I want to give 5E-compatible adventures away for free...

[wedgeski]

Hi all, I'd like to start releasing free 5E adventure content on my web site, and without a license to fall back on I'm struggling to know what I should be concerned about.

Is "fair use" simply a guessing game, based on precedent and crossing your fingers?

Is it in fact better to rely on the OGL, or does that simply impose restrictions that I would be better off without?

If not, what license *do* I release it under in order to protect myself? Creative commons, or similar? How does that interact, if at all, with reliance on fair use for D&D-like terms?

Or do I simply throw a PDF out there, rely on simple copyright for protection, and stop sweating the details?

I realise these are fundamentals, and that no-one here (or very few people here) Is A Lawyer.

Many thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Morrus]

For free fan stuff, WotC has a fan policy you can use. No need to worry about all the complex legal stuff!

http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/fan-site-kit

 

[wedgeski]

Thanks for the reply!

I had considered that, but doesn't this paragraph kind of put the kaibosh on publishing adventures under the Fan Site policy..?

"Please note that this Fan Site Policy does not allow you to publish, distribute or sell your own free-to-use games, modules or applications for any of Wizards' brands including, but not limited to, Dungeons & Dragons"

 

[I'm A Banana]

So the big takeaway is that you can probably put out free adventures and no one's gonna stop you. WotC likely has little interest in slapping fans upside the face with C&D's when they're just making free adventures and putting them out there. Practically, you'll probably be fine, as long as you are operating in good faith.

Legally, and technically, it's a bit stickier.

My lay man's understanding:

There's no law against compatibility. You can make a dongle that works with your iPhone, and you can make an adventure or supplement that works with 5e, and you're probably OK.

However, you want to avoid a few things. First of all, be wary of using actual terms owned by WotC - words like Dungeons & Dragons, or monsters that aren't already open from the SRD, or locations in WotC worlds. The safest route is just to steer away from those. You don't want to imply in any way that WotC has somehow sanctioned your adventure, and the more likely that someone is to imagine that, the less safe you are under the law. Disclaimers aren't magic, but they probably won't hurt.

For similar reasons, you also want to avoid the formatting and design that mimics WotC's. Make a new stat block format for your monsters/spells/items, don't use a similar text, and make sure someone can visually distinguish your adventure from a WotC adventure at a glance.

IANAL, so heaps of salt and all that, but this is my hobbyist's perspective.

 

[wedgeski]

IANAL, so heaps of salt and all that, but this is my hobbyist's perspective.

Thanks for your post. It's all good advice.

 

[GMMichael]

So the big takeaway is that you can probably put out free adventures and no one's gonna stop you. WotC likely has little interest in slapping fans upside the face with C&D's when they're just making free adventures and putting them out there. Practically, you'll probably be fine, as long as you are operating in good faith.

+1. And don't make money off your reproductions, and just to be safe, make an assurance on your page that it's just posted for your personal use. You'll be fine.

No, I will not be quoting the acronym that the Midget used and the end of his post.