RPG Rules Systems
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RPG Rules Systems Other Games Systems Licensing |
A role-playing game system is a set of game mechanics used in a roleplaying game (RPG). A game system is roughly analogous to a game engine in the video game industry.
The system can take any of several forms. Generic role-playing game systems, such as the d20 System and GURPS, are not tied to a specific storytelling genre]] or campaign setting and can be used as a framework to play many different types of RPG. Others, such as Dungeons & Dragons, are designed to depict a specific genre or style of play, and others, such as the first and second editions of RuneQuest, are not only genre-specific but come bundled with a specific campaign setting to which the game mechanics are inseparably tied. Some systems, such as the D6 System, are refinements of those used in earlier games.
Most role-playing game systems involve rolling dice in order to introduce a random element into the process by which success or failure in an action is determined. Usually, the total of the numbers on the dice is added to an attribute which is then compared to a difficulty rating, or (as in World of Darkness games) the attribute is used to determine the number of dice rolled, and the number of successes (die rolls above the difficulty rating) determines the degree of success. Some games use a different randomising element, such as Castle Falkenstein, which uses playing cards.
However, some games such as the Amber Diceless Role-playing Game use no randomising element at all. These instead use direct comparison on character ability scores to difficulty values (which may themselves be derived from the ability scores of other characters), often supplemented with either resource pools from which points may be "spent" and "regained", thereby allowing characters to use more or less effort (as in Nobilis), or choice mechanisms of a rock-paper-scissors variety (as in the Lost Worlds gamebooks).
Roleplaying Game Systems
MetaMythos maintains a library of several gaming systems that are available publicly as well as house rules for all of them. Below is listed the systems we support.
Open Roleplaying
a Basic Roleplaying/RuneQuest/SPQR compatible GNU Licensed roleplaying game.
RuneQuest
A new version of RuneQuest, the classic role playing game, has been released by Mongoose Publishing with the approval of Greg Stafford (one of the original creators of the game.) The new rules pick up where the 2nd edition left off and include systems designed to bring those familiar with the d20 System in the RuneQuest fold.
- RuneQuest SRD - Mongoose RuneQuest System Reference Document
- Companion SRD - Mongoose RuneQuest Companion SRD
- Monster SRD - Mongoose RuneQuest Monsters SRD
Basic Role Playing
Chaosium is publishing a new version of Basic Role Playing, a consolidation of the best rules from various BRP games since the system began until today. It's being revised and rewritten by Jason Durall and Sam Johnson.
d20 and Dungeons & Dragons
The d20 System is a set of game mechanics for roleplaying games published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast and is based on the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons. The system is named after the 20-sided dice which are central to the core mechanics of many actions in the game.
Other Games Systems
Smaller but still interesting RPG systems.
Licensing
The licensing used for various open source gaming systems.
- Open Game License
- GNU Free Documentation License
- GNU General Public License v3.0
- Creative Commons - Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
