The Future of Stellar Reaches (or Where’s Issue #8?)

[Flynn]

Good Afternoon, All:

This weekend, I received some very important news that impacts the future of the Stellar Reaches fanzine. The Fair Use policy that allowed me to publish material for the Official Traveller Universe (the OTU) is no longer valid. Mongoose Publishing now has sole rights to the OTU setting, and since I do not have a pre-existing license from Marc Miller to publish OTU material through the fanzine, I cannot include any OTU material in future issues of Stellar Reaches, which includes Issue #8. Since most of the submitted material takes place in the OTU, I cannot use it in its current form.

Under the Traveller OGL, we may use any game mechanics covered in the SRD once it is released, to create and publish for any setting of our own creation, so long as it does not reference the Official Traveller Universe in any form or fashion.

Stellar Reaches will remain as a Traveller fanzine, and will publish fan-generated material for free, as it always has. I have plans to release other Traveller publications through my own imprint, Samardan Press, but I will discuss those plans on another venue, out of respect for those that provide these boards.

If you have previously submitted an Official Traveller Universe article that you would like to revise and resubmit, you are more than welcome to do so. I would be greatly appreciative.

Yours In Service,
Jason “Flynn” Kemp,
Editor, Stellar Reaches fanzine

 

[JohnMarsh]

What a shame

Thank you for what you have done for the Traveller community. Its a shame some people moved the goalposts!
I hope they won't now "go after" all the fan produced material on the web which relates to OTU.
Its shortsighted to restrict RPG material to commercially produced stuff.
Free stuff as a resource created by players is an attraction when considering which game to buy and play. Community supported RPG games are more attractive to buy!

 

[jrmapes]

This news is very troublesome.

Not only will it effect the SR zine but this could severely damage the greater part of the online community. I have bookmark after bookmark of websites that are all excellent sources of OTU based material. Each of them, at least 70 that are in my primary Traveller Bookmark folder, exist because of the fair use agreement Marc graciously made available to all of us. I, myself, just invested a large chunk of change into a high bandwidth allowance and large server space for the launch of my planned Traveller site. Now because of this Mongoose deal, which I am happy about for Marc, I am worrying that I may have just bought into a dead horse.

I understand we all can either change all of our work to non OTU or use the new Mongoose SRD (when it finally - ever comes out). But with my past experience in the game publishing realm, trying to extract a system anywhere close to what you are used to running/playing from the utter mess that is your standard SRD is tedious and hair pulling at best and nigh impossible at worst. Of course a lot of it will depend on the SRD and how well or how pitifully it is assembled. Forgive me is I sound a bit jaded though. Again my experience with back conversions from an SRD has not been pleasant. Not to mention if you want to deviate the slightest from the SRD and Mongoose wants to act like WOTC - then you best have a darn good IP and Copyright attorney handy.

No, originally I was happy to hear that Mongoose had picked up Traveller and was going to advance it. They have a good rep when it comes to their games and supplements. But upon this new development I find myself far less than happy. I can only hope Mongoose does the right thing and either honors Marc's original fair use policy for all the websites or sets up a similar measure that does not force feed us the SRD.

Frankly, and I hate to be pessimistic, but I am not holding my breath on this one. Too many of these companies learned their lessons well by the burning and hurt they took from WOTC on licensing deals and now are no longer the fan friendly publisher but little WOTC's. I can only hope I am wrong or IMO the Silver Age of Traveller will fade away far too soon.

 

[hunter]

Just hold off on the condemnations quite yet...I've a feeling you'll find yourself in error here soon.

 

[hunter]

Not to mention if you want to deviate the slightest from the SRD and Mongoose wants to act like WOTC - then you best have a darn good IP and Copyright attorney handy.

What exactly is this supposed to mean? Are you claiming that if you do not follow the d20 SRD exactly that WotC is likely to sue you?

 

[jrmapes]

If you are a publisher there is the threat - and they are happy to threaten. This isn't hearsay Hunter. This is first hand experience. If you publish under an SRD you are well advised to make sure you have someone that knows the IP and Copyright laws very well. If you wish further detail I will be happy to provide it via PM.

But I will say without a wink or a blink that WOTC will happily threaten to sue or will outright sue you if they don't like what you have done, even if it is within the bounds of their SRD.

---------------------------

I hope you are right about Mongoose. I really am not condemning them, yet. I am only hoping they won't go the route of WOTC and shove the SRD down everyones throat - of course it is now fully within their rights to do so and if they do then we don't have much choice in the matter unless there is an out developed via T5.

I know I painted a bleak picture. But as much as it is ugly to look at, it is still a viable possibility and concern if Mongoose decides to be hard nosed.

 

[hunter]

If you are a publisher there is the threat - and they are happy to threaten. This isn't hearsay Hunter. This is first hand experience. If you publish under an SRD you are well advised to make sure you have someone that knows the IP and Copyright laws very well. If you wish further detail I will be happy to provide it via PM.

But I will say without a wink or a blink that WOTC will happily threaten to sue or will outright sue you if they don't like what you have done, even if it is within the bounds of their SRD.

