PCGen is a
character creation and
role-playing game
A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...
playing aid program for
d20 System-based games, such as ''
Dungeons & Dragons''.
The software is written in
Java and runs on any system that supports Java 10.0.2 or later as of v6.07.09.
The program has won
ENnies (
EN World awards) at
Gen Con twice; a bronze in 2003 for Best Resource/Fan Site and a gold in 2005 for Best Electronic Product.
Features
The software allows players and DMs to create
d20 System player characters, and subsequently maintain the character sheets in electronic format, tracking both the character statistics, their equipment and possessions, and other information related to the characters, making sure the characters are consistent with the
d20 System rules.
All of the data the program uses, and all of the character data, is stored in plain text data files. Custom rules can be specified by writing new data files.
PCGen ships with a Data Set Converter that will assist in the conversion of user created data sets to the latest version of PCGen. This feature only works with data sets that are compatible with PCGen v5.14.1 or later.
The character sheets can also be exported in various kinds of
XML,
HTML, and
PDF
Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. ...
formats. For example, the software allows character data to be exported in datablock format similar to that used in pre-built adventures, or character sheet format similar to the official ''D&D'' character sheets.
Licensing of data
Traditionally, the stumbling block with computerized RPG play aids has been the publisher's reluctance to allow their published rules to be redistributed in another form. However, the
OGL, an "open-source-like" license created by
Wizards of the Coast allows PCGen to include all of the material found in the
System Reference Document
In the open gaming movement, a System Reference Document (SRD) is a reference for a role-playing game's mechanics licensed under the Open Game License (OGL) to allow other publishers to make material compatible with that game.
History
The first ...
as well as other related material. PCGen has also signed on to
Paizo Publishing's Community Use Policy and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Compatibility License. Other, non-
OGL content publishers have also allowed their content, under separate agreement, to be converted to PCGen format and included in data sets shipped with PCGen.
There have been a few license disputes; for example, while
Wizards of the Coast did not want some of the source book data to be shipped with PCGen, they later allowed Code Monkey Publishing to work on commercial versions of the WotC book data sets. However, in late 2006 WotC did not renew CMP's license, which expired on November 30, 2006.
See also
*
List of role-playing game software
Role-playing game software, as opposed to role-playing video games, is a software intended to assist in developing and running of role-playing games. It does not allow the game to be played entirely within the computer. Such software assist in the ...
References
External links
PCGen home pagePCGen source repository
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pcgen
Role-playing game software
Dungeons & Dragons