Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 onemanhorde Apr 20, 2009 5:03:40	Convert old AD&D modules, and put them up on the internet with 4e rules, and how much info can I use?
#2 FrozenWastes Apr 20, 2009 7:06:26	Convert old AD&D modules, and put them up on the internet with 4e rules, and how much info can I use? You can create fan conversion documents that require the person to have the old AD&D module to your heart's content. You can also call the adventure something different, completely rewrite the text in your own words and redraw the maps by your own hand. Game rules are processes and thus fall under patent law and not copyright law and WotC has no patents for D&D rules. So as long as it is 100% your work, you're golden. There's nothing stopping you from writing and putting on the net a 4e adventure called "The Keep on the Border between Lands." Or "The Evil Temple of the Elements" or "Versus the Huge" or "Empress of the Arachnids". The absolute worst case scenario is that WotC sends you a nasty letter and you have to take them down and revise them further to be unrecognizable as anything but your original work. Of course, nothing in this post constitutes legal advice. Consult a lawyer for advice specific to your situation.
#3 onemanhorde Apr 20, 2009 9:02:12	You can create fan conversion documents that require the person to have the old AD&D module to your heart's content. You can also call the adventure something different, completely rewrite the text in your own words and redraw the maps by your own hand. Game rules are processes and thus fall under patent law and not copyright law and WotC has no patents for D&D rules. So as long as it is 100% your work, you're golden. There's nothing stopping you from writing and putting on the net a 4e adventure called "The Keep on the Border between Lands." Or "The Evil Temple of the Elements" or "Versus the Huge" or "Empress of the Arachnids". The absolute worst case scenario is that WotC sends you a nasty letter and you have to take them down and revise them further to be unrecognizable as anything but your original work. Of course, nothing in this post constitutes legal advice. Consult a lawyer for advice specific to your situation. Don't have a lawyer. To consult, but thanks.
#4 ascottbay Apr 20, 2009 14:20:31	I don't think anything prevents you from creating collections of NPC/monster/trap/item statblocks for 4E and suggesting that they be used with a classic adventure. You might have to disclaim 'official compatibility' and encourage people to legally get a hold of the original module (especially since you shouldn't be distributing the 'fluff' of the module). How wide-spread you distribute the module is also an issue. Mike Mearls wrote an article in May '08 about converting classic adventures (specifically, Keep on the Borderlands and Against the Giants) so it's at least encouraged for you and your gaming group. Maybe even for close (member access) online communities. But putting a total conversion (including descriptions, dialog and specific names) up on your blog for the whole Internet to see would likely get you in trouble. So my recommendation is to make handy lists/collections that identify what Monster Manual monsters would make good stand-ins for the module's original creatures, and create your own homebrew stat blocks for things like "Hill Giant Overlord" or "Loyal Warg" that are generic and stand on their own, but also make good substitutes for creatures not readily dropped from 4E into the old module. Of course, this isn't legal advice; I'm just speaking "one DM to another" - because I'm sure other DMs, including myself, would appreciate having someone do some of the legwork involved in adapting our old books.
#5 argent_mantle Apr 20, 2009 14:23:17	Convert old AD&D modules, and put them up on the internet with 4e rules, and how much info can I use? Simply... no. In a more complicated manner, you could convert the rules to 4E, not republish ANY of the original material. However, this style conversion licensing was not edxtended by WotC in 4E.
#6 onemanhorde Apr 20, 2009 16:04:31	See it's a shame as not many people can have easy accsess to the books any more, I was lucky I managed to grab a box of old AdvD&D stuff at a carboot sale a couple of days ago (for like £5 i got player handbook, dmg, monster manual and a lot of other stuff im still sorting through. I think I may have most of the modules here in fact. I could quite possibly map out encounters, with creatures and jsut state things like this encounter represent the fight on page blah blah of the orignal module. No flufdf just stat block and tactics to allow it to be played as clsoe to the orig as possible.
#7 ascottbay Apr 20, 2009 16:38:44	Well, Wizards gives away a 3.x version of Tomb of Horrors and White Plume Mountain, plus a large number of short (3.x) web-original adventures: here's the link. And there's an Old Editions download archive, too: with a handy Adventures section near the top. Maybe those would be helpful for you.
#8 onemanhorde Apr 20, 2009 18:03:27	Well, Wizards gives away a 3.x version of Tomb of Horrors and White Plume Mountain, plus a large number of short (3.x) web-original adventures: here's the link. And there's an Old Editions download archive, too: with a handy Adventures section near the top. Maybe those would be helpful for you. Unfortunatly one of the main adventure im converting si not listed there.
#9 zaresaria Apr 20, 2009 23:40:53	I was just getting ready to convert the old Saltmarsh Modules to 4e to play with my boys. I am glad to see people converting some of the old modules to 4e, they were the best because they had an open plot so that if you wanted to expand upon it yourself and personalize it for your own campaign, you could. We played Danger at Dunwater about 10 times or so Thanks for the Links and your hard work..:D ____________ "Make a Wish"