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Internet Message Format | 1994-10-29 | 6KB

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From: [e-mail] (Mads Haahr)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: TSR'S OFFICIAL LETTER -IMHPO
Date: 27 Oct 1994 17:37:41 -0700
Organization: Computer Science, University of B.C., Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Lines: 125
Message-ID: <38ph4l$[e-mail]>
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[e-mail] (MARCUS L. STONE) writes:

>Mads Haahr ([e-mail]) wrote:
>: It looks as if TSR is really getting itself in trouble, and it looks
>: as if it is time to change game system.  After all, it is not the
>: system that matters, but the setting, the plot -- the story.

>: I've heard that Steve Jackson's GURPS is a good game in a fantasy
>: setting.  Does anybody know what Jackson's opinion on free distribution
>: of GURPS-related material is?  Anybody has their email address?

>I believe that the address that you want is [e-mail].

Thanks, Marcus.  I wrote to SJG and asked them about it.  Here is my
letter to SJG:

] Date: Wed, 26 Oct 1994 14:46:20 -0700
] From: Mads Haahr <[e-mail]>
] To: [e-mail]
] Subject: SJG Policy Question
]
] Dear Steve Jackson Games,
]
] As you may be aware, there is currently a rather heated debate in at
] least one of the role-playing newsgroups on the Usenet.  The debate
] has to do with TSR and material related to their D&D and AD&D game
] systems.
]
] TSR has recently been advocating its official policy concerning
] distribution of material related to its games.  This has caused the
] closing of public archives carrying worlds, creatures, items,
] et. al. created by players and game masters for use with TSR's game
] systems.
]
] Allow me to quote from a letter sent by TSR officials to one of the
] sites carrying D&D/AD&D-related material, posted in the newsgroup
] rec.games.frp.dnd (the site subsequently closed off its D&D/AD&D
] section):
]
] > You should also be aware that any items created without a specific
] > license are infringements of TSR copyrights. Such items include (but
] > are not limited to) any software, net.books, modules, tables,
] > stories, or rules modifications which contain elements from our
] > copyrighted properties, including characters, settings, realm names,
] > noted magic items, spells, elements of the gaming system, such as
] > ARMOR CLASS, HIT DICE, and so forth.  To date, TSR has not licensed
] > any of these net publications.
]
] I find it reasonable that TSR claim the rights to software based on
] their creations and to material present in their publications, but I
] cannot accept that creations of individual game masters cannot be
] freely exchanged simply because they contain key words from TSR's rule
] books.
]
] The reason that I am writing to you is that I have decided to move
] away from TSR products, and GURPS is one of the systems I am
] considering instead.  The change of system requires me to convert my
] existing AD&D campaign to another game system -- a reasonable amount
] of work that I hope only to do once.
]
] Therefore, I am carefully considering what game system to choose for
] the future.  During the debate on Usenet I have become aware that one
] of the principal matters is to be able to share one's creations with
] other people.  GURPS has been recommended to me, but before deciding
] upon it I would like to know Steve Jackson Games' official opinion on
] the free distribution of GURPS-related material.
]
] I apologize for the length of this letter, but I felt that some
] background was necessary to shed light on the matter.
]
] Regards,
]
]   Mads Haahr <[e-mail]>

And here is SJG's reply:

] Date: Wed, 26 Oct 1994 17:42:59 -0500 (CDT)
] From: Steve Jackson <[e-mail]>
] Subject: Re: SJG Policy Question
] To: Mads Haahr <[e-mail]>
]
] The answer is simple: If you're selling a separate product based on our
] material, or free-distributing something that competes with things we
] license (e.g, software), then we would keep a level of control and ask for
] a piece of the action. On free-distribution GURPS software, we go through
] a quality-control and licensing procedure but no money changes hands.
]
] If you're creating a fanzine, or sharing your own original stories or
] online, then more power to you. We think it's great. We make no attempt
] to license or control fanzine writers, whether their medium is print or
] electrons. The two are indistinguishable these days, really.
]
] If you do create something neat, it would be a courtesy to send our
] webmaster a copy and give YOUR permission for us to archive it on our own
] system for our users to enjoy.

It seems that one of the key issues are "free-distributing something
that competes with the things we license".  This could be the case for
some net.books (at least the best of them), and it is probably the
goal of most net.book-admins to have their net.book reach the highest
possible quality.

The net.books, though, are still text-only and while some of the
contents may be of excellent quality, I would not say it "competes"
with official material, simply because of the lack of chrome.

Also "a piece of the action" does not make much sense for something
freely distributed.  Zero divided by anything is still zero, so unless
people start charging money for net.books I suppose we're safe there.

I am not quite certain of how wide the term "fanzine" can be used.
Can it cover the net.books or other game-related material?  Does a
publication have to be regular to be a fanzine?  Can the net.books be
considered regular (they *are* updated every once in a while...)?

Oh, maybe I just ought to quit investigating this legal crap and get
the system switch done with instead.  I don't want to become a
spare-time law student...

Anyway, I liked the tone of SJG's reply; "more power to you" and a
president who uses email?  Not bad.

Thoughts welcome,
--
Mads Haahr <[e-mail]> -- Don't tell me this isn't related to TSR!