Sharing the System (for PBEMs)

[Gevel]

Hi, there folks!

I've been running and playing PBEM Star Trek games for many years, and I finally want to add stucture to one of them.

I've chosen to use the CODA system, but I'm not sure what I can or can't share with players on my website.

For example, I'd like to write a Javascript character creation utility, but not sure if I can share all of that information without infringing on Decipher's copyrights.

Another sticky point is that I really can't expect everyone who'd like to play to go buy a book. While I can certainly explain to them how tests work, etc.; I'd like to post on the site how advancement works.

Any help on this issue would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

[Owen E Oulton]

This is always a bit of a thorny issue. It seems that character generation programmes are generally tolerated - there have been a number created for bot ICON and CODA, and someone's even doing one for the old FASA game.

One of the key concepts in copyright law is the doctrine of "fair use." Under fair use, for instance, a student may copy a section of a text for study purposes, or a reviewer may quote in print brief passages.

I'm not a lawyer, but it seems to me that were you to write, in brief terms and in your own words, a summary of the specific parts of character creation process you need to convey to your players, and place it in a private directory (preferably password-protected) accessable only by players, you'd be reasonably OK. When I was restarting my own ICON campaign a couple of years ago, I put similar info up for my players, and deleted it once the characters had been created.

That said, there is a CODA character generator alreaduy done, by Space Cadet, available here: http://forum.trek-rpg.net/showthread...threadid=10621
I don't know how well it works, since I don't use CODA, but give it a try.

[Gevel]

I definately appreciate the info.

After some consideration, I've decided that the ICON system is probably a better fit, and there is a good deal more material available for it.

Do you (or anyone else) happen to know what copyright restrictions there are on this material? I know that WOTC owns the material now, but are sections quotable?

Thanks again.

[Owen E Oulton]

The same restrictions apply. Copyright is for 50 years beyond the life of the author - I'm not certain how the "life of the author" applies to corporate entities, but that's irrelevant at this point. The material is still under copyright.

However, it's probably easier to explain ICON and to create characters without the books than with CODA, IMHO. There's also a lot more fan-written materials available for ICON.

[Scottomir]

I wouldn't sweat the copyright issue unless you're planning on selling your program. The first rule of lawsuits is always to follow the money. If you're infringing on a copyright in a way that doesn't make any money and doesn't interfere with the copyright holder making money, you'll almost always be ignored. Only the most obsessive franchises try to bully "fan" efforts, and even then all that usually happens is that you get a cease-and-desist order. On my website for four years now I've had unauthorized fan material for the ALTERNITY RPG for numerous settings, including big items like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings -- never been a problem.