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Thread: Midnight

  1. #21
    Megan,

    I'd love to see whatever graphical additions you'd create.

    If it's just changing the buttons (those along the right side of the screen) and the chat sheet, then i do not believe any coding will be necessary. Just make sure they are the same size and have the same name as the originals. The table background is a bit more complicated, and took me some digging around in the forum and some testing to finally figure out how to change to make it fit on screen.
    Midnight for Fantasy Grounds 2... a work in progress.
    So far: Ruleset, Modules.

  2. #22

    Please observe the rules for posting content

    Please read this post: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forum...ead.php?t=3464 . I had to remove the links from the signature for now. If you have Fantasy Flight Games's approval, please let the rest of us know.

  3. #23
    Ged, Midnight is a setting released under the OGL. Arnon said his creation was based on OGC, although I am not sure if the website you used, arnon, contains 100% Open Game Content - especially the magic section of the reference - such as descriptions of power nexuses or references to Aryth (word/name).

    My suggestion would be this - get rid of the library stuff. Keep it for your own ruleset which you (plan to) use in your games, but release only the character sheet publicly - perhaps also remove words Midnight (and other trademarks) and logos. Keep just the sheet - I am certain this is OGC, because all Midnight mechanics are OGC - it is clearly stated in the rulebook!

    You might actually want to contact Fantasy Flight Games and show them what you've done. I am willing to help with this if you want.

    On a sidenote - I think Fantasy Grounds people became overzealous with copyright. I would understand it for something like Warhammer - for which I created a ruleset in fact - which is not covered by OGL. I contacted Games Worskhop last year about my ruleset, but they said NO at the time, so I never published it, although I used it in a campaign I ran. But Midnight is covered by Open Game License and all stats + mechanics are OGC as far as I know (you probably know the whole rulebook, it says exactly what is what in each chapter's introduction).

    I bet you know PCGen - in the latest Alpha build it contains Midnight's OGC which is used for character generation. Think PCGen would officially approve something illegal? I say, if you are not sure what's OGC, perhaps copy what PCGen has? Contacting Fantasy Flight Games won't hurt, too.

    All in all, this overzealousness made me think twice if I don't want to switch camps and pick another VGT to run my games. I think in the long run this may hurt FG adoption.
    "The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come to pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose. . ."

  4. #24
    I want to make a few comments here please:

    First, there is a lot of confusion about what OGL exactly is, and what people can do with it. The bottom line is OGL is not a free license to do whatever you want with gaming material. In fact, OGL applies more to the "writing" of a product than its reuse in the industry. Something to keep in mind.

    Second, no where in the posted ruleset or modules are the *required* OGL legal statements that need to be provided per WOTC by whomever has created or reproducing the content. That alone is grounds enough for Ged to remove the links.

    Third, PCGen gets permission from the publishers to use their content. It has been stated in this thread that this has not been done in regards to this ruleset. This comparison is not valid as presented.

    Forth, electronic re-distribution of OGL material is technically not covered under OGL per'sec as it was designed or intended by FFG, and for most publishers for that matter. In fact, there are many publishers that may not want to deal with things like VGT/FG because they have other exclusive software licenses for their products for things like computer games and/or MMOs. Warhammer is a classic example of this, and there are others out there too.

    Lastly, it is always a best practice for someone to contact the publisher *first* before posting anything regarding their product to a public forum, OGL or not. The bottom line is that it is up to that publisher whether or not they want their products converted, and per the license they can always choose not to allow said re-distribution or publication. It wasn't until the ruleset and modules were posted for public download that Ged removed the links, and rightly so. You'll notice that other post screen shots of rulesets for game systems all over the place, and you can do that as long as you don't make things "public" for distribution. That is the violation here.

    I'm sure with a bit of touching up and a polite note to FFG, Aaron's ruleset could very well be a fun staple to the community. However, there are rules to follow when doing things like this and those of us that deal with publishers and all the "legal stuff" that goes along with Fantasy Grounds we humbly ask the community to follow suit.

    As for other comments ... we are not "overzealous with copyright" Pawel, and you yourself have stated to me that the legal stuff is nothing but babble to you. If anyone is being overzealous here it is you and quick judgements regarding what is right and wrong. I think patience and understanding are important on this issue.

