Ema's RPG Sheet Website down...

[portermj]

- Ema was most certainly running at a loss so calling it a business is absurd as it certainly wasn't for profit.

By that rational it would be absurd to call Ford, GM, Chrysler and what seems like most of the Banking System businesses.

Regardless, what the site was doing would have been problematic whether it was being run by Wal-Mart or Amnesty International. Which is fine because it means we don't have to parse what exactly constitutes a fan site and what constitutes a business. We don't even have to figure out what makes "fan sites" so sacrosanct that their practices can't be called into question.

 

[The Little Raven]

If 4E I can understand, but why is this wrong for 3E?

Because not all of 3e's spells are OGC, and the ones that aren't are IP.

I've noticed that the Pathfinder rules are mostly a complete reprint of the 3E PHB, including verbatim spell descriptions - so if this was for 3E, and it was illegal, how is it legal for Pathfinder?

They use the SRD, not the PHB.

 

[arscott]

I understand the logo part completely but...


Just a few questions:

• Were the copyright summaries of spell lists for 3E or 4E?
• If 4E I can understand, but why is this wrong for 3E?
• I've noticed that the Pathfinder rules are mostly a complete reprint of the 3E PHB, including verbatim spell descriptions - so if this was for 3E, and it was illegal, how is it legal for Pathfinder?

Pathfinder gets away with it because it stays within the restrictions of the OGL, and only prints the spell summaries contained in the SRD. Ema's character sheets also draw from non ogl splatbooks (spell compendium, phb2, complete series, etc). Even if Ema only used those spells that Pathfinder did, though, it would still be illegal because he's not following the rules laid out in the OGL. The ability to reprint SRD content is a privilege reserved for those companies that play by the rules.

 

[El Mahdi]

They use the SRD, not the PHB.

So they do.

(I guess it helps to actually read the SRD.)

 

[Brix]

Solution

Convert to the nice guys at paizo, and go pathfinder.

 

[Sammael]

Incidentally, if WotC had been able to produce a nice, usable, downloadable character sheet, all this wouldn't have mattered.

Instead, each WotC sheet is progressively worse than the previous one. It's as if they are intentionally making poor products to encourage 3rd party character sheets.

I don't have a clue as to why this is. Other companies have obviously managed to produce good sheets; for instance, I've never had the slightest inclination to use any 3rd party sheets for World of Darkness, since the official ones are good enough.

And it's not like it's very hard to make a good sheet. It took me about 5 hours to create a very usable sheet for my D&D 3.75 revision which manages to condense more information on one page than most official sheets do on two pages, and the layout is both usable and nice to look at. And I made it in Word, with text boxes and tables, not some fancy DTP tool.

 

[Shroomy]

Convert to the nice guys at paizo, and go pathfinder.

Though experiment: Even though I brand myself a fan-site, I will create a for-pay service that uses copyrighted and trademarked Pathfinder and Paizo IP without permission or license. Then we'll take bets on how long it would take their lawyers to send me a C&D letter.

Just replace "WoTC " with any other company that you like, and you'll see how absurd this line of discussion has become.

 

[catsclaw227]

Just replace "WoTC " with any other company that you like, and you'll see how absurd this line of discussion has become.

Yea, that's what I was thinking too.

 

[Obryn]

Convert to the nice guys at paizo, and go pathfinder.

So if I scan the Pathfinder core book (when it comes out), put it up on a site, and charge $5 for a download, you don't think Paizo would come after me?

I think your glasses have a bit of a rosy tint.

-O

 

[Oldtimer]

So if I scan the Pathfinder core book (when it comes out), put it up on a site, and charge $5 for a download, you don't think Paizo would come after me?

I think your glasses have a bit of a rosy tint.

-O

Now people are getting extremely pro-WotC silly. Ema didn't scan WotC books and sell them. Don't make ridiculous accusations.

Ema's site was a fan site, pure and simple. He created some very fine character sheets. WotC sent a letter to his ISP ordering the site to be eradicated, which it was.

If this is not overly agressive and heavy-handed, I don't know what is. WotC gets no bonus points in my book.