If I've written an adventure or more for Traveller, how do I go about getting rights and so forth to list it here or elsewhere for sale?
Self Publishing?
- Thread starter Blue Ghost
- Start date
Use the MGT SRD
If it's for sale then currently I think you have to follow the rules and restrictions in the Traveller Developer's Pack from Mongoose.
Why do I have to follow Mongoose's guidelines?
If you use the SRD it is required. Royalty free...
Because
1) you want to sell it
2) Mongoose has near exclusive sales rights to Traveller
2.1) they will royalty-free sublicense some of those rights if you follow the rules in the Dev Pack.
IMO, the best deal in town.
steventirey1985
SOC-12
And if you didn't use the Mongoose license, you could not mention Traveller in any way, not even compatibility with Traveller. No setting specific material.
And it needs to be asked - what version of the rules would you be designing for? If it is for Mongoose Publishings version of Traveller, you should be fine if you stick to information available in the SRD. If it is for an older version of Traveller, you can not charge for the product unless you personally contact Mongoose Publishing first, and work out something with them. Now if you were going to make the product free, that is another matter.
Basically, Mongoose has the power. You want to publish something using any version of the Traveller rules, you need their permission. Doesn't matter if the product is free or not.
And it needs to be asked - what version of the rules would you be designing for? If it is for Mongoose Publishings version of Traveller, you should be fine if you stick to information available in the SRD. If it is for an older version of Traveller, you can not charge for the product unless you personally contact Mongoose Publishing first, and work out something with them. Now if you were going to make the product free, that is another matter.
Basically, Mongoose has the power. You want to publish something using any version of the Traveller rules, you need their permission. Doesn't matter if the product is free or not.
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shadowcat20
SOC-12
That seems sort of odd.
They have the right to squish anything that may challange their product?
Even for at least 5 or 6 rules sets they had nothing to do with?
How soon till they tell Marc he can not sell T5?.......:devil: (Sort of a joke, But you never know)
They have the right to squish anything that may challange their product?
Even for at least 5 or 6 rules sets they had nothing to do with?
How soon till they tell Marc he can not sell T5?.......:devil: (Sort of a joke, But you never know)
steventirey1985
SOC-12
They have the right to squish anything for their version of the rules or older versions. So T5 isn't something they can control. They also can't control things made for Traveller20, as that ruleset is also covered by the Open Gaming License.
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hunter
Ancient - Absent Friend
Not quite true with regard to T20. Quite a bit of T20 was held out as Product Identity and not all the rules are OGL. Always read the License information.
As to the original post, as previously mentioned the Mongoose license is the only way to go. It's pretty open and lets you do quite a bit, there is even an open sector of the OTU that you can write for.
That's curious. Look, I've got nothing against Mongoose. I know very little about them. But what about all of the other PDFs that were uploaded to this site? What about GURPS Traveller? I mean, there are other versions of the game out there, even CT, which is what I wrote for. But in order to ask to upload a PDF here I have to go through Mongoose?
Again, please don't get me wrong because I'm willing to do it, I'm just curious as to how and why this came about.
Again, please don't get me wrong because I'm willing to do it, I'm just curious as to how and why this came about.
steventirey1985
SOC-12
The Traveller setting is copywritten. In order to get permission to publish anything for it, you need permission from the license holder, which currently is Mongoose Publishing. If the material was for your own personal use, you wouldn't need permission. But since you want to upload it and distribute it (And especially since you wanted to charge money for it) you have to follow certain rules.
I'm guessing QLI had a similar agreement in place when they had the license.
And as has been mentioned, download the Developer's Pack (Someone linked it above). It contains a document showing what license you need to follow depending on what you want to do, as well as copies of those licenses so you can see what you can and can not do.
Yeah, publishing something for an older edition (free or not) is a pain. But look on the bright side - at least you are allowed to actually do so. Most companies wouldn't allow that, and say you can only publish material for the current rules version.
I'm guessing QLI had a similar agreement in place when they had the license.
And as has been mentioned, download the Developer's Pack (Someone linked it above). It contains a document showing what license you need to follow depending on what you want to do, as well as copies of those licenses so you can see what you can and can not do.
Yeah, publishing something for an older edition (free or not) is a pain. But look on the bright side - at least you are allowed to actually do so. Most companies wouldn't allow that, and say you can only publish material for the current rules version.
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Peter Schutze
SOC-12
more to the point what about all the traveller stuff thats being released thats not set in Foreven or even the OTU ? Jon Brazer's stuff, the instant planets things and the whole alternate setting by (Terra Sol ??)
A quick skim thru some of the contents of the zip file linked to above seems to suggest its very setting specific.
A quick skim thru some of the contents of the zip file linked to above seems to suggest its very setting specific.
Not really. There actually two licenses there (as i understand it)
The Traveller Logo license, which lets you publish using the MGT ruleset with no reference to the OTU.
The Foreven license, which lets you publish stuff for the OTU, but it has to focus on that sector.
So, for generic stuff (single planets, ships, vehicles, equipment, etc), you can use the Logo license. For stuff pertaining to the OTU, you have keep it focused on Foreven.
That's the meat of it as I understand it; if I'm wrong hopefully someone will correct me on it.
The Traveller Logo license, which lets you publish using the MGT ruleset with no reference to the OTU.
The Foreven license, which lets you publish stuff for the OTU, but it has to focus on that sector.
So, for generic stuff (single planets, ships, vehicles, equipment, etc), you can use the Logo license. For stuff pertaining to the OTU, you have keep it focused on Foreven.
That's the meat of it as I understand it; if I'm wrong hopefully someone will correct me on it.
Though to call it the OTU seems to me a misnomer. Unless I've misunderstood, one publisher is free to publish one version of, say, Avalar and another publisher is free to publish another, mutually incompatible, version of Avalar. Or is there a "showrunner" for Foreven at Mongoose that coordinate the effort of everyone who publishes Foreven material, thus making it canonical? And if someone publishes a writeup of Urnian, is MGT authors who write something set in Five Sisters obliged to stick to that when they refer to conditions across the border?
Unless this is the case, every publisher working in Foreven is publishing his own alternate TU.
Hans
That is the case. However, within that you can't make unapproved references to say, Regina. You can play in the sector licensed pretty much as you like but, not other OTU stuff outside it.
steventirey1985
SOC-12
Marc has given Mongoose that permission. That is the license. Whoever holds the license has that power.
Mongoose has several license choices for you:
- TTL (Traveller Trademark License) - Ruleset MGT, no OTU. May charge for product. No fee.
- TTL + FFL - Ruleset MGT, OTU but only Foreven sector. May charge for product. No fee.
- OGL only - Ruleset T20 or MGT, no OTU, no mention of traveller. May charge for product. No fee. (used for creating new rulesets derived from Traveller) Many specific restrictions.
- Traveller Fan License - Ruleset any, OTU permitted. May not charge for product, no fee.
- Custom license - Ruleset to be defined. May charge, might be OTU, will likely be fees, subject to various limits imposed by Marc and Mongoose
- Sell it to Mongoose
- Work For Mongoose
- Pirate Publish
The dev kit includes options 1, 2, 3 and 4. Option 5 involves lawyers...
Option 6 isn't likely to fly (unless you're Colin or his ilk), same for 7.
Option 8 is potentially expensive...
