Matrix and Other Free d20 Supplements

[talien]

Hi guys,

Two questions: Is anyone doing anything with the Matrix RPG license, officially? No matter what anyone else says about other game systems, I think d20 Modern could pull it off. I'm just curious if that territory's been explored.

Second question: Publicly, are you more or less likely to buy my stuff knowing I do these free supplements? Also, are you more or less likely to hire me as a freelancer? I like to think these exercises help get my name out there, help show what I can do (or can't do) and show I can collaborate, organize, etc.

But I can't help but wonder if some people get mad -- either because there's a license they were working on (see ArthurQ's comment in the Ghostbusters thread) or because I'm messing with a license that I don't own and therefore shouldn't be touching it at all.

Just curious. Maybe I'll regret asking this question later after the exhaustion wears off...

 

[Razuur]

I am more likely to buy with previews....

The problem I have is finding stuff sometimes. I have never seen Tsar Rising in any of the game stores I frequent.

I enjoy your stuff.

Razuur

 

[talien]

I am more likely to buy with previews....

The problem I have is finding stuff sometimes. I have never seen Tsar Rising in any of the game stores I frequent.

I enjoy your stuff.

Razuur

Hiya Razuur,

Thanks. Actually, there's links to purchasing Tsar Rising through Amazon.com off of my web site and in the supplements.

 

[jaerdaph]

Hi Michael,

First off, I just want to say thank you and that I've always enjoyed your work - be it professionally published or fan.

I do, however, think you are taking a bit of risk by including advertisements and sales links to your published work in your "fan" conversions of intellectual property you don't have licenses for, and could potentially be opening yourself to some legal trouble if any of the interested parties take notice.

But don't take my ham bone advice or the ham bone advice of anyone else on a message board (short of maybe Clark Peterson perhaps) - do yourself a favor and talk to a lawyer. I'd hate to see someone as talented as you get slammed.

Keep up the good work, and again, thanks

 

[nobodez]

yeah

I'd like to echo that last remark. You need to be very careful when mixing legal and not-so-legal games. I really like your work, but don't want to see you get in legal trouble over advertising in an unlicensed publication for your other work.

Now, if I had any money, and I could find your products, I might buy them.

Now, on to the other topic, Matrix. I've been thinking of doign this myself, but I just don't have the creativity to come up with stats, though after reading the post about the GB game, I think I really don't need to. Jsut find someone else who's enough of a fan and then go from there.

I think that the most complex part of doing a Matrix game woudl be differentiating between in-Matrix abilities (like jumping large divides and running up walls) from out-of-Matrix abilities (well, liek not being able to jump large divides and run up walls). I'm thinking that there are like, two ways of doign this. First, you could make advanced classes that give really great stuff, but only in the Matrix, otherwise all you've got is the BAB, F/R/W, and Def/Rep. The secodn is to base the abiliteis off of FX and just make the MAtrix the only place you can use the FX.

Also, you need to identify how you're going to handle in-Matrix training (like uplaoding ranks in Pilot and the feat Aircraft Operation (helocopters) in The Matrix).

Also, I think it might be fun to outline the different programs in the matrix and the machines out of it. Might be easier once M3 is out, though, so you can get a more complete look at them.

 

[talien]

I'd like to echo that last remark. You need to be very careful when mixing legal and not-so-legal games. I really like your work, but don't want to see you get in legal trouble over advertising in an unlicensed publication for your other work.

Sigh. You guys are right.

Really, it becomes a question of how far do you take this. I have links to buying my games on my web site. So should I not link to my web site? And is that different from linking to a web site about the information in question that sells stuff?

But part of the reason I wanted to ask is to see what the general perception is. Chances are, if you guys are uncomfortable with it, someone who owns the license might be.

So. Going forward, every time I release a new version of the freebies, I will remove the big advertising page in that product. The sad news is this -- I have not made ONE SALE from any of this stuff through that advertising. In fact, I don't even get click-throughs from it. So it's not that big of a deal all around.

Hopefully, that will keep me out of the weird gray zone and safely in fandom (if there is such a thing).

I appreciate your feedback guys. This is new territory for me.

 

[twistnack]

You would be near the top of my list if I had the free cash to hire a freelancer. On the other hand my first book is still in editorial limbo.