Stellar Reaches?

[Border Reiver]

So what is happening then? Is Mongoose stopping Stellar Reaches from publishing Traveller background material?

Is Mongoose going to go down the GW road and stop free fanzines like SR? Are we not going to be able to share our love of Traveller through websites like the Traveller Wiki, Children of Earth or Stellar Reaches?

And no I'm not that interested in Signs & Portents as an alternative.

 

[EDG]

I'd be really surprised if Mongoose did a full lockdown on all OTU Traveller sites (not least because they'd never survive the firestorm that ensues). I'd suspect that Marc will still have the final say on all this, and it'd be odd if he suddenly reversed his fair use policy that's allowed anyone to have an OTU website.

But before leaping to conclusions and trying to rally a lynch mob here, let's just wait and see what Mongoose says their "fair use" policy will actually be, shall we?

 

[Border Reiver]

Well to be honest all we have so far is a statement from SR saying that they are no longer allowed to publish OTU material. Fan material is what made Traveller what it is today, just look at HIWG.

Games Workshop alienated huge numbers of fans with their draconic attitudes to IP. Fair enough IP is IP but I have to ask if I want to support such attitudes with my money.

I'm sure this will all be a storm in a tea cup but other Traveller forums have quite a lot to say on this matter and I wouldn't mind hearing something from the horses mouth.

 

[EDG]

Well the latest that Flynn's said is that he's seeking further clarification from and is talking to the folks at Mongoose, and he will let us know what they say. So far he's not had final confirmation on this yet, and it's quite possible that Mongoose thought it was a paid-for magazine.

Let's just be patient and wait for clarification.

 

[Border Reiver]

Well that's half an hour. :lol:

Patience is not one of my virtues.

Anyway, we'll wait and see, I'm sure Matt understands the nature of Traveller fandom ( :shock: ) and just how defensive we can be. Look at all the fuss over (insert Traveller rules system of choice) 8)

 

[Valarian]

I would imagine that, unless Stellar Reaches can be accommodated under the license given to Mongoose, then Flynn may not be able to produce official universe articles. I can't see Mongoose stopping the publication of original material for the new Traveller rules in Stellar Reaches as long as the conditions of any fair use policy or OGL are abided by. For those OTU articles, there's always writing for Signs and Portents.

 

[Border Reiver]

Fan material is what made the OTU what it is today, from Digest Group to HIWG, the work done on T20, 1248, Spica and others, the myriad of 'zines like Traveller Chronicle, Tiffany Star, Signal GK, Tidewater Times, Travellers' Digest, Far Traveller, Jumpspace and more.

I enjoy my dedicated Traveller publications, much more than looking out for the occasional article in a magazine full of stuff that I'll probably never read or use. I hope this is sorted out quickly.

 

[Flynn]

Guys,

At the moment, all I know is that Stellar Reaches can no longer release any OTU material. We can do whatever we want under the SRD, once it is released, so long as it is not OTU, but we are no longer able to publish any OTU content.

Stellar Reaches will continue to accept submissions that are not OTU, such as ATU submissions or generic submissions.

This came about quite innocently. I noticed last week that FFE had removed its Fair Use policy, so I wrote and asked both Marc and Mongoose about it in the same email.

The answer I got back said that I can have a fanzine for Traveller, but it cannot include OTU material, even if it is made available for free, as Stellar Reaches has been for the entirety of its existence, almost three years now.

I have asked for a clarification simply because there may have been some confusion. I have not heard from them because they are currently discussing the matter in greater depth, or so I have been told.

The word I've heard only applies to fanzines, and since Stellar Reaches is the only fanzine for Traveller right now, whether OTU or not, it is the only thing that has been impacted.

Mongoose has said nothing about websites and other forums for discussing or presenting material on the OTU. I would like to ask that people don't put words in their mouths, or mine, as they have said nothing on that subject at all.

As I've said elsewhere, this only applies to Stellar Reaches. It does not stop Stellar Reaches. It just means that I can't publish anything as part of the free fanzine that references the OTU. Generic articles/adventures/submissions, as well as those that apply to ATUs, are still very welcome.

Once I have heard from Mongoose and/or Marc Miller on a clarification on this subject, I will spread the word and let you guys know.

Thank you for caring about Stellar Reaches. Your interest and concern is greatly appreciated. It means a lot to me. Thank you, all.

With Warm Regards,
Flynn

 

[dmccoy1693]

Thank you for keeping us informed.

EDIT: Love the Zine, btw.

