Hello!

I'm working on a little rpg game on my own, nothing special, just a little game
with a simple GUI a few classes and a short story line.
Now i'm looking for some rulebooks like the popular D&D, which i could use for that.
I'm thinking about making the game available to other people on my own website or one of the free games sites around the web, so i may not use a commcercial ruleset like D&D.

You have any ideas where i could find something like that for free? I would be glad about any hint.

Regards,
Ordo

Wizards of the Coast is distributing most parts of D&D 3.5 for free. Here's the link: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/article/srd35

Some online stores also offer both free and very cheap RPGs. The store I have the most experience with is Drive Thru RPG; they're pretty good. I can't vouch for the quality of those games, but the price is right.

And if all else fails, Google is your friend. :)

Hi !

Thanks a lot. That is exactly what i was looking for. Does this Open game License mean that the material may be used even if the game based on it is commercial? Unfortunately there are no hints about that in the License file, but i think that should be the case.

Thanks again.

Regards,
Ordo

Aren't D&D rulesets copywright then? Actually i just PMed someone with a question about gameplay design and copywright.

What are you planning to draw from existing rulebooks of pencil and paper RPGs? You seem to rely too much on them, instead of starting from your game's story and peculiarities.

- Fundamental rule mechanics (combat, success rolls, etc.) are simple, and since you are making a computer RPG rather than a tabletop one you have both different needs (e.g. calibration of odds of specific actions at specific points of the game) and different means (extensive tables and complicated formulas, cheating with perfectly hidden "dice", changing rules according to a script, and so on).

- Rules "meat" (lists of skills, spells, powers, character classes, special case rules, etc.) needs careful consideration; you should start with a blank slate and figure out what you really need. This is the vocabulary the player will use to play your game and think about it: it must fit well.

- Adopting setting-defining information (monsters, places and people and basic assumptions) is the no man's land between pointless generic content ("I like this treatment of elves, goblins, giants, gnomes, dwarves: let's allow all of them as player characters"), grating and possibly unperceived lack of originality ("let's have beholders and owlbears, this isn't D&D at all because my dragons aren't metallic") and troublesome copyright/trademark violations.