Anyone who's wanted to design or play a tabletop RPG that uses the DnD-style adaptations like Star Wars 5e and The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying alongside entirely original settings like Pathfinder.
There are many reasons to use the Dungeons & Dragons rules for unrelated RPGs. For one, it's an efficient way for creators to develop and publish a unique setting or campaign without spending months fretting over what dice to use. Since DnD is one of the most popular TTRPGs, experienced players are likely to have some familiarity with its rules, so early sessions are less likely to drag while the GM scours the rule book to find out how reactions work. It’s fairly easy to adapt for a variety of settings, since DnD 5e provides a wide variety of classes, abilities, and items. The SRD and OGL exist to provide guidance in this process.
The SRD Is An Adaptable D&D Rule Book For Creators To Draw From
The System Reference Document, or SRD, is a modified version of the Dungeons & Dragons Players' Handbook that serves as a reference point for designers of DnD-based RPGs. Like the Players' Handbook, it lists all the playable races, classes, spells, and items, and outlines basic game mechanics like skill checks and combat. Unlike the Players' Handbook, however, it removes references to trademarked so that it can be published as part of independently developed rule books. It's essentially a starting point for creators to alter and expand upon, adding mechanics to better serve their setting or removing those that don't.
The OGL Explains What Creators Can And Can't Do With The D&D System
The Open Game License, or OGL, plainly lays out the dos and don'ts of creating a TTRPG based on DnD. The OGL divides the content of the Dungeons & Dragons system into parts that creators can and can't publish under copyright law, calling the latter “Product Identity.” Product Identity includes the name Dungeons & Dragons, alongside DnD concepts like Dungeon Master and d20 System. Proper nouns specific to DnD's Forgotten Realms setting are also part of Product Identity, even when they're used in the names of spells or items. The OGL legally grants creators license to change and redistribute the SRD, while clearly establishing which parts of the DnD system they're not allowed to use.
The SRD and OGL have undergone frequent changes since their introduction with DnD's 3rd edition. Each subsequent edition of DnD has come with an updated version of both documents, and DnD's future editions once 5e concludes will likely continue that tradition. In fact, Wizards of the Coast is already drafting an OGL 1.1 for One DnD, although it's still very much a work in progress. What the new version of the OGL will mean for existing DnD-based tabletop games remains to be seen. In the meantime, the OGL and SRD can still be used to create a custom RPG system based on the Dungeons & Dragons formula.
Source: Dungeons & Dragons/YouTube
