The d20 system - E Unum Pluribus

[Alzrius]

The big appeal behind the d20 system is its open-sourced nature; many publishers use it, so you can use its rules, characters, etc. many places across the board.

However, I've noticed that the d20 system seems to be starting to fragment. We now have various incarnations of the system, with subtle but tangible differences that do require some amount of converting between them (some more than others). What started out as a single unified system is slowly, like a iceberg that breaks into pieces, drifting apart. Consider the d20's that we have so far:

Fantasy d20 Revised. This is the standard D&D d20. The "Revised" part is the shift from 3E to 3.5E, which made the plain old Fantasy d20 obselete, and now there are quite a few Fantasy d20 books floating around out there that won't sell as well because they'd require conversion to Fantasy d20 Revised.

Modern d20. This is the d20 used for modern RPGs. It translates relatively well to Fantasy d20 Revised, but not as well as it did for Fantasy d20.

Anime d20 is, from what I've seen, the biggest departure from the mainstream so far. However, doing so opens up quite a few options, many of which aren't offered in Fantasy d20 Revised or Modern d20. However, that makes converting between them and this a more difficult process.

Superhero d20 is, technically, not d20 at all. I'm referring to Mutants & Masterminds, which was directly released under the OGL. However, for all intents and purposes (given that it is using it's own derivative of the d20 system, just directly under the OGL; and that it has it's M&M Superlink), this is worth noting here. I don't know how different it is from any of the above d20 systems, but it is still another incarnation of d20 that requires some amount of conversion.

Does it seem like that eventually, the "unification" offered by the d20 system will be undone? Will we see d20-based characters that need conversion to other incarnations of the d20 system when brought into different games? How long before a singular system diverges into many systems that are only loosely related?

 

[Ranger REG]

One sees it as fragmentation, others see as evolution spawning several second-generation d20 rules engines. And yet, as we have seen in Unearthed Arcana or several d20-labeled supplementary products from third-party publishers, component rules mechanics are modular that can be ported into almost any variant d20 engines, with little or no difficulty.

It may seem overwhelming to comprehend it all, but honestly, not all individual D&D games are exactly alike. We have our own houserules to make our game better, more flavor, and distinctly unique from all others.

It all goes back to WotC's motto: "tools, not rules." Only the DM decide which rules mechanics are acceptable in his campaign he or she is running.

 

[RFisher]

The big appeal behind the d20 system is its open-sourced nature; many publishers use it, so you can use its rules, characters, etc. many places across the board.

I challenge that thesis. I don't know a single d20 player for whom that is the primary appeal of d20. Indeed, just a couple of weeks ago, I was just explaining that whole thing to a guy I've been playing with for a couple years. He had no clue about it.

Even for publishers, jumping on the d20 bandwagon was only, I assert, an attempt to grab onto the D&D coat tails. When its basically free, why not benefit from being associated--even indirectly--with the biggest brand in the biz?

Does it seem like that eventually, the "unification" offered by the d20 system will be undone? Will we see d20-based characters that need conversion to other incarnations of the d20 system when brought into different games? How long before a singular system diverges into many systems that are only loosely related?

The unification was always an illusion. That was obvious when the first non-D&D d20 games were in development. You could build a unified system on top of d20, but the d20 brand has never wanted to be narrow enough to be such a thing.

 

[Monte At Home]

At the risk of sounding "me too," I agree with everything RFisher just said.

 

[PCD]

D20, though a good system; enjoys mass appeal because it is dependent upon and tied to D&D-a great game. Thus, many, many people know how to use it and will like it. But now, it has gotten way out of control with books, options and revisions. I can't keep up with it financially nor keep up with the demands it puts on any gaming group.

The illusion it puts upon us is that anything D20 will be supported. Nope. Fact is, with all the revisionary mindsets and companies that have to keep up with it-not everything D20 will be supported. It will become: "This sells, we'll focus on it." I can see some really good products dying off a slow death just because players want the "latest" thing because it is "official". Yeah, that is another illusion we are being sold...

 

[MerricB]

I don't consider it a problem. What the d20 System provides is a common base of design decisions for people to work from. Consider the multiplicity of languages in the world, and how many derive from the same sources.

Then have a look at the cross-pollination of languages. They get enriched by other concepts.

Cheers!

 

[PCD]

I don't consider it a problem. What the d20 System provides is a common base of design decisions for people to work from. Consider the multiplicity of languages in the world, and how many derive from the same sources.

Then have a look at the cross-pollination of languages. They get enriched by other concepts.

Cheers!

Gah! Lemme play devil's advocate! I think the fact that folks don't speak the same language leads to a lot of...well miscommunication. THAT leads to a lot of problems. Then, we get into the whole problem of which language allows us to communicate best. Many languages might offer folks a choice, but one language that covers it all would be the best...

 

[Umbran]

Even for publishers, jumping on the d20 bandwagon was only, I assert, an attempt to grab onto the D&D coat tails.

I think you vastly underestimate the outright savings to be found in using a solidly designed system for free. Being able to bypass so much development is a huge savings in time, energy, and money.

Note that your own friend didn't have a clue about the whole d20 thing. If he didn't know about it, brand association wasn't winning a whole lot from him, now was it? Association with the brand is nice, but I expect it's less important than the development cost savings.

 

[Walter_J]

You have to remember, the d20 logo was created by WotC to increase the sales of the PHB and (as a possible second reason) to let other publishers produce "support" products, such as adventures, that WotC doesn't consider profitable enough to publish themselves.

Also, the standards which a publisher has to follow to use the d20 logo are far from being extensive enough to suggest any unification among different products from different publishers, except the most basic (roll d20 high). You have a list of game terms (and only if you choose to include those terms in your game), and restrictions on including the steps for character creation and application of experience (to name the big ones). That leaves a whole lot of choice for the publisher. Some may choose to follow the SRD and put out a product that is closely compatible with other products that also followed the SRD. Other publishers may choose to do something new or different.

So, yeah, the words "illusion" or "misconception" may be appropriate.

 

[jmucchiello]

Even for publishers, jumping on the d20 bandwagon was only, I assert, an attempt to grab onto the D&D coat tails.

I think you vastly underestimate the outright savings to be found in using a solidly designed system for free. Being able to bypass so much development is a huge savings in time, energy, and money.

Nope, if saving the time of creating a system was the only stumbling block, I'd write HERO supplements. I write for d20 because it has a large user base and I don't need to beg the owner for a license to the material.

Quite frankly, developing a system for a specific genre/setting is easy. Getting people to try it out is hard. Developing for D&D under the d20 banner is also easy and getting people to try it out is NOT hard.