General RPG DiscussionDiscussion of all RPGs and non-system-specific topics. DM/GM/player issues, settings, etc. Rules discussion belongs in one the forums below.
I would guess that WotC has had tons of such offers, as there are lots of computer-jocks in the gaming community. If WotC hasn't taken any of them up on their offers, I doubt they'll take yours.
Thoughts? Opinions? Think I'm just wasting my time?
Probably a bit of the third, sadly. With absolutely no disparagement intended, I think you're better off making it available to fans (ENWorld's downloads section, for one) and letting it circulate and become popular that way, rather than offering it to a company who has an identical product on the way and is probably not going to be interested in picking this item up in order to avoid even imagined legal issues.
__________________ It doesn't matter how gimped the class may be, people will always play Rangers. Saying "I'm a Ranger" in fantasy gaming is kinda like saying "I'm Batman."
"I have no silver gifts for thee,
No scented words nor frankincense:
Only this love, that burns in me
Like a vain fire in valleys whence
The sun has flown beyond the sea."
-Clark Ashton Smith, 'The Song at Evenfall'
"Oh pick up flutes and fiddles, a new tune is beginning
A melody forsaken, on the chords of our elders' song
Each note is telling a story, a fragment of existence."
-Elvenking, 'Oakenshield'
__________________ "There are few problems a well-placed fireball cannot solve. Now, tell us more about this... orphanage?" - Balfour Grimstaff
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Seconded. Definitely put this up at the Downloads section.
Thirded.
__________________ I don't "tell stories" when I play D&D. I adventure. Afterward, when the gold is counted and the bodies piled high, we may tell stories about how it all went down. Or not.
Thanks for the feedback and support, everyone. I appreciate it. That said, though... the last time I showed up around here, everybody (including a mod) came down pretty heavy on me on an intellectual property issue. Now I show up with a piece of software that not only makes use of WotC's protected intellectual property, but is somewhat competitive with a product they have in the works... and everyone is okay with me just sharing it?
You already said you'd take it down when (read "if") the official product launches so as to prevent competition. You could even post it exclusively on your own website instead of here, giving the mods/etc no recourse anyway, and then WotC can decide for themselves if they need to bother with a C&D letter - since you won't be making any money on the project, I strongly suspect it wouldn't be worth their time.
Well I definitely agree. I think what you really need is one of the admins to approve it.
Having a place to post it isn't a problem. I guess what I'm really trying to ask is this -- if I were, hypothetically, to put the character generator online, am I going to catch the same kind of flak I did around here last time?
The old thread looks like a bunch of antagonistic posts by trolls and wanna-be internet lawyers to me. I didn't see any moderator posts in there either, although I may have missed it. Look at it this way - after all those carryings-on by anonymous self-appointed experts, how many times were you actually sued (or even contacted by) either Square-Enix or WotC? I'd guess that answer is zero.
I, for one, would very much appreciate the availability of a new character creator tool (official or otherwise), if only for the way it would ease new players into the system and save time (my group is gaining new players constantly). As I said before, if I were in your position I'd simply post it and let WotC worry about their own legal issues. Alternatively you could post it on your existing site and link it, although I think the community would benefit from more use of the Downloads section here at ENWorld, and no one will use it if nothing useful is posted
just post it. the feds aren't going to break down your door and sent you to guantanamo bay. the worst that will happen is a cease and desist letter. by the time that even happens, if ever, lots of people will have been able to enjoy your program.
just post it. the feds aren't going to break down your door and sent you to guantanamo bay. the worst that will happen is a cease and desist letter. by the time that even happens, if ever, lots of people will have been able to enjoy your program.
This is not an appropriate reply. And, for the person who reported the post, thank you for doing so, but I'm sure you are very aware that munkeywrench does not have authority to speak on EN World's behalf.
Brasswatchman - without knowing more about the program in question, it's very hard to say whether we'd be OK with you uploading it here (not that I'm implying that you necessarily want to). On what I've managed to gather from this thread, it doesn't sound any more egrarious than a thousand other fan creations (especially if it doesn't detail what the powers actually do, etc.), but I'm not really in a position to judge its content.
Brasswatchman - without knowing more about the program in question, it's very hard to say whether we'd be OK with you uploading it here (not that I'm implying that you necessarily want to). On what I've managed to gather from this thread, it doesn't sound any more egrarious than a thousand other fan creations (especially if it doesn't detail what the powers actually do, etc.), but I'm not really in a position to judge its content.
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