Pathfinder 1E Free Pathfinder campaign manager!

jreyst · Aug 21, 2011

From the makers of d20pfsrd.com comes a new Pathfinder Campaign Manager "application". It is a free Google Sites template designed specifically for GMs to use to manage their Pathfinder campaigns.

Go to "My Pathfinder Campaign"

Comments/critques/suggestions welcome!

Starman · Aug 22, 2011

This looks very cool. I might be starting up a Pathfinder campaign in the near future. If I do, I'll probably give this a try and let you know how it works.

undeaddan · Aug 22, 2011

That looks cool but Google's tendency to claim your work as it's own IP makes this less than ideal, IMHO.

Obsidian Portal and Epic Words are some other options if you wish to maintain any ownership over the content on your campaign site

BriarMonkey · Aug 23, 2011

Yeah...

Upon reading section 11 of Google's Terms of Service (below), there is no way I'd ever have anything hosted through their services. Namely due to items .1 and .2. That's just rubbish.

[SIZE=-1]11. Content license from you

11.1 You retain copyright and any other rights you already hold in Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. This license is for the sole purpose of enabling Google to display, distribute and promote the Services and may be revoked for certain Services as defined in the Additional Terms of those Services.

11.2 You agree that this license includes a right for Google to make such Content available to other companies, organizations or individuals with whom Google has relationships for the provision of syndicated services, and to use such Content in connection with the provision of those services.

11.3 You understand that Google, in performing the required technical steps to provide the Services to our users, may (a) transmit or distribute your Content over various public networks and in various media; and (b) make such changes to your Content as are necessary to conform and adapt that Content to the technical requirements of connecting networks, devices, services or media. You agree that this license shall permit Google to take these actions.

11.4 You confirm and warrant to Google that you have all the rights, power and authority necessary to grant the above license.

[/SIZE]

Stumblewyk · Aug 23, 2011

Certainly useful, definitely eye-pleasing, but for all the same reasons mentioned above, I'd hesitate to use it.

jreyst · Aug 24, 2011

Please.

d20pfsrd.com uses Google Sites. I have no concerns. As this tool is meant to be a time-saving tool for GMs to run their personal/home campaigns, I seriously doubt anyone has any real cause for concern.

Several articles have discussed this previously. See:

Here
Here
Here

The last one (from Google) specifically states:

"Google does not assert any ownership rights in your content. What belongs to you, stays yours.
We do require that you give us a licence to the content you post so that we can host it and, if you ask us to, make it available to others.
Content on our services usually isn’t ours. We may not monitor what we host or link to, although in some limited cases we might. Don’t be surprised if you see something you don’t like. You can always tell us about it or stop looking."

So... I'd relax. Your super-secret campaign notes are safe with Google lol

BriarMonkey · Aug 24, 2011

It doesn't matter what they say anywhere but in the terms - as that is the document you agree to. So I still wouldn't trust them (nor lawyers in general as that is who probably wrote it).

But, as to your actual template, I do think it is fairly well thought out with regards to what a game needs to keep track off. So if others find use, then good on them.

Cheers.

IronWolf · Aug 24, 2011

BriarMonkey said:
It doesn't matter what they say anywhere but in the terms - as that is the document you agree to. So I still wouldn't trust them (nor lawyers in general as that is who probably wrote it).

It is your prerogative to not trust google, plenty of people don't - but the content use is pretty clear, they are just protecting themselves not trying to steal your content. Their entire business model falls flat if they were to steal people's content.

Let's look at their ToS.

ToS said:
11.1 You retain copyright and any other rights you already hold in Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services.

First, right off the bat they have stated that you retain the copyright to the work and "any other rights" (i.e. ownership) of content you submit to be publicly hosted via their software and hardware.

ToS said:
By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. This license is for the sole purpose of enabling Google to display, distribute and promote the Services and may be revoked for certain Services as defined in the Additional Terms of those Services.

By posting your content to their servers you are giving them the right to publish said information (i.e. host on a website or via a Google doc). It is irrevocable as they don't want to have to devote the man hours to eliminate it from backup tapes, replication points, etc.

The other things are simply giving them rights to publish, host, display, distribute (all things the website is intended to do to begin with). Things like translate and adapt means they can let their translator tools work on it without repercussion.

ToS said:
11.2 You agree that this license includes a right for Google to make such Content available to other companies, organizations or individuals with whom Google has relationships for the provision of syndicated services, and to use such Content in connection with the provision of those services.

This sounds like RSS feeds and such. Probably also possibly allowing them to make use of the indexes of your content for ad sales, etc.

ToS said:
11.3 You understand that Google, in performing the required technical steps to provide the Services to our users, may (a) transmit or distribute your Content over various public networks and in various media; and (b) make such changes to your Content as are necessary to conform and adapt that Content to the technical requirements of connecting networks, devices, services or media. You agree that this license shall permit Google to take these actions.

And this covers the backups, the replication, the mirroring and such to actual server and preserve your data. By submitting content you are giving them permission to do what it takes technically to host your data and replicate it amongst their systems.

Again - no worries if you don't want to use Google for things, but the ToS you posted is not Google trying to "steal" your work. It is them protecting themselves to do with the data what you wanted them to do to begin with.

BriarMonkey · Aug 24, 2011

<sigh>

I don't want to turn this into a big debate over a ToS. I've had my experiances, good and bad with them, as well as with who owns what data and what rights are implied, to be skeptical and that ToS throws big red flags to me.

As for the actual template as linked above...

I was looking through the template again, and I noticed something. I don't know how well Google Sites would support it, but I saw that there really wasn't anywhere to note or keep things like maps or specific adventures (written or otherwise).

By that, I was thinking something like a section where you could keep the larger maps, such as world or regional maps. And a section that would house scenario or adventure specific elements - almost like a virtual binder of sorts.

I'm not sure that came out well - it's a lot easier to see it in my head than to write it down...

JozanDevis · Jun 5, 2019

For something that does not risk the IP challenges aforementioned, consider Chronica. You can find information on this manager on their site. Rather useful as a cloud tool, and to the best of my knowledge, you are unlikely to have your adventure absorbed into the proverbial deus ex machina!

https://www.chronica.ventures/