the product name for the line of modules published by Paizo. They are modules that may use anything in the open game licence agreement. Dungeons and Dragons is a registered trademark and brand of Hasbro and Wizards of the coast. Only they may make official D&D content, unless they licence others to do so.
Paizo used to have a licence to make official content, namely Dungeon and Dragon magazines. That licence has been revoked.
The talented folk at Paizo wish to write adventures and sell them.
They are allowed to do so under the open game licence,
using the d20 system rules, as per the SRD: system resource document, an online searchable database of the rules of the d20 system that anyone may use to write stuff for D&D or any other d20 game.
Certain monsters, names, items and worlds remain the property of Wizards. Paizo cannot publish a gamemastery module that features the illithid, beholders, Drizzt do Urden or the city of Baldur's Gate, among many other things that are tied to the IP of Dungeons and Dragons.
I hope this clarifies things somewhat.
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Just to clarify a bit:
DnD is anything published by Wizards of the Coast for the product or officially licensed by them. So Dungeon and Dragon magazines are DnD, whereas GameMastery modules are not.
The d20 system is the one used by DnD, d20 Modern, and much of the other RPG content that's coming out these days. So far as I know, the basics of the system are contained in the OGL, which allows people to use it without specifically asking WotC for a license.
The OGL is a free license granted by WotC, as I said above allowing people to use material from it without permission or having to pay a license fee. Most, but not all, of the basics of the DnD system are contained in the OGL - for example, beholders are not.
GameMastery is the name of the line published by Paizo, using the d20 system under the OGL. It is not officially licensed, so it is not "DnD," though it is "fully compatible with the world's most popular roleplaying game."
EDIT: Beaten to the punch!
To further simplify:
GameMastery is D&D except it's not called D&D and cannot use certain D&D monsters etc.
Otherwise, it plays pretty much the same. You could still use D&D character sheets for GameMastery. (Though it would be cool if you could download GameMastery character sheets from this site...)
To further simplify:
GameMastery is D&D except it's not called D&D and cannot use certain D&D monsters etc.
Otherwise, it plays pretty much the same. You could still use D&D character sheets for GameMastery. (Though it would be cool if you could download GameMastery character sheets from this site...)
Hint! Hint!
So anything produced in Dragon and Dungeon magazines is property of Hasbro and not open content?
So anything produced in Dragon and Dungeon magazines is property of Hasbro and not open content?
Unless it specifically states that it's open content, and I don't think any of it has been.
El Skootro
<edit> Darn. That's what happens when you get up from your desk with a response halfway written. You get beaten to the punch.
So, I guess I am going to have to convert Pathfinder/GameMastery into GURPS.
I am still boycotting all WotC products. Did you see Hasbro got its butt kicked, because I summoned a demon and set it loose upon them.
In fact, I have to burn all my 2ed DnD books and modules (I have them all), and all my Dungeon Magazines and Dragon Magazines in a perilous spell to summon another Demon -- this one a bit larger and more hazardous.
Bwa ha ha ha...
What should I have it do?
So, I guess I am going to have to convert Pathfinder/GameMastery into GURPS.
I am still boycotting all WotC products.
... did so for many years (converting and boycotting) but the Dungeon adventures brought me to buy the system and play it ... and, from a gurps' point of view, it's quite nice. A lot more complicated than gurps but some aspects are worth the semi-switch - battle for instance is a lot faster.
The last push that brought me to D&D was the switch of SJGames to GURPS 4 ... I THINK I have a deja-vu here, not only because of the numbers ... Very good system - very bad products. Something new would be fine ...
well, you could play paladium or rifts, they are very much like D&D; spells, classes, levels, etc; sure, some people like gurps, but gurps will be a whole lot of work; there is a whole lot of rifts material out there that you can pick up very cheap; gurps isnt that common where I live so you might not be able to pick up much of that stuff in good condition at 2nd hand stores; I have found that you can convert D&D stuff to paladium very easily; you just have to scale your stuff for the game systems different power level.
I will be using Pathfinder and Game Mastery modules for Fantasy Hero. I never had that much difficulty converting material, but then I go for the spirit of the source instead of the crunch.