Whether TML is a private or public list, whether anyone gives us money for our
thoughts organized as ink and paper or electrons, GDW can't do a dammed thing
about ORIGINAL material.
A Copyright is just that; a COPY - RIGHT; a right to say who can or cannot copy
your work, and/or make money doing so.
This 'intellectual property' stuff is BS. It doesn't matter if I make a
million dollars writing stories, scenarios, third party rules, or GMing. GDW
can touch you *as* *long* *as* *you* *do* *not* *copy* *their* *material*!
Now it may be difficult to literally never copy any of their material; It will
be hard to write a scenario without refering to the rules in some fashion.
What you have to do is either refer to it in an original way, or simply refer
your reader to the original rules which they would have to buy from GDW, which
*should* make GDW happy.
For instance, I can write an article about the inconsistancies of T2000 and MT
ship design, and how the published ship designs don't make any sense, and don't
follow the rules. I can even publish my own designs, and talk about why I
think my designs are better and how they are different. BUT, I can't copy and
publish GDW's ship designs or ship design rules. Therefore, any reader has to
have read and presumably bought GDW's rules and designs in order to really
understand the article.
I have to say that actually I don't really know whether if I made a business
out of publishing gaming material based on GDW's Traveller, whether I would
need some sort of license agreement to make unavoidable duplication of GDW's
work. Part of such an agreement might be to make your work 'officially
accepted'. Did Paranoia Press et al have licensing agreements with GDW?
But anyway the current brew-ha-ha is rediculous. This is as bad as being sold
a live role playing rule book, and then being told that I couldn't run my own
games based on those rules. I laughed in their face. I bought the right to
use the book in any way I choose, except I can't copy it, barring any specific
restrictions in the copyright notice in the book.
Can you imagine TSR or some such telling you that every one of your D&D games
has to be sanctioned by TSR, and you have to pay them money for each session!
Hah! But that is where any idiot sniveling about 'intellectual property' is
headed. IF GDW, or any other company wants to make money, they have to sell
products people can and will use as they see fit. If anyone tells me I can't
develop my own rules, designs, modifications or what have you, they are cutting
their own throat.
Oh, and... watch out for the Games Police (tm)... :->
Jim Baranski