Is the Unearthed Arcana SRD online?

[John Q. Mayhem]

Same here. After May I'd love to help, and I'll probably have the book by then to transcribe from.

 

[Wormwood]

See how much work you've just saved me?

The "legalities" is one of the reasons I'm willing to set up a private forum; We can "get it wrong" in private and fix any errors prior to releasing it in public.

Cool.

Let me know what I can do to help.

 

[johnsemlak]

I've got a question about UA

From WotC's point of view, what is the difference between releasing UA as a book with the OGL in it, and releasing the material as OGC in the SRD? Why did WotC opt to do what they did.

 

[Dogbrain]

"Open Game Content" means the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity.

Note that, except for "any additional content clearly identified as "Open Game Content", the definition of "Open Game Content" is extremely close to what the US copyright office has been using as a definition of "game rules". For many decades, perhaps more than a century, it has been an established principle that game rules are not subject to copyright, merely the text describing them.

I quote the relevant US government information:

Copyright protects only the particular manner of an author’s expression in literary, artistic, or musical form. Copyright protection does not extend to any idea, system, method, device, or trademark material involved in the development, merchandising, or playing of a game. Once a game has been made public, nothing in the copyright law prevents others from developing another game based on similar principles.

Now, "game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines" (OGL) certainly is equivalent to "idea, system, method, device". However, the specific text published would correspond to "the particular manner of an author’s expression", unless it could be shown that there was only one way to "express" the "idea, system, method, device", at which point the "expression" could no longer be copyright protected.

The difference between the Hasbro/Hasbro flunky license and going the "game rules non-copyright" route is that the Hasbro flunky license permits one to directly lift and publish another's copyrightable text. Given that rewriting reams of rules is a major hassle, a small-time operator can benefit greatly from the opportunity to legally cut-and-paste appropriate lines of text from the SRD or SRDs used.

 

[Dogbrain]

I've got a question about UA

From WotC's point of view, what is the difference between releasing UA as a book with the OGL in it, and releasing the material as OGC in the SRD? Why did WotC opt to do what they did.

From Hasbro's point of view, the difference is that anybody who wants to get a tiny little bit of information in UA has to buy the whole book. Unlike the PHB/DMG/MM, UA is chock-full-o-useless stuff, but which parts are useless will be different for each potential customer. Releasing it as OGC online would mean that people would have a very easy time simply cherry-picking out what they want and not bothering with the reast. Publishing it conventionally without an SRD release means that anybody with interest has to buy a copy or at least know someone who has bought a copy.

However, people are now generating an SRD for UA (which the OGL permits them to do). We'll have to wait and see if Hasbro is willing to abide by the terms of its own license scheme.

 

[Bendris Noulg]

I've got a question about UA

From WotC's point of view, what is the difference between releasing UA as a book with the OGL in it, and releasing the material as OGC in the SRD? Why did WotC opt to do what they did.

In addition to what Dogbrain posted, I'd add that it's also a question of "muddying" the waters of the SRD... That is, the SRD is "The Core" while UA is a collection of variants and options. Granted, they could have released a "side" document, but they certainly didn't have to (and, to be perfectly honest, I'd be more up on them getting around to updating the Psionics SRD documents than UA).

 

[barsoomcore]

Wormwood, I'd be ever so obliged if you would send a copy of your transcribed sections to me.

roarerbull at yahoo dot com

 

[Ranger REG]

In addition to what Dogbrain posted, I'd add that it's also a question of "muddying" the waters of the SRD... That is, the SRD is "The Core" while UA is a collection of variants and options. Granted, they could have released a "side" document, but they certainly didn't have to (and, to be perfectly honest, I'd be more up on them getting around to updating the Psionics SRD documents than UA).

It's kinda hard to consider the SRD as the "core" when they've already added material from the Epic-Level Handbook (above and beyond the rules from 3.5e core rulebooks) and Psionic's Handbook (with XPsiHB material to follow).

Why don't they release it as a copyrighted book? Well, some of the variant rules are already OGC derived from third-party sources (e.g., Injury System is derivative of Damage Saving Throw System from Mutants & Masterminds).

As for being useless, to each his or her own. Not all D&D games are alike. But for third-party publishers, they can finally take advantage of some of the mechanics that were copyrighted and off-limit (unless you get permission like AEG did), like the VP/WP system.

 

[Breakdaddy]

*snip*

 

[Bendris Noulg]

It's kinda hard to consider the SRD as the "core" when they've already added material from the Epic-Level Handbook (above and beyond the rules from 3.5e core rulebooks) and Psionic's Handbook (with XPsiHB material to follow).

And Manual of the Planes, but I'd say it's still "core"... The core "base" rules, the core "psionics" rules, the core "planar" rules, the core "post-20th Level" rules, etc. The most seperation these rules really have is a prefix at the beginning of the file name; otherwise, all of these rules are handled under the same line in Section 15.

Why don't they release it as a copyrighted book? Well, some of the variant rules are already OGC derived from third-party sources (e.g., Injury System is derivative of Damage Saving Throw System from Mutants & Masterminds).

True. Including UA into the SRD would bring M&M and Swords of Our Fathers (and the Modern SRD!) into the Section 15 of every derivitive work thereafter, regardless of whether any of these options are used within the product.

As for being useless, to each his or her own. Not all D&D games are alike. But for third-party publishers, they can finally take advantage of some of the mechanics that were copyrighted and off-limit (unless you get permission like AEG did), like the VP/WP system.

And insanity!

Now, if we can just get Oriental and Deity rules in there...