Questions tagged [publishing]
For questions relating to the creation and distribution of gaming-related materials, whether digitally or in print.
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What is a "Game Jam"?
If you've been in TRPG General Chat before, you may have seen BESW share a link to a "jam" on itch.io that's about tabletop games. Curious, I went to itch.io and there is a Game Jams tab ...
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What is a community copy?
On my question Where did the concept of community copies originate in the indie scene? an up-voted comment asked the question: What is a community copy?
So what is a community copy in the indie ttrpg ...
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Where did the concept of community copies originate in the indie scene?
Community copies are now a regular feature in the indie scene. Can we trace back to where this movement originated in the indie ttrpg scene in particular?
I'm also curious about the transition from ...
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Can artificer subclasses be in (third-party) material published under the OGL?
If I were to publish my own campaign setting for D&D 5e under the OGL, can I include new subclasses for the artificer in the material I publish?
Would any restrictions/workarounds allow me to do ...
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Can I self publish a new character creation system for D&D 5e legally?
Say I come up with a whole new system, with talent trees for miles and you get new talent choices (I didn’t do this, but theoretically) every level… can I publish this somewhere other than DMsGuild?
I ...
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I want to make a video game based off of Dungeons and Dragons. How much am I legally permitted to use? [closed]
I want to make a video game based off of Dungeons and Dragons. It'll be a top-down RPG with similar battle and class mechanics. But I've been planning out more, and seeing how much I'm copying. How ...
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I want to use the kinds of monsters that appear in tabletop RPGs for commercial use in writing; how can I tell which content is public-domain?
I want to use the kinds of monsters that appear in tabletop RPGs for commercial use in writing a fantasy game with different races. How can I tell which content is public-domain?
Some types like "...
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Is it allowed to use Forgotten Realms gods in homebrew material meant for publishing?
We are making an adventure that we wish to publish on DMguild and maybe in print. The Goddess Shar comes up in this, is this allowed?
Game: 5e dnd in the forgotten realms setting.
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What are the sales figures for Pathfinder 2e between launch year and second year to date?
Pathfinder 2nd edition officially hit gaming tables almost a full year ago. Since then, I've noticed quite a lack of questions on this site with the pathfinder-2e tag compared to other systems, and I ...
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Publishing, Intellectual Copyright [duplicate]
So effectively, I am working on creating my very own TTRPG rulebook based on my own setting and universe. The only question I got is how much of mechanics am I allowed to be inspired by?
Effectively, ...
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Whose property is user-created homebrew material on D&D Beyond?
When creating homebrew material on D&D Beyond (dndbeyond.com), what kind of license do I grant to Fandom Games for the material that I create by using its tools? Or more broadly, whose property is ...
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Is there any difference between original prints and PoD (Print on Demand) source books?
Regarding source books by Onyx Path/White Wolf (for the World of Darkness), is there any difference between original prints and PoD (Print on Demand) source books?
Basically, is there a way to know ...
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How can Forgotten Realms maps be used in DMsGuild adventures?
JVC Parry's recent intriguing DMsGuild adventure Call from the Deep includes a hex map of an area of the Sword Coast from Forgotten Realms.
As JVC Parry is a third-party author outside of WotC, this ...
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How to make digital content available for Roll20 for an adventure you published on DMsGuild?
Recently, I emailed Roll20 about optimizing an adventure for their platform so it can be released both on DMsGuild and Roll20.
Roll20 replied that they are very interested in having DMsGuild content ...
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Where else than DriveThruRPG people publish RPG related stuff? [closed]
I'm from Poland and I find it hard to navigate through the "English-speaking" parts of the internet. I'm looking for any interesting places where I can find adventures, guidebooks and other stuff ...
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Authoring software used to create illustrated Pen&Paper book [closed]
At the risk of being somewhat off-topic (sorry but couldn't find any conclusive info on this) ...
