Thanks for all your input

A slightly different thing (and please excuse my ignorance on these subjects). Would these restrictions apply if the game was freeware ?

quote:
A slightly different thing (and please excuse my ignorance on these subjects). Would these restrictions apply if the game was freeware ?

Not at all. There is a common misconception that if you don''t charge for something, you aren''t really violated a copyright or trademark. That''s just not true.

Take care,
Bill

You''re allowed to use copyrighted material in two ways..

A) Educational Use
: A teacher''s allowed to play a song in class, print out the lyrics, sing them to the class and have the class change them, if they so choose. As long as it benefits the students in some way.

B) You do NOT deprive the creator of funds.
: If you don''t charge for a game, and the people playing your game STILL buy the D&D3 rules, you''re fine. But if people love your game so much, they stop buying D&D stuff, then you''re in a pile of shit.

Wow. Why is it that Anonymous Posters spread so much misinformation? Are they just lying? Are they ignorant?

quote: Original post by Anonymous Poster
You''re allowed to use copyrighted material in two ways..

A) Educational Use
: A teacher''s allowed to play a song in class, print out the lyrics, sing them to the class and have the class change them, if they so choose. As long as it benefits the students in some way.

There''s a grain of truth to that, but not so broad as that. You can photocopy materials for classroom use, but if you wanted to photocopy a textbook and give it to the students to take home, you''d still have to pay for it. Why do you think schools and teahcers still make students pay for their books?

Plenty of schools have also been punished for software piracy... though students clearly benefit by using the latest version of Windows or Office in the computer labs.

quote:
B) You do NOT deprive the creator of funds.
: If you don''t charge for a game, and the people playing your game STILL buy the D&D3 rules, you''re fine. But if people love your game so much, they stop buying D&D stuff, then you''re in a pile of shit.

Wrong. It''s still infringement even if you don''t cost them revenue. (Though by your own admission, the mere possibility that someone didn''t buy D&D stuff is enough to cost revenue.)

If there''s no damages you wouldn''t have to pay anything, but the courts would still force you to take your product off the market.

quote: Original post by CheeseGrater
If there's no damages you wouldn't have to pay anything...

Actually, I dont think that is entirely accurate. As I recall, one of the benefits of having a registered copyright on your work before the infringement takes place is that it gives you the right to collect a ceratin level of statutory damages without the need to prove any damages actually occurred as a result of the infringement.

P.S. I just did a quick search and came up with this article.
http://www.gigalaw.com/articles/2000-all/landau-2000-10-all.html


[edited by - LordKronos on June 5, 2002 3:54:41 PM]

Good point, LordKronos! I''d completely forgotten about the statutory damages.

So far as other systems out there... I''ve had an eye two myself. One is "Palladium RPG" by Kevin Siembeda which is a really incredibly rich product line when you take into account the "Rifts" products (Scifi/Fantasy) This system has a VERY active community and IMHO a shareware type game would be very well recieved. The second is "SPACE: 1889 Science Fiction RolePlaying in a More Civilized Time" by Frank Chadwick. This was out of print for many years but I think someone is publishing it to the web now. I think a game made for this system would be nearly revolutionary

Off course there are TONS of other RPG systems out there (Shadowrun by FASA (Fasa = Mechwarrior), GURPS by Steve Jackson Games to name two more)

For a AD+D-esque type game check out Spiderwebsoftwares Exile and Avernum Series. The system in these read ALOT like dungeons and dragons. On a side note their new game Geneforge is very impressive.

quote:
One is "Palladium RPG" by Kevin Siembeda which is a really incredibly rich product line when you take into account the "Rifts" products

Rifts has a very nice background, but the actual mechanics are horrible. Bleh, bleh, bleh!!

Take care,
Bill