3.5 Gamedays after 4.0 comes out

[crow81]

Currently I organize a weekly RPGA gameday. A large number of my players have voiced opposition to moving to 4.0.

Our plan is to continue to play 3.5 using group written material. What are the rules for me to advertise our gameday and references to 3.5 D&D and allowed material (keeping the unbalanced stuff the WotC has put out lately out)

Any info would be great

 

[Teflon Billy]

Currently I organize a weekly RPGA gameday. A large number of my players have voiced opposition to moving to 4.0.

Our plan is to continue to play 3.5 using group written material. What are the rules for me to advertise our gameday and references to 3.5 D&D and allowed material (keeping the unbalanced stuff the WotC has put out lately out)

Any info would be great

Info about what?

Sounds like you have a decent plan that will meet the needs of your current regulars.

You might want to keep your ears open for interest from the masses in 4e though (particularly if you are being hosted by a game store).

 

[crow81]

I was told that I could not openly reference 3.5 non OGL books or WotC properties in my advertising. I just wanted clarification what the limits are.


For instance can I say character building as per the former Living Greyhawk Campaign Standard

Or the following WotC books are allowed:

My FLGS won't mind since the players will pay a usage fee for the space and they buy snacks

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

I was told that I could not openly reference 3.5 non OGL books or WotC properties in my advertising. I just wanted clarification what the limits are.

Told by whom?

 

[Piratecat]

And advertising where? I hadn't realized that there were guidelines on advertising RPGA game days, although it makes some sense.

 

[crow81]

I was told by someone in the group who is more knowledgeable about the RPGA then me. I am not sure he is correct hence the post. I was just curious if anyone out there knew what the rules are. I don't feel like having a cease order from WotC because I am pushing their discontinued products over the current ones.

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

I was told by someone in the group who is more knowledgeable about the RPGA then me. I am not sure he is correct hence the post. I was just curious if anyone out there knew what the rules are. I don't feel like having a cease order from WotC because I am pushing their discontinued products over the current ones.

As long as they are still offering 3.5 RPGA modules you should have no problems advertising 3.5. If you are running your own games may I ask why yo run them under the RPGA banner? Pirecat runs a Boston Gameday and I GM for the Chicago Gameday. Neither have any RPGA affiliation (at least I don't think PC's does) and do quite well.

Gen Con still runs OD&D, AD&D1, AD&D2, and 3.0 events and is able to promote them.

Edit: Running a game day that promotes itself as an RPGA event and not actually having any RPGA sanctioned events running may cause you more problems than you are conceiving. Especially if people outside your regular group show up expecting to be able to play and earn RPGA rewards.

 

[crow81]

I am talking about 2009 after they stop offering 3.5 material. I expect we will break from the RPGA at that point. For this year I know I am fine

 

[kenobi65]

My understanding (and I am not a lawyer) is that you're free to use whatever source material you want (OGC or not), so long as you don't give anything you write (to DM yourself) to someone else to DM.

For example, you're free to use non-OGC material, such as the Forgotten Realms, or the Complete books, in the game you DM. (I don't even see where this'd be a problem if you're advertising your game.) *But*, if you were to write a FR adventure, using rules or fluff from FR sourcebooks, to someone else to run, at that point, you're considered to be "publishing" (even if you aren't asking for any money for it), and, at that point, you're in violation of WotC's IP.

What your player may have heard of is that, over the past few years, there's been two independent (i.e., non-RPGA) Living-style campaigns that used the Forgotten Realms setting. Since the Realms isn't OGC, and since both campaigns (Legends of the Shining Jewel and Living Sarbreenar) were distributing their modules to DMs (other than the authors of the modules) to run, WotC/RPGA had to shut them down -- to do otherwise, after WotC had learned of these campaigns, would put WotC at risk of losing control over their intellectual property, because they hadn't defended it. As long as you're not writing stuff and giving it to someone else to run, you're not doing what those campaigns did, and you're not in any risk of running afoul of WotC's IP.

 

[Silver Moon]

....over the past few years, there's been two independent (i.e., non-RPGA) Living-style campaigns that used the Forgotten Realms setting. Since the Realms isn't OGC, and since both campaigns (Legends of the Shining Jewel and Living Sarbreenar) were distributing their modules to DMs (other than the authors of the modules) to run, WotC/RPGA had to shut them down -- to do otherwise, after WotC had learned of these campaigns, would put WotC at risk of losing control over their intellectual property, because they hadn't defended it. As long as you're not writing stuff and giving it to someone else to run, you're not doing what those campaigns did, and you're not in any risk of running afoul of WotC's IP.

That makes sense. I also recall from back when I was an RPGA Convention Coordinator (a decade ago - so the rules may have changed) that while each convention was supposed to use the latest version of any RPG there was also a reasonable grace period (usually up to a year) to phase out the older one before enforcing that rule, as you can't assume everybody will run out, buy, and read cover-to-cover the newest of everything on day one as well as the fact that it takes time for authors to write modules to the new rules.