 

[EDG]

I just hope they come up with some clarification soon, because some of the natives are starting to get restless... (makes no difference to me though since my site doesn't have any OTU material).

 

[GamerDude]

Guys,

At the moment, all I know is that Stellar Reaches can no longer release any OTU material. We can do whatever we want under the SRD, once it is released, so long as it is not OTU, but we are no longer able to publish any OTU content....

Thanks for posting this Flynn...

Seeing the not so kind posts by others I was already mentally composing a post to explain what you had said "what happened to the Fair Use" statements on the FFE sight and that you had posted nothing about having to cease publication.

So thanks from a Spokanite for jumping in and shutting down those who can't help but read something and then twist it in their heads claiming things are way more than what was posted.

 

[Se Chris]

We're working on working this out. It's highly unlikely we're going to stamp on OTU stuff in general: if nothing else, it's colossally impractical.

So... watch this space.

 

[Border Reiver]

Thank, a big cheer.

A lot of people have invested a lot of time and effort into this hobby and the thought of someone coming along and saying you can't do this anymore is frankly bloody annoying (no matter how much they claim to love the hobby as much as we do, it's all about the money).

 

[Flynn]

Good Morning, All:

I have received some official clarification from Chris Longhurst in regards to the future of fan-created OTU material in Stellar Reaches:

Hi all.

Just to clarify, we've reached a decision: free stuff is okay.

I think a proper 'fair use policy' should probably have more legal
waffle than that, but that's what it boils down to. As far as producing
print versions of Stellar Reaches is concerned, a profit-free version
(which is easy with Lulu) should be fine.

So, crisis over. As usual, any questions, send them my way.

Chris

With that in mind, Stellar Reaches can resume publication of OTU material, so long as it remains free. It looks like business as usual, then.

Also, with the proviso given by Chris, I will be putting together a compilation of issues in a hard copy format later this Spring, per several requests I have received. You will only need to pay the cost of printing and shipping it to you. As usual, I do this for free, and will take no profit from this work.

This news does not mean that Stellar Reaches is limited to the OTU alone. I will definitely accept ATU and generic contributions once Traveller goes OGL. In fact, I would encourage the diversity. There's room enough for both kinds of material in the pages of the fanzine.

For small-time publishers interested in talent for their for-profit ventures using the Traveller OGL, I highly recommend our regular contributors. Check out their work, and if you like it, feel free to contact them to express your interest and possibly line up some paying work for these guys. I'm sure some would appreciate the interest.

Issue #8 will be out this Sunday, my friends.

Hope You Enjoy,
Flynn

 

[Border Reiver]

Well done again Chris. Allowing the free stuff to continue is fantastic. There are some absolute gems to be found within the covers of SR and elsewhere.

Looking for to issue 8 and such.

 

[dmccoy1693]

Glad to hear Flynn.

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

Must hold breath until Sunday.....

Must hold breath.....

 

[Golan2072]

Great to hear that!!! SR is one of the best Traveller fan-sources out there, and I'm breathless with anticipation for its next issue. Also, it is great to hear that we could still put our OTU-related fan-material online; I was itching towards getting back to Traveller and generating my version of the Canopus sector, and now I know that I could put this online.

 

[Vile]

Well, just to let the Starter Pack thread get back on topic, how about we continue the future (or not) of free OTU material in the proper place:

Hi guys,

We are currently looking into this. We have no wish to hammer fan-based publications, but now the TLL and OGL have been released for Traveller, we have to be very sure about what can be done, and how.

To give an example. . .

Suppose Stellar Reaches (or A N Other web site) produces a new rules article for Traveller - they would use the OGL to do so (no getting round that, it is what it is there for - though they need not use the TLL).

Now suppose, in the same issue (or the same article!), they also have a piece on how Scouts, say, interact with the rest of the OTU. If that piece also becomes Open Content, it creates a massive problem for us, as people could use it as an end-around to sell OTU material. Which is a no-no (and not because we are greedy - the agreement we have with Marc, indeed one of the fundamental points of the new Traveller, is that OTU material only comes from one source).

There are possible ways round this, but we need to work through them so that everyone is happy.

Basically, someone needs to get the guy behind Stellar Reaches to contact me

 

[EDG]

It's a somewhat disturbing development (not least because it may have implications for fan sites too), but can I just ask that people don't jump to conclusions and start throwing accusations and shrieking about how it's the end of all things Traveller until we actually know what's going on...?

(at least not publicly anyway ).