Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 kill_the_wiz_first Jul 10, 2014 11:38:04	So how far can we, the community, go using the Ruleset provided by your company? Since beta I have made a few personal (as in, never left my hard drive) applications. One was an initiative tracker, another was a searchable database (mostly showed prominent/relevant stats and no full-texual content), and another was a rule interpreter to apply variables to certain aspects of gameplay.   I'm not looking to usurp any projects (morningstar) you [Wizards of the Coast] have in store for the community, nor am I looking for a means to make money off your product. I am fan, and I like to code so this is the natural process for me (since 2nd edition) to make "Helper" applications. Plus, alone, I don't think I can pull-off such a project.   What I would like to know is can I share these types of application if the application only produced/showed the result. No visible math would be available, no full text reproduced. You can apply a score/variable to "something" and store information persistently. The user of these apps would provide information and name stuff appropriately. I understand this sounds vague but what I am simply doing is making it so the User needs to type in "Beholder" into a placeholder and use their knowledge of the rules to apply dynamic variables.   Could I go as far as making a function in my app produce the results of the Deat Saving Throw but never reveal the mechanics in plain text to the user?   As a fan I would like to know what I can and can not do and with whom I can share with. Again, I fully understand I can't make money of your Brand.   So if I get a "Cease and Desist" from Hasbro/WotC, I'm good with that, and it [any application I create] will remain within my possession.       Lastly, I don't want to hear how this is already being done (morningstar); I know. I enjoy programming and RPG's. So if you try to make a point on this particular topic it's moot. See previous, underlined, statement.     Any thoughts, or direction?
#2 Rastapopoulos Jul 10, 2014 11:52:48	Far as I know... (meaning, I'm not at all an expert in law)... you can't copyright the mathematical rules of a game. Meaning that you can't copyright the way poker is played, as you can't copyright the progression tables and dice rolls in an RPG. What you can is copyright original names and such. You can forbid someone to call a roll against a spell a "saving throw" maybe. But you can't, in theory, legaly forbid someone to use the exact same formula for resolving it.   So I'm guessing as long as you don't trample over the acutal copyrighted names for this stuff, it should be Ok. And I also hope we'll see some OGL like in 3e again.   Tha said, I may be wrong somewhere here... so maybe a lawyer or any law specialist could clarify it for us.
#3 kill_the_wiz_first Jul 10, 2014 12:22:10	Sound advice, thanks. Yes, I'm not producing anything, beyond personal apps and programmatically tinkering with rule mechanics, until I know more (OGL, liscensing, etc).   Maybe I'll make a character creator now that the classes don't change monthly! ~laughs~