Hello Indie RPG designers! I'm currently working on yet another d20 variant. Except that instead of basing it on d20, I'm trying to base it on Mongoose Publishing's OGL System:
http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/rpg/series.php?qsSeries=3# (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/rpg/series.php?qsSeries=3#)
Which is basically d20 with the serial numbers filed off. Except that in doing so, they appear to have created a legit way to make your own "d20" games that include character creation and levelling rules. The only caveat is that you can't say your book is based on the d20 System -- which may or may not be a good thing, but these days probably is.
I want to know; has anyone tried publishing with this? I sent them an email, and they told me that yes, anyone can use any content from the OGL system in their games, and you don't need to ask permission either. So aside from a lack of interest in yet more d20 variants, is there anything stopping us?
I'm not sure whether you're asking a creative question or a legal/ownership question.
If it's a creative question, then the answer is "design!" and tell us about your game here in this forum. Or rather, bring up any questions or concerns about it.
If it's a legal/ownership question, then the Publishing forum is a better place to discuss it. The short answer is that both D20 and OGL publishing are compatible with the independent mission of the Forge, but I don't know if that addresses your concern. Your question about "Has anyone tried it?" is definitely a Publishing topic, although I can tell you now the answer the answer is "yes" (Passages, for example). If you want to follow up on that, let's do it in that forum.
Best, Ron
I did want to discuss my ideas, but I guess I wasn't sure what people's opinions of an OGL-based project would be. Thank you for answering my question, and I'll be sure to post more soon.