Best Sources To Learn About D20 Systems?

[Cleomedes]

I would like to learn about the various D20 systems, and was wondering what sources (either websites or books) would be best for this.

A quick explanation of my needs and situation, in case that determines which sources would be most appropriate:

I'm a Classics & Ancient History PhD student. Hence I'm pretty good at researching and absorbing information, though I'm not great when it comes to maths - meaning that I would prefer not to be thrown into the deep end right away where numbers and mechanics are concerned.

I do various freelance writing and editing work in my spare time. Most of this is pretty dull, though I have worked on some amateur video game projects. With my background in ancient history, and what I like to think is a pretty good imagination, I can design worlds and cultures etc. fairly easily. This is something I really love doing. However, as I'm sure you can appreciate, amateur video game projects tend to fall by the wayside more often than not. It's slightly frustrating to see your creativity amount to nothing.

Recently I ended up straying onto an RPG publisher's website, whilst searching for agents and publishers to whom I could submit a manuscript (non-RPG related - I just ended up on the site because it appeared in a list of fantasy publishers). Whilst they were clearly not a suitable publisher for my book, reading their guidelines got me interested in the idea of writing RPG material. So, after a little research and reading I ended up on the jobs page of this website, to see what sort of writing or researching work was available. However, from reading the postings there it was pretty clear that people wanted writers who understood the various D20 systems very well. So whilst my interest is in the creative rather than the mechanical (I have no illusions about creating my own RPG system or anything), it appears that I need to come to grips with the rules and numbers - which is fair enough, of course. I appreciate that it isn't reasonable to expect an RPG publisher to hire a creative writer and then hire another writer to fill in the numbers, so to speak.

I should point out that I did a lot of roleplaying as a kid - both tabletop and live roleplaying - so it's not like I'm completely new to the field. But that was a while back, and this whole D20 thing which in multiple incarnations (modern, future etc.) seems to dominate the industry is something I don't know much about.

So, any advice on what I might want to read would be most welcome.

Thanks.

 

[arwink]

Your first stop should probably be the d20 liscence page on the Wizards of the Coast website - it has a faq regarding the usage of the d20 liscence, a copy of all the DnD rules that can be used under the liscence. Knowing and using the OGL is the bare minimum that will be expected of you as d20 freelancer, and for most of the companies out there it should be enough to get you by. It also covers d20 Modern, should your interest turn towards something other than fantasy gaming.

Your second stop should probably be the major OGL sources that seem to be used -
Mutants and Masterminds is probably a good choice, as the Superlink Liscence means that there are opening for other publishers to use the system. I'd also suggest picking up the new version of Arcana Unearthed, as it covers a wide range of variant rules that should familiarize you with the more common variations on d20 that publishers use.

From there, you're more or less stuck with familiarizing yourself with house systems on a case by case basis if the publisher you've contacted has their own variant. If you're looking for work from Mongoose, being conversant in their liscenced OGL systems (Conan, Babylon 5, and others) would be a good plan. For AEG, knowing the new edition of Spycraft wouldn't hurt. In many ways it's like courting any publisher as a freelance writer - you should know what they write and what they're looking for - but it's hardly mandatory.

 

[Turanil]

You should buy a D&D PHB and also maybe a d20 Modern PHB. Reading through them you will better understand the game.

I'm a Classics & Ancient History PhD student.

These days gaming supplements are FULL of "crunch" (meaning new rules / game mechanics), and some people begin to tire of them. Besides, when several people work together on a subject, you can have some of them taking care of rules while leaving you the "fluff" (flavor text about what the setting is, its culture, etc.).

I will suggest to get a look at RPGObjects. They are soon publishing a book in PDF: Legends of the Dark Ages which is about the near historical Europe in 476 to 814. If that book follows the same publishing progression as others in this line, it will propose mainly game mechanics, and just 10 pages of history-setting description. But then, it should later propose a 2nd PDF instead full of setting / historical descriptions, which are probably not yet written. You could ask them if they are interested in your work, who knows? (just my 2 cents )

 

[Cleomedes]

Thanks, guys. I'll check out those leads and order those books.

 

[Jeff_DUG]

Although by now I'm sure you have found them you may want to read the SRDs which are free and contain nearly the complete core rules of both fantasy & modern D20:

http://www.d20srd.org/

http://www.12tomidnight.com/d20modernsrd/Home.php

Officially they originate from WOTC here:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/article/srd35
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/article/msrd

D20 Future, Apocalypse, Past, etc. are all source books that play off of D20 modern (read that as they require the D20 Modern system in order to play)

Hope it helps and Good Luck!

 

[Angel Tarragon]

For $20 less than acquiring the actual DnD PHB and the D20 Modern books you can purchase Mongoose Publishing's Pocket Player's Handbook and the Pocket Modern Handbook. That'd be a slick way of learning the system mighty quick.

 

[ragboy]

it appears that I need to come to grips with the rules and numbers - which is fair enough, of course. I appreciate that it isn't reasonable to expect an RPG publisher to hire a creative writer and then hire another writer to fill in the numbers, so to speak.

I should point out that I did a lot of roleplaying as a kid - both tabletop and live roleplaying - so it's not like I'm completely new to the field. But that was a while back, and this whole D20 thing which in multiple incarnations (modern, future etc.) seems to dominate the industry is something I don't know much about.

The only thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is 'field research.' Before even considering writing for the RPG industry, and maybe even before you start buying stuff, you should find games in your area and start playing. I would suggest checking first at a local gaming or bookstore (if a gaming store isn't available), or if you're still in college there's usually a handful of gaming groups. Also, any nearby gaming conventions will have non-stop gaming for a weekend. If all else fails, you can also play online. There are a few sites out there that have full-featured role-playing utilities and tons of games going on (a lot of these games will accept neophytes, as a matter of course). There are also play by post games going on here on ENWorld.

Play by Email
http://www.pbem.com

Play by Messageboard Post
http://www.rpol.net

EnWorld's Play-by-Post Threads
http://www.enworld.org/forumdisplay.php?f=64

Equipped with the SRD (free rules mentioned earlier), you should be able to make a character and play. Until you do, though, you may not grasp the intricacies of the d20 system (and there are many) and how it all comes together in a game regardless of how much you buy and read.