While I'm not going to discuss plans at this point (but yes, something is afoot), I do need to make a public statement of intent here.
I have maintained for some time that my Traveller work for QLI was on a first-rights basis. In fact, the rights issue was never discussed and no contract was signed transferring the rights, creating something of an open question. The default is that if no rights were transferred then they are still mine.
The payment received for my work was commensurate with first-rights, which further supports my assumption that I retained rights to my work. (This of course refers to work which was paid for. Anything that the client failed to pay for remains mine, obviously).
However, since I wanted to be absolutely clear on this matter, I have repeatedly asserted my position: that all of my work for QLI was on a first-rights basis. The first instance was in a joint email to Marc Miller of FFE and Hunter Gordon of QLI in early 2007. My assertion was not challenged. I have since made this asserition on other occasions, and it has never been challenged. Indeed, Marc Miller stated that he supported my position regarding my work.
This has now become relevant. With the sunset of the QLI license in August 2010, publishing rights to my work for QLI now revert to me. This does not affect any other licensee - T20 remains the preserve of QLI, whether it is available or not - and the OTU is the sole preserve of Mongoose Publishing. So quite obviously I cannot simply reprint the Gateway 993 books as is. They contain some parts not written by me; I am not claiming ownership of anything that I did not write and can therefore not use these books as is even if I were to somehow obtain a license to do so. Which isn't going to happen...
However, this does leave me with a large amount of text in the form of adventures, sourcebooks and parts of other books. I own the rights on this work and can do whatever I please with it. Rather obviously, I'm hinting here that I intend to republish some of it in a different form.
As I said a few lines ago, I am not at this time in a position to discuss my plans but what is likely is that some or most of this text may resurface in a new format, in a non-OTU background and devoid of any T20 content. What will not be happening is infringement of anyone else's license or rights.
The short version is: My contribution to Gateway 993 etc will not be lost when the QLI license sunsets... My adventures and other work will reappear in due course. Prepare to be impressed....
I have maintained for some time that my Traveller work for QLI was on a first-rights basis. In fact, the rights issue was never discussed and no contract was signed transferring the rights, creating something of an open question. The default is that if no rights were transferred then they are still mine.
The payment received for my work was commensurate with first-rights, which further supports my assumption that I retained rights to my work. (This of course refers to work which was paid for. Anything that the client failed to pay for remains mine, obviously).
However, since I wanted to be absolutely clear on this matter, I have repeatedly asserted my position: that all of my work for QLI was on a first-rights basis. The first instance was in a joint email to Marc Miller of FFE and Hunter Gordon of QLI in early 2007. My assertion was not challenged. I have since made this asserition on other occasions, and it has never been challenged. Indeed, Marc Miller stated that he supported my position regarding my work.
This has now become relevant. With the sunset of the QLI license in August 2010, publishing rights to my work for QLI now revert to me. This does not affect any other licensee - T20 remains the preserve of QLI, whether it is available or not - and the OTU is the sole preserve of Mongoose Publishing. So quite obviously I cannot simply reprint the Gateway 993 books as is. They contain some parts not written by me; I am not claiming ownership of anything that I did not write and can therefore not use these books as is even if I were to somehow obtain a license to do so. Which isn't going to happen...
However, this does leave me with a large amount of text in the form of adventures, sourcebooks and parts of other books. I own the rights on this work and can do whatever I please with it. Rather obviously, I'm hinting here that I intend to republish some of it in a different form.
As I said a few lines ago, I am not at this time in a position to discuss my plans but what is likely is that some or most of this text may resurface in a new format, in a non-OTU background and devoid of any T20 content. What will not be happening is infringement of anyone else's license or rights.
The short version is: My contribution to Gateway 993 etc will not be lost when the QLI license sunsets... My adventures and other work will reappear in due course. Prepare to be impressed....