Umm you do realize that I have been publishing T20 for what, 6 years now? I am intimately familiar with what I can and can't do with the SRD, and that boils down to I can take anything from the SRD and do anything I'd like to just as long as anything derived from that document is released as OGL.

The only issues that have arisen with WotC over the SRD are cases where publisher used trademarked or copyrighted material that was not in the SRD, or where publishers were in violation of the d20 license (a totally separate license from the OGL and using the SRD).

I hope you are right about Mongoose. I really am not condemning them, yet. I am only hoping they won't go the route of WOTC and shove the SRD down everyones throat - of course it is now fully within their rights to do so and if they do then we don't have much choice in the matter unless there is an out developed via T5.

I know I painted a bleak picture. But as much as it is ugly to look at, it is still a viable possibility and concern if Mongoose decides to be hard nosed.

Well Mongoose doesn't have the final word in this. Marc does. And from the copies of the correspondence on this issue that I've seen, they indicate that the question that was coming up was whether or not Stellar Reaches was being sold. I'm fairly confident that this issue will become a non-issue in the next few days.

 

[jrmapes]

Forgot to add,

I know you and Flynn have more inside information and you have hinted that their are talks or the like going on to make way for things to stay on the status quo.

I really mean it when I say I am not condemning Mongoose. I want this to work out for all involved. But being in the RPG business and involved with the publishing side from time to time, I also am well aware of how these things can go.

 

[hunter]

Forgot to add,

I know you and Flynn have more inside information and you have hinted that their are talks or the like going on to make way for things to stay on the status quo.

I really mean it when I say I am not condemning Mongoose. I want this to work out for all involved. But being in the RPG business and involved with the publishing side from time to time, I also am well aware of how these things can go.

Sorry, more of a preventative post than aimed directly at you with regard to any condemnation

 

[jrmapes]

YEs I am fully aware of your T20 and association with WOTC. I am also happy you have not had troubles. I am also aware of the problems that you mentioned that WOTC has with the D20 LIcense vs the OGL/SRD. Not really problems I guess as so much for WOTC as it is with those who mess up the two.

I know your a sharp cookie, Ive bought your work. Some folks like yourself may not need "assistance" when it comes to staying inbounds. Others unfortunately do. Anyway, it still remains that WOTC can get cranky about what people do even if they are within the boundaries of the OGL/SRD.

But I take your word for it if you feel Marc will make sure everything remains good for those that have been under his fair use clause. That is the MAIN POINT in all of this after all.

It would be a shame to see years of work be vanished but if you think Marc will make this all good then that is good enough for me to go forward with my project.

 

[hunter]

YEs I am fully aware of your T20 and association with WOTC. I am also happy you have not had troubles. I am also aware of the problems that you mentioned that WOTC has with the D20 LIcense vs the OGL/SRD. Not really problems I guess as so much for WOTC as it is with those who mess up the two.

I know your a sharp cookie, Ive bought your work. Some folks like yourself may not need "assistance" when it comes to staying inbounds. Others unfortunately do. Anyway, it still remains that WOTC can get cranky about what people do even if they are within the boundaries of the OGL/SRD.

Biggest thing to remember is that what's in the WotC books isn't released under the OGL. And yes, WotC can get cranky, but I have to say that they have avoided getting nasty except on those couple of occassions where a publisher stepped over a line they damn well knew they shouldn't have. When it comes to the smaller publisher who might need help with the terms of the OGL, I've seen WotC be willing to work with them and get problems corrected rather than just drop a cease and desist on them.

Heh, I remember when I first released T20 people were telling me WotC was going to sue me or make me recall the books because it had the d20 logo and the book included an Experience Point table. The problem was, the people telling me that had misread part of the terms of the d20 license.

But I take your word for it if you feel Marc will make sure everything remains good for those that have been under his fair use clause. That is the MAIN POINT in all of this after all.

It would be a shame to see years of work be vanished but if you think Marc will make this all good then that is good enough for me to go forward with my project.

As I said I can't promise anything, but I know Marc pretty well by know and I know how he stands on the issue of fan material. I think this was more of an issue of miscommunication and misunderstanding than anything (and I don't mean on the part of Stellar Reaches). I think once both Marc and Mongoose are on the same page, you will not see any real change at all in the Fair Use Guidelines. From what I understand, Stellar Reaches would probably be OK under Mongoose's own Fair Use policies.

 

[jrmapes]

:nonono: I honestly wish I had not even brought WOTC into this mush. I am truly sorry for doing so - what is going on with them and the project I am involved with simply aggravates me and I was idiotic to even begin to go into it. I will say for clarification that we are not one of the companies that have been or are being sued by them (at least not yet ) and for the record, sometimes NDA's suck. :rofl:

As I said I can't promise anything, but I know Marc pretty well by know and I know how he stands on the issue of fan material. I think this was more of an issue of miscommunication and misunderstanding than anything (and I don't mean on the part of Stellar Reaches). I think once both Marc and Mongoose are on the same page, you will not see any real change at all in the Fair Use Guidelines. From what I understand, Stellar Reaches would probably be OK under Mongoose's own Fair Use policies.

