[Dusk] Question Regarding the Frequency of Updates to the SRD

[Michael Morris]

Hello all. Those of you who have toured my site probably have noticed that I answer the open content / PI question by making a SRD not unlike how WotC does.

My question is, how often should I update this? I have added some 100 new spells to the site in the last 3 months and the SRD is now lagging seriously behind the rest of the site (though it is still well within the 10% mark). I was thinking maybe doing it once every 6 months or so, but I'm not sure.

On a similiar note, am I allowed to refuse to add the stat blocks of the NPC's to the SRD of the setting? I don't mind adding the spells and the like to the SRD as I would like to see others be able to use them - but I don't see what real use the stats of NPC's would be to other publishers anyway and they are my characters.

 

[MThibault]

I'm no expert, but from a quick glance at your site you would have to include the NPC statblocks in your "SRD". If that is the method by which you are "clearly identifying" your open content, then you probably should include all of the open content.

Otherwise, it defeats the purpose of having an "SRD". If I go to the site to cull open content, and I see that the statblocks aren't in the "SRD", but I know that they are derived from open content (and therefore must be open) I am no longer certain what else might be open content that is not in the "SRD".

By the way, to avoid confusion, I would call it the DRD (Dusk Reference Document) or something.

Cheers

 

[Michael Morris]

The site's pretty explicit actually. If it is not in the site's SRD, it's not open content.

Period. No debating.

I do believe I have the most unambigious way of declaring open content possible.

As far as not sharing NPC blocks, I wouldn't be the first publisher to do this sort of thing. After all, many folks declare their open content on a per chapter basis and NPC stat blocks do appear elsewhere in many of those books. The stat block format is open content - that isn't up for debate. Their CONTENTS are not though. They are descripting specific characters. The more I think about it, the more I think this approach is safe. The license simply calls for 10% of the materials to be open. Nowhere did it say that anything that could be open content *should* become so. It does provide for loss of PI if the open content isn't clearly labeld somehow, but again this is covered.

Besides, who would want to copy one of my NPC's anyway??

 

[Morrus]

The site's pretty explicit actually. If it is not in the site's SRD, it's not open content.

Period. No debating.

I do believe I have the most unambigious way of declaring open content possible........Besides, who would want to copy one of my NPC's anyway??

But your stat blocks are open content by definition. It's not a decision you can make; they are derived from the D20 SRD and are thus open. There's no room for debate, reasoning or anything else.

As for how often you should update it: if that's your method of identifying OGC then the terms of the license require to you to keep it up to date constantly.

 

[MythosaAkira]

The license simply calls for 10% of the materials to be open.

I thought it was 5%. When did this change?

 

[am181d]

But your stat blocks are open content by definition. It's not a decision you can make; they are derived from the D20 SRD and are thus open. There's no room for debate, reasoning or anything else

Though he can PI the character names and campaign-specific terms. But that goes against the point of having an "SRD" which was (at least for WOTC) intended to be a 100% open document.

 

[Nellisir]

In my understanding, Morrus (the EN World guy, not Morris the Dusk guy, as I originally spelled the name) has the right of it. The mechanical details of the stat block are open game content, whether you like it or not. The character names can be PI, or details of their history, but the fact that they are 5th level rogues with X, XY, and Q feats, 59 skill points in 8 skills, and carry +2 lightsaber daggers is open content. Simply cut-n-paste the statblocks into the Dusk Reference Document, and remove the proper names.

Similarly, you are required to identify open game content. You don't have an alloted time period (unless you are in violation and have received a warning letter) because it's suppose to be done immediately.

Keeping a separate document of OGC is definative, but somewhat time consuming. I've found placing OGC material in borders works very well, and doesn't require duplicate documents.

Cheers
Nell.