What authoring software is recommended to create rich, illustrated books in a similar style as many ...
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What's the order of publication of classic Spycraft products?
While classic Spycraft didn't suffer the same sort of abundant rules replacement that plagued, for example, Dungeons & Dragons 3.5, enough occurs that it bothers me that the books are silent on ...
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How can I format a single monster statblock for an adventure designed to work across multiple editions?
I'm writing a module that has hopes of being as edition-neutral as possible. However, new monsters are presented so I'm left with the very hard task of making it accessible to older and newer editions ...
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What is the proper way to style references to D&D game elements?
(Preface: I'm not looking to establish an official formatting style we, on this stack, must adhere to. This is for my own personal writing consistency when writing on the topic of 5e.)
I've been ...
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Why are feminine pronouns used for GMs in rule-books?
I'm French, and GM are usually male in the french translations or in french RPG books. We do not have a neutral pronoun like English has with 'they'.
But I noticed that many rule-books in English ...
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What is the typeface or font that is used for the text of the Moldvay Red Box basic D&D set?
I'm trying to find the iconic typeface that was used throughout the interiors of the B/X Moldvay Basic D&D set as well as the blue Expert Set. The publication dates pre-date desktop publishing so ...
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How can I publish a document to look like a 1st / 2nd ed. AD&D adventure product?
IIRC someone released information publicly online in the last year or two enabling someone to publish an RPG product with the same look as standard late 1st / early 2nd Edition Advanced Dungeons & ...
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Easily formatting a Pathfinder stat block
What procedure can I use so I can enter the statistics for a Pathfinder character or monster, and get some formatted text of a proper stat block? Either to print or to use in software like Microsoft ...
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Creating an RPG with a similar setting to Shadowrun: is it a derivative work?
I have spent a lot of time looking at both other posts on this form about derivative work and its actual definition/ conditions, but I would like to hear your thoughts on this specific case. I have ...
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How can I reference a Monster Manual stat block in an OGL adventure?
I'd like to publish an OGL adventure for 5e. In order to keep its size small, I'd like to avoid having to repeat stat blocks for simple creatures like the skeleton, the zombie, etc. And because not ...
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What can I include in 3rd-party content? [duplicate]
What WotC 5e D&D content am I and am I not allowed to use in published 3rd-party content? Core books? Books like Xanathar's and Volo's? Unearthed Arcana? How do I avoid plagiarism, copyright ...
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How hard is it to get a license from WotC to publish a novel set in a D&D setting? [closed]
Everybody is trying to get around writing their own stories without infringing any copyrights by WotC. That got me wondering...
How hard could it be to obtain a license to actually publish a book ...
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How to turn hand-drawn maps to digital
I've been beginning to format my adventures for publishing, and the last hangup I have is that my maps are hand-drawn. I want to transfer them to digital format, but I'm limited to scanning them into ...
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Can I publish my own books for use with D&D 5th edition?
I've had artistic skills since I was a kid and I love D&D, and I want to create some books. I would be trying to fund them with KickStarter — 100 new monsters, 100 NPCs, 100 map tiles, and stuff ...
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Is there any copyright infringement if you prepare a campaign setting based on a published book or movie?
I'm working on a project to prepare roleplaying settings. We first wanted to make it for ourselves but we thought that if anyone wants to use it why not. We even thought further and figured that it ...
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Why do RPGs have metaplots?
Lacking a more definitive source, I'm working from the metaplot article on Wikipedia, which says, in part, that
The metaplot is the overarching storyline that binds together events in the official ...
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Why are the basic rules of World of Darkness stated after chapters that require understanding the rules? [closed]
In World of Darkness the very basic rules like rolling dice are stated pages and pages after not so basic rules are. For example, the Disciplines are all described by their effects narrated, then with ...
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How to enter the OGL into my work
I am writing a module for fifth edition DnD and planning on printing it myself. I understand the do's and do not's of the OGL as far as what I can and cannot use, but I am having troubles with one ...
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Legality of publishing a homebrew campaign [duplicate]
A friend and I are collaborating on designing a campaign setting for D&D 5e. We'd like to eventually publish it on drivethrurpg. I'm wondering about legality concerns with this. We're going to ...
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Are there any known plans for Paizo to move Pathfinder to D&D 5e?
Are there any concrete documents or plans that show Paizo (the Pathfinder publishers) are planning to move to D&D 5e?
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What software does the WOTC design team use to layout the rulebooks?
I'm presently writing a setting sourcebook for my own campaign, and I'd like it to look at least somewhat like the D&D 5e books, but I'm finding most of the obvious software programs used for ...
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Can I publish my own continent or pantheon on the Dungeon Master's Guild?
The Dungeon Master's Guild says:
Under the DMs Guild program, you can publish D&D material that either
has no setting or
uses the Forgotten Realms or Ravenloft setting.
So, let's assume that I'...
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Is it legal to make a D&D 5e character sheet app?
I am working on a simple Android app. My app implements a D&D 5e character sheet. It lets the user fill form fields and calculates the effects of level progression and attributes. I am not using ...
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DMs Guild: can stories be set in the past of the Realms?
The DMs Guild FAQ says:
Can I create and sell content for older D&D editions on DMs Guild?
Sorry, no — 5th Edition content only, please.
Does this refer to both rules and content?
Must all ...
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Legality of publishing a book based on a D&D game
I'm planning to write a book based on a game of Dungeons and Dragons. The rest of the people in my party will get credit as will the DM, who wrote the adventure. If I change the things that were ...
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Is it legal to design and publish a game with D&D's ability scores?
If I were to design an RPG that had Str/Dex/Con/etc... would it be legal to publish it? I know that games like Pathfinder and Dungeon World got away with it, but I'm not sure how or why.
Looking at D&...
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How are monsters/creatures/npcs presented in Fate setting manuals?
Background
I'd like to add a list of creatures, monsters, and characters to a Fate project, like the D&D Monster Manual. I understand that the GM usually writes NPCs custom per game, but I want ...
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Do Fate's licenses allow including core rulebook text in a for-profit expansion?
Is it supported by either or both of Fate's licenses to include passages of significant length from the Fate Core and Fate System Toolkit rulebooks in a Powered By Fate game of your own design that ...
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Does the OGL let me write D&D 5e compatible rulebooks legally?
In the D&D 5th Edition Dungeon Master's Guide, there are two magic items named The Book of Exalted Deeds and The Book of Vile Darkness. In their description, under "Vile Lore" it says ...
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What is the average number of sales of adventures (modules) and adventure settings (hexcrawls) for OSR publishers?
I came across this post on the blog Monsters & Manuals about the campaign setting Yoon-Suin and its units sold since being published. It's interesting to read for someone who's entertaining the ...
user5834
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How can I replicate the native look & feel of Fate documents?
Fate documents (whether they are rule books, adventure books, character sheets, etc.) generally have a pretty recognizable style (a typical example is the Fate Core Character Sheet). The rule books ...
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Can I Write A Story Within The Forgotten Realms And Publish it? [duplicate]
If I were to use a character, say a Deva, and create a story using them can I publish it?
For things like town names, God titles and small amounts of lore I can change them. But the real question is, ...
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Why does Fate Accelerated Edition cost so little?
I feel like Fate Accelerated Edition shouldn't cost so little. Does anybody know why or were the developers just being nice?
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How do I get my game reviewed?
I've created an RPG that's available free online as a Google doc, and want to get it some more exposure by having people write reviews of it. I tried finding reviewers on reddit/google+/twitter, but ...
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What is an SRD for?
Some RPGs have SRDs. Wikipedia tells me that they are System Reference Documents, but that it's largely a D&D thing, and doesn't explain why they exist. Only that they do.
This answer suggests ...
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