That is the best news I have heard since this issue broke!
And, that is what really matters here!

 

[Commander Drax]

Well let me just say that if the fair use policy changes then I will abandon traveller and not buy any more traveller stuff from Mongoose or anyone until the policy changes again, I've spent twenty years making stuff for the various editions of traveller and these last few years have published lots of new stuff on my website in keeping with the terms of the fair use policy (FFE), also I've managed to submit a few adventures to Stellar Reaches (the second part of one was due to be published in issue 8) as well as the odd snippet and one full adventure for the COTI file library as well as direct rules submissions to Marc Miller himself (which he was appreciative off).

I don't get the time to do any active gaming these days, being married and running my own web design company, but I do get the time to write good stuff, this is where my enjoyment of traveller comes from. If I can't create and share my traveller adventures with others then I might as well concentrate on another game universe or my own children of earth sci-fi background.

Moongoose sure knows how to loose a fanbase.

P.S. does anyone know of another sci fi universe similar to traveller but not encumbered by this mindless spite and beauracracy

 

[hunter]

Again folks, just hold off. The subject is being discussed and worked on backstage. Trust me, no one, not Marc or Mongoose is trying to screw the fans or prevent fans from posting their own materials. Both Marc and Mongoose are busy as hell and I'm making sure this doesn't fall onto a back burner, but you are going to have to be a bit patient.

 

[atpollard]

Take a deep breath and relax.

Unless some of you have a much higher Psi score than I do, there has not been enough information provided to begin shaking your fist at anyone. The people who DO have access to what is happening, don't seem to be working themselves into a lather, so why should we.

Yes, this is an issue worth watching since it could impact a lot of existing web data, but let's hold off on burning people in effigy until the final word is spoken.

Marc and the people at Mongoose both have a reputation for caring about Traveller. They might deserve the benefit of a doubt and a little patience.

 

[Commander Drax]

I appreciate your comments but the people at mongoose don't have a reputation for caring about traveller, that's because they haven't published anything yet, when we see something in print and are able to judge it's quality then they'll get a reputation in keeping with their products. I'm more than happy to give Marc the benefit of the doubt, all I''m saying is that if they ignore the community then we should be prepared to vote with our feet and go elsewhere. Hopefully SCI-FI 20.

 

[Plankowner]

I do find it a bit sad that Flynn asked these questions of Marc and Mongoose way back with the new arrangement was first announced and he was told "be patient, we understand, we'll figure it out"

Now he is missing his deadlines because no one did anything in the intervening time.

I know this is "JUST" a fanzine, but it is the ONLY fanzine out there for Traveller that I know of. Seems to me Mongoose and Marc should be stepping all over themselves to get Flynn to promote their new products.

 

[Flynn]

I do find it a bit sad that Flynn asked these questions of Marc and Mongoose way back with the new arrangement was first announced and he was told "be patient, we understand, we'll figure it out"

Now he is missing his deadlines because no one did anything in the intervening time.

I know this is "JUST" a fanzine, but it is the ONLY fanzine out there for Traveller that I know of. Seems to me Mongoose and Marc should be stepping all over themselves to get Flynn to promote their new products.

Plankowner, let me put this in the proper perspective.

In regards to my deadlines, I missed them for personal reasons and not because of this issue. I accept full responsibility for that. This confusion is a stumbling block, yes, but the bulk of missing those deadlines lies in my failure.

While I am somewhat surprised by the recent news I've received, I am hoping that things will be clarified soon and we can move forward, putting this behind us.

Part of the confusion may come from the fact that I also asked, as a separate question, whether or not I could release hard copies of the fanzine publications AT COST. In other words, there would be no profit made, and you guys would only have to pay the printer the cost of printing the hard copy in order to get it. No one makes a cent off the deal, except the printer, of course. This may have triggered a response that was unintended, due to miscommunications or misunderstandings. I don't know, as yet, the specifics of what's going on, but I have asked for a clarification just to make sure I'm on the same page as the Powers That Be.

The matter is now being discussed by Mongoose and Marc Miller, and I'm sure some kind of resolution or clarification will come about soon. When it does, I will let you all know.

Please try to give it a few days to work itself out. Once I get an official stance based on the clarifications I've asked for, I will share that with everyone who might be interested.

I, for one, still support Mongoose's efforts to bring the Traveller rules under the OGL, and I think it will lead to some great stuff in the future (and probably some not-so-great stuff, too, but that's what reviews are for). This is a great time for Our Old Game, and like all great journeys, there are a few trials and tribulations along the way. We'll weather them fine, though. I have full confidence in that.

Well, that being said, take care, my friend, and I greatly appreciate your support, both of Traveller and of Stellar Reaches.

More Later,
Flynn

 

[robject]

I appreciate your comments but the people at mongoose don't have a reputation for caring about traveller, that's because they haven't published anything yet...

They do care about fans and fan material, though. And, we know that many of them love the game Traveller. And, we know that Marc was willing to deal with them, and what his stance is on fan material. While that's not a guarantee, that should be encouraging.

 

[Valarian]

To throw something else in to the mix, there's always writing for Signs and Portents - Mongoose's product line magazine