    Ged (Ville) and I have said from the early days of this forum that we would be happy to help people understand and follow copyrights when it comes to Fantasy Grounds, and that we don't want FG to be used a tool for copyright violation. All that is going to do is kill this community in the long run and allow the big boys like WOTC to come in with their D&D Insider and be the only game in town.

  5. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by Thore_Ironrock
    Forth, electronic re-distribution of OGL material is technically not covered under OGL per'sec as it was designed or intended by FFG, and for most publishers for that matter. In fact, there are many publishers that may not want to deal with things like VGT/FG because they have other exclusive software licenses for their products for things like computer games and/or MMOs.
    Thanks for your long reply, Kevin. I, myself, haven't thought that OGL might be about publishing written material as opposed to electronic products, something to consider.

    Quote Originally Posted by Thore_Ironrock
    I'm sure with a bit of touching up and a polite note to FFG, Aaron's ruleset could very well be a fun staple to the community. However, there are rules to follow when doing things like this and those of us that deal with publishers and all the "legal stuff" that goes along with Fantasy Grounds we humbly ask the community to follow suit.
    Fine by me, I already said asking won't hurt. It's when you get a NO response it hurts some.

    Quote Originally Posted by Thore_Ironrock
    you yourself have stated to me that the legal stuff is nothing but babble to you
    As much as it's babble to all the common folk out there (read: buyers of licensed products). It's a known fact that all types of end user agreements are written in a form used by lawyers to cover all aspects (or as much as possible) in case of a lawsuit or other court issues. The language used there is not the one we use every day and people usually get lost in it, then you pay the lawyers to interpret it. Hence one of the questions in WotC's own OGL FAQ:

    Q: The license is confusing and full of legal terms I don't understand. Is there a "plain English" version?

    A: No, there is not. The License has been drafted with specific legal language to withstand any reasonable court challenge. An effort to simplify the text might introduce errors or omissions that would distort the License and could mislead potential users. You should consult your legal counsel if you have any questions about how to use the OGL.



    Quote Originally Posted by Thore_Ironrock
    Ged (Ville) and I have said from the early days of this forum that we would be happy to help people understand and follow copyrights when it comes to Fantasy Grounds
    Perhaps put an article about copyright for module creators in the library? Something targetting FG specifically, less general? I think it would be a good idea.
    "The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come to pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose. . ."

  6. #26
    Arnon,

    Wow that work you've done is simply amazing. A group of my friends (and myself) bought fantasy ground to play MIDNIGHT on it. I cant wait to see what you come up with!

  7. #27
    For those souls who have been intrested and asking about the rulesets and modules for Midnight i'm sorry i did not get to it earlier.

    I've recieved the following answer from FFG:

    As long as you point out that it is a fan-made item, and you print "Copyright (c) Fantasy Flight Games. All Rights Reserved." on it, that should be all right. You also must not charge ANY money for it, and must be willing to take it down if we ask.
    I take this to mean that if I place a simple text file with that information along with the ruleset & modules, then i'm fine.

    I promise to get to it this week, and if the Admin. agrees, i'll post the links again.

    arnon
    Midnight for Fantasy Grounds 2... a work in progress.
    So far: Ruleset, Modules.

  8. #28
    Hello all,

    I finally got around to upload the files again. I have attached a txt file to both archives with the following wording:

    This is a fan-made product. It is not to be traded in any form what-so-ever!!

    Midnight and all campaign information are Copyright (c) Fantasy Flight Games. All Rights Reserved.
    This is in accordance to the mail i received from FFG (see above post).

    I have a link to the ruleset and the module in my signature. I placed them in two different files because people with the player version of FG2 do not need the ruleset... just in case you were wondering...

    The ruleset is still not perfect and has an error or two... but it is workable (t works for me and my group at any rate). Any suggestion for improvement and any help in achieving such improvements will be appreciated.

    arnon
    Midnight for Fantasy Grounds 2... a work in progress.
    So far: Ruleset, Modules.

  9. #29
    Oberoten's Avatar
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    Very nice dark and moody looking. I will have to give it a spin later and see how it plays.
    For your Ars Magica needs :
    https://fgrepository.com




    Atque in perpetuum frater, Ave atque vale.

  10. #30

    Thumbs up

    Thanks arnon, appreciate also the extra steps you took to get the ok from FFG.

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