Dominion Rules
Encyclopedia
Dominion Rules is a role-playing game system
for historical and fantasy role-playing
. DR is notable in the history of role-playing games for being one of the first RPGs, perhaps the very first, to be released under an open source
(or open gaming
) licence, known as the Dominion Rules Licence
. Development of the game followed an open source model whereby contributors, known as the Dominion Games Development Team, made improvements or additions to the game and published them on the internet (often through the Dominion Games web site) under the terms of the Dominion Rules Licence, thus explicitly encouraging the creation of new skills, spells, beasts and rules by its modular structure in an attempt to establish an equivalent to the Open Source Software model in RPG gaming.
based on the twelve-sided die (d12). The game mechanic is the same for almost all actions: players roll d12 trying to roll less than or equal to the applicable skill stat, as modified by any applicable bonuses or penalties. For example, a character seeking to strike an opponent with his weapon begins with his Strike stat, adds to it the Strike bonus applicable to his weapon, and subtracts from that any defensive penalties imposed by his opponent's defensive manoeuvres and armour. A roll of 12 always fails. In many cases, a roll of 12 has particularly negative results.
DR is designed around three major skill types, namely combat skills, priestcraft skills and witchcraft skills. All characters have access to combat skills. Priest-style characters have access to priest-specific skills such as bless, consecrate, curse, defile, heal, smite, wrath, and work miracle. Magic-using characters may either cast pre-made spells or employ free-form magic, both of which are essentially another type of skill use.
. The current version of DR is distributed under version 2.0 of the Dominion Rules Licence
.
The current version of DR is free to download from http://www.dominionrules.org. Copies of the previous versions can be found in various places on the internet.
Dominion Games and their web site disappeared around 2006. The creators of the Dominion Rules released version 3.0 in April 2008 from http://www.dominionrules.org to favourable reviews.
Role-playing game system
A role-playing game system is a set of game mechanics used in a role-playing game to determine the outcome of a character's in-game actions...
for historical and fantasy role-playing
Role-playing
Role-playing refers to the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role...
. DR is notable in the history of role-playing games for being one of the first RPGs, perhaps the very first, to be released under an open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
(or open gaming
Open gaming
Open gaming is the movement within the role-playing game industry that is somewhat similar to the open source movement. The key aspect is that authors give recipients of works covered by copyright a license to certain rights, such as the right to make copies or the right to create derivative...
) licence, known as the Dominion Rules Licence
Dominion Rules Licence
The Dominion Rules Licence is the open gaming licence under which the Dominion Rules role-playing game system is distributed. It is notable for being one of the earliest examples of an open gaming licence, predating the better known Open Game License....
. Development of the game followed an open source model whereby contributors, known as the Dominion Games Development Team, made improvements or additions to the game and published them on the internet (often through the Dominion Games web site) under the terms of the Dominion Rules Licence, thus explicitly encouraging the creation of new skills, spells, beasts and rules by its modular structure in an attempt to establish an equivalent to the Open Source Software model in RPG gaming.
Game Mechanic
DR is a skills-based role-playing game systemRole-playing game system
A role-playing game system is a set of game mechanics used in a role-playing game to determine the outcome of a character's in-game actions...
based on the twelve-sided die (d12). The game mechanic is the same for almost all actions: players roll d12 trying to roll less than or equal to the applicable skill stat, as modified by any applicable bonuses or penalties. For example, a character seeking to strike an opponent with his weapon begins with his Strike stat, adds to it the Strike bonus applicable to his weapon, and subtracts from that any defensive penalties imposed by his opponent's defensive manoeuvres and armour. A roll of 12 always fails. In many cases, a roll of 12 has particularly negative results.
DR is designed around three major skill types, namely combat skills, priestcraft skills and witchcraft skills. All characters have access to combat skills. Priest-style characters have access to priest-specific skills such as bless, consecrate, curse, defile, heal, smite, wrath, and work miracle. Magic-using characters may either cast pre-made spells or employ free-form magic, both of which are essentially another type of skill use.
Game Setting
The DR rules system is intended to be generic and does not describe the kind of world (or "campaign setting") to which they apply. The system can be used in a variety of RPG settings by excluding or modifying certain rules. For a historical setting, players simply disregard the priestcraft and witchcraft rules.Distribution
Dominion Rules was one of the first RPGs to be released under an open source style (or open gaming style) licence, known as the Dominion Rules LicenceDominion Rules Licence
The Dominion Rules Licence is the open gaming licence under which the Dominion Rules role-playing game system is distributed. It is notable for being one of the earliest examples of an open gaming licence, predating the better known Open Game License....
. The current version of DR is distributed under version 2.0 of the Dominion Rules Licence
Dominion Rules Licence
The Dominion Rules Licence is the open gaming licence under which the Dominion Rules role-playing game system is distributed. It is notable for being one of the earliest examples of an open gaming licence, predating the better known Open Game License....
.
The current version of DR is free to download from http://www.dominionrules.org. Copies of the previous versions can be found in various places on the internet.
History
DR 1.0 appeared in 1999. It was revised and republished as version 2.0 in 2001. Both versions were distributed by Dominion Games. No retail, print versions of the game were published. DR 2.0 received some favourable reviews.Dominion Games and their web site disappeared around 2006. The creators of the Dominion Rules released version 3.0 in April 2008 from http://www.dominionrules.org to favourable reviews.