Dragonstar Fans: SRD Project Underway!

[Angel Tarragon]

JUst wanted to give a shoutout to Dragonstar fans that there in an SRD project currently in progress:

You can find here.

 

[Hunter In Darkness]

sweet man. Thanks for the link.

 

[pawsplay]

Two questions:

Is this "official?" Any permission to use the Dragonstar name?

There's a mention on that page of using someone's logo. I hope you have their permission; by default, the OGL does not require, and indeed does not allow, acknowledgement of contributors without their explicity permission.

 

[talien]

This web site breaks all kind of OGL rules. Sigh.

 

[Scurvy_Platypus]

Two questions:

Is this "official?" Any permission to use the Dragonstar name?

There's a mention on that page of using someone's logo. I hope you have their permission; by default, the OGL does not require, and indeed does not allow, acknowledgement of contributors without their explicity permission.

Maybe I'm not understanding the OGL, but your phrasing is a little unclear.

You say the OGL doesn't require/allow acknowledgment of contributers without their explicit permission.

By my reading of it, that's certainly the case related to part 7, Use of Product Identity. The website is in violation of this specifically (unless given permission) by including the Dragonstar name (which I seem to recall is IP not Open Content), the use of the Fantasy Flight Games logo, possibly the use of the Zombler logo. I haven't looked at the OGC declaration of Dragonstar for a while, so I'm not sure what other problems there might be.

On the other hand, there should be something under the Copyright notice which there isn't.

And obviously the logo use isn't covered at all without explicit permission.

Reveille:

While I applaud the effort that's gone into making this SRD, I'd say that there are problems. Pull down the logos unless you've got written permission, and drop the "Dragonstar" name.

I've been working on an SRD together for a game who's publisher/owner is no longer around, and that means I've been changing the names of a number of parts of it.

For example, here's the declaration of Open Game Content from what I've been working from:

The following is designated as Product Identity, in accordance with section 1(e) of the Open Gaming Licence, version 1.0a:
All [company] names, logos, identifying marks, and trade dress; all character and place names; all examples; all artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, illustrations, likenesses, poses, symbols and graphic designs; all stories, storylines, plots thematic elements and dialogue are property of [company].
Rules and rules dealing with the d20 gaming sytem are designated as Open Game Content.

As I understand it, the declaration basically means I need to change the name of a number of the character classes (since they're tied into the setting and it's thematic elements, I can't actually say that this is the "[Name] SRD" and instead need to make up a name for it.

In the Copyright section, I need to make sure I list the company, as well as the name of the game, and I need to do that for any/all sources I use for the SRD.

Unless there's equipment/monster/race names that are sufficently "generic" that I can use them (or are a part of the default WotC SRD), I'm also going to have to make sure I change any of those names, and I'll need to write my own descriptions of the items/creatures/races, since the description of the items themselves is most likely going to be considered an "example" or a "depiction" of something that's going to be considered a part of the setting and therefore is Product Identity.

My reason for working on the SRD is that there _are_ mechanical changes that I like and think would be useful for other people to play around with. If someone bothers to read the copyright section (and this applies to any SRD project) then they'll certainly know what game the SRD has been derived from. If they don't own the game or they don't bother reading the copyright section, then they're just not going to know.

At the end of the day, the SRD's purpose (at least in presenting OGC from something else) is to convey mechanical stuff. But you're going to have to walk really carefully to make sure you're not stepping on any Product Identity toes.

As an example, there's an SRD that was put out based on the Blue Rose rules. All kinds of drama have happened around that, in part because at least the name of the SRD, possibly because of some of the content of it.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Reveille:

While I applaud the effort that's gone into making this SRD, I'd say that there are problems. Pull down the logos unless you've got written permission, and drop the "Dragonstar" name.

I'd like to sate that I am in no way helping out with this project. I am a member of the Dragonstar yahoo group, where I found out about it, and posted the link here for interested fans.

 

[Scurvy_Platypus]

I'd like to sate that I am in no way helping out with this project. I am a member of the Dragonstar yahoo group, where I found out about it, and posted the link here for interested fans.

Oh.

Well then, I'll just copy/paste my post over there then.

 

[Ranger REG]

I'd like to sate that I am in no way helping out with this project. I am a member of the Dragonstar yahoo group, where I found out about it, and posted the link here for interested fans.

Trust me, some of us are interested. We just want the site to be -- using legal term -- "in safe harbor."

Once you use the OGL (a legal document), you have to abide by the letter.

 

[Brutorz Bill]

I had alot of fun playing Dragonstar back in the day. Shame it didn't last longer.

 

[Ranger REG]

I had alot of fun playing Dragonstar back in the day. Shame it didn't last longer.

I think somebody should buy the IP from Fantasy Flight Games, or buy the company then drop all projects and focus on Dragonstar revival.