Traveller Developer's Pack

[MongooseMatt]

Since the armor and weapon data is missing, does that mean that these numbers are closed content, and could a 3rd party product publish its own weapon stats for its own weapons (say, a modern RPG with stats for AK-47s, M-16 and M-1911s) and still claim compatibility with Traveller i.e. us the TLL)?

Yes, you could!

 

[MongooseMatt]

one could write trade rules using the the SRD text plus reference to the core rules tables to be used in in ones own universe....this would allow use of the traveller Logo.

Yes.

Adding some home brewed additional tables replacing the ones which would normally be referenced in the core book could disallow use of the TLL, but would be okay under OGL.

No - you could still use the TLL. You are free to produce alternative systems for mechnics in the game (we thought long and hard about this one, as there comes a point where people are no longer playing Traveller 'as intended'. However, we figured we weren't the ones to judge that

The home brewed tables would become Open if they contained refrerence to closed content - for instance, trade codes or UWP effecting the table results.

You can only reference closed content in the main book (following the TLL guidelines for doing so). You cannot include it. And you certainly cannot make closed content Open - only the original publisher can do that.

If I create my own version of trade codes, , IF they were truly dfifferent enough, the trade tables I generated could become closed.....for me only.

Yes - _if_ there are _no_ links to Open rules. That is actually a lot harder than you might think This is the reason we made all our rules Open when using D20. Not saying everyone should do that for Traveller, but it will make your lives easier.

Any unique text I write about economics for this sytem can be closed if it is unique, open if it repeats SRD text, orand disallowed if referenceing the OTU or closed content (witout previous licence such as held by Mongoose or Avenger)

You cannot reference OTU. At all.

Unique text can indeed be closed, though any mechanics based on Open content it contains cannot. Remember, you need to designate Open Content, and if you do not, you potentially lose a lot of protection - you certainly don't want to turn to legal recourse if someone uses something closed because you did not clearly define what is Open. . .

 

[Golan2072]

Since the armor and weapon data is missing, does that mean that these numbers are closed content, and could a 3rd party product publish its own weapon stats for its own weapons (say, a modern RPG with stats for AK-47s, M-16 and M-1911s) and still claim compatibility with Traveller i.e. us the TLL)?

Yes, you could!

Great to hear that!

 

[Jeff Hopper]

A book describing a magic-using alien race, complete with magic rules (yes, seriously!).

It looks like a variant of this is already being discussed...

http://therpgsite.dreamhosters.com/showthread.php?t=10964

 

[simonh]

I'd just like to say a big thank you to Mongoose for seeing the light on world generation. This was a big bugbear for me because closing off the world generation system effectively kills any chance of creating content for a game setting significantly different from the OTU, while closing off the OTU from licensees. e.g. What is my game setting going to do about all these Scout and Navy bases and TAS hostels on all these worlds when there isn't a Scout or Navy or Traveller's Aid Society organization to own them? Or perhaps I have equivalents, but the organizations are intrinsic to the OTU, but the OTU is off limits yet I'm not allowed to re-interpret UWP codes - what do I do? etc, etc.

The standard world gen system is so closely tied to the OTU that restriction would have been crippling for a huge variety of potential projects.

Great move guys.

Simon Hibbs

 

[EDG]

1. Yes you could. Specific dice mechanics have nothing to do whether something is Open or not (or need not have anything to do with it).

2. At the present time, those terms are not protected. If we later choose for them to be so (which is not something we would do lightly), it would be mentioned in the TLL - it would have nothing to do with Open Content.

OK, that clears things up a bit... thanks.

 

[Flynn]

Okay, I have a problem with reading the Traveller Logo file. I don't have a problem with the black and white image under GIMP, but for some reason, I can't open the regular image.

Is anyone else having any luck? If so, could I get a PNG file of the image?

With Regards,
Flynn

 

[Knightsky]

Now that the SRD is available, I wonder how long it will take someone to write up a retro-clone of Classic Traveller?

 

[AKAramis]

Now that the SRD is available, I wonder how long it will take someone to write up a retro-clone of Classic Traveller?

I'm more interested in solutions to the lack of a pen/damage model ala MT. (I've ideas on how to handle it, tho... MT had the right idea, but a flawed implementation on the pen vs armor issue..)

 

[Flynn]

Now that the SRD is available, I wonder how long it will take someone to write up a retro-clone of Classic Traveller?

I'm more interested in solutions to the lack of a pen/damage model ala MT. (I've ideas on how to handle it, tho... MT had the right idea, but a flawed implementation on the pen vs armor issue..)

If you write it, it shall be published...

Good Luck,
Flynn

 

[John Kim]

I posted over on Enworld about this, but if the SRD is open, it hasn't actually been designated as open game content anywhere. Is this going to be remedied?

We'll add an indicator on the actual SRD this weekend - you can safely assume it is all Open though.

Can