I'm Making A New Edition of D&D, What App Should I Use To Create The Rules Document?

[Philotomy Jurament]

Personally, I'd write the copy in plain text using a text editor (not a word processor) and then use publishing/layout software to lay it out.

Another option is to write the copy in plain text, but using markup. Then you define your layout with stylesheets. Latex is one possibility, but I think I'd probably use Prince XML.

 

[Scotley]

Are you trying to achieve the fading bars of color that highlight the text in the power descriptions? There are a lot of advanced options for shading and such in Word, but I don't know where to find the one that allows you to make the 'text highlight' fade on a gradient. That is pretty advanced formatting. I'd take a screen shot of what you want and post it on Microsoft's help forums. If it can be done in word, someone over there will be able to tell you how. The colors Wizard's uses are not default word colors for text highlighting either. I expect you'll need some advice on how to tweak that as well. The rest of the layout stuff in the stat blocks is pretty easy in Word. It isn't very fancy at all other than a few unusual characters. Stormonu's example above got everything but those fading bars right in Word.

 

[Desdichado]

Emulate rather than clone? - seems like a heck of a labour intensive way to get D&D gameplay.

Dude, he already said he's writing up his own version of the D&D rulebook.

I didn't say I would so it.

 

[Siberys]

I use Open Office, and for layout purposes tables cover damn well near everything. Appropriate color for the top bar, then alternating light and dark gray (instead of alternating brown gradiant and white).

Seriously, tables are where it's at. Learn them, and learn them /well/.

 

[Stormonu]

Stormonu's example above got everything but those fading bars right in Word.

By the way, I've learned since I made that document (using Word 2003), that the fading bars can be done, just by using a text box.

 

[JoesephBear]

Kudos to the OP, as I am currently involved in the very same kind of personal project.


My advice is to make a vary simple layout in Microsoft Word or Open Office. This is where you will be doing all your primary writing. It should be neat and organized so you can find things easily. This will be for your own benefit, as it is simply a prototype to help keep you organized.

Download some freeware layout software and start playing around. Learn. Get your hands messy. See what you can do to replicate the 4e book style. Go nuts and have fun.

As for avoiding getting a C&D, make sure you don't distribute content from the 4e books. You will need to restrict any copy-pasting to language found in the 3.5 SRD and other Open Content from OGL products (which covers pretty much everything D&D related). Don't worry about trade dress or using beholders or any of that finicky nonsense. Just don't copy from the 4e books and you should be fine.