The
d20 System is a system of game mechanics for
role playing games introduced by
Wizards of the Coast in conjunction with the third edition of
Dungeons & Dragons. The system is so called because the mechanics rely heavily on rolling a 20-sided
die. The d20 System is innovative in that it was introduced as an open system. That is, it can be used by other game designers (subject to certain restrictions) without paying for a license. Before there were as many proprietary game systems as game designers. The licensing scheme for the d20 system is known as the
Open Gaming License[?] or OGL. Followers of the
Free software movement will recognize the OGL as similar to free software licenses.
The intent of d20 and the OGL was to make role playing games more accessible to new players. The hope was that if other game designers took up the d20 system, that there would be a proliferation of games with similar rules. So far, a number of third parties have published d20 System games under the OGL.