[OGL] Question about making D20 material

[Kannik]

First -- I realize this is likely the wrong forum, but the description for the d20 publisher's forum seemed not to indicate the right place for this question, and the d20 systems forum seemed to be for other game discussion. I'm sure the moderators will smack my post into the right forum. } With that out of the way...

A quick question for you all!

If I understand correctly... all OGL material can be referenced in any other OGL document you make, so long as you give credit/list where it originally came from.

The books from WotC are d20 branded, but are not actually OGL, ie, we can't use stuff from them.

What if one was creating a class that for their spell list they wished spells from a WotC non SRD to be included? Would it be allowed to list the spell name, and the source, giving no other description? Or would even the naming be a violation of copyright? Could one do this and make specific mention that those names are not OGL? Etc? }

Thanks a tonne,

Kannik

 

[EricNoah]

First -- I realize this is likely the wrong forum, but the description for the d20 publisher's forum seemed not to indicate the right place for this question, and the d20 systems forum seemed to be for other game discussion. I'm sure the moderators will smack my post into the right forum. } With that out of the way...

A quick question for you all!

If I understand correctly... all OGL material can be referenced in any other OGL document you make, so long as you give credit/list where it originally came from.

The books from WotC are d20 branded, but are not actually OGL, ie, we can't use stuff from them.

What if one was creating a class that for their spell list they wished spells from a WotC non SRD to be included? Would it be allowed to list the spell name, and the source, giving no other description? Or would even the naming be a violation of copyright? Could one do this and make specific mention that those names are not OGL? Etc? }

Thanks a tonne,

Kannik

It wouldn't necessarily be a violation of copyright, but you're agreeing to be bound by a license agreement -- and that agreement doesn't let you do referenced closed material.

I'll bump this over to the Publisher's forum, there are tons of people there who can help with questions like this.

 

[MEG Hal]

First -- I realize this is likely the wrong forum, but the description for the d20 publisher's forum seemed not to indicate the right place for this question, and the d20 systems forum seemed to be for other game discussion. I'm sure the moderators will smack my post into the right forum. } With that out of the way...

A quick question for you all!

If I understand correctly... all OGL material can be referenced in any other OGL document you make, so long as you give credit/list where it originally came from.

The books from WotC are d20 branded, but are not actually OGL, ie, we can't use stuff from them.

What if one was creating a class that for their spell list they wished spells from a WotC non SRD to be included? Would it be allowed to list the spell name, and the source, giving no other description? Or would even the naming be a violation of copyright? Could one do this and make specific mention that those names are not OGL? Etc? }

Thanks a tonne,

Kannik

If it is not in the SRD it does not exist for a publisher (referring for WotC material), so if it is not in the SRD you can not use it in any product.

 

[Cergorach]

Re: Re: [OGL] Question about making D20 material

If it is not in the SRD it does not exist for a publisher (referring for WotC material), so if it is not in the SRD you can not use it in any product.

Wouldn't it be less confusing to just say, you can only copy from the SRD or from OGL material.

 

[MEG Hal]

Re: Re: Re: [OGL] Question about making D20 material

Wouldn't it be less confusing to just say, you can only copy from the SRD or from OGL material.

I do not have too you just did

 

[jmucchiello]

If you are going to use the OGL, you have to pretend any Wizards of the Coast books do not exist. Unless you find it in the SRD or indicated clearly in a 3rd party's book, you cannot refer to it, copy it, mention it, lament the lack of it or do anything that implies that you know iti exists. From the OGL's point of view such material does not exist.

By agreeing to the license, you agree to this new set of beliefs.

 

[jgbrowning]

What about books like penumbria's "Seven Cities?" They use the DMG method of statting cities. How does that work?

Actually, come to think of it, there's a lot of books that use it. It seems like a standard. Is it part of the "gentleman's agreement" that allows people to use monsters?

thanks,


joe b.

 

[jmucchiello]

What about books like penumbria's "Seven Cities?" They use the DMG method of statting cities. How does that work?

Actually, come to think of it, there's a lot of books that use it. It seems like a standard. Is it part of the "gentleman's agreement" that allows people to use monsters?

This is a great grey area. The books use the results from the tables but do explain where they come from.There is no stat block for cities in the DMG. Most people are just following the Dungeon submission guidelines for doing so. Basically, if you call a place a thorpe and indicate that 30 people live there are you using the chart or are you just making use of the word thorpe? It becomes more murky if you describe the authority figures of the town though. (I prefer to call them notables.)

As far as I'm aware though, this material is not OGC and is not part of the Gentleman's Agreement. Most people are using it because it does not contain hard and fast rules and what few rules it does have can be extrapolated from a dictionary. (Cities have over 10,000 people, etc.)

IANAL. TINLA.

 

[Kannik]

Thanks!

That's what I figured... oh well. } I'll find other material...

Thanks everyone!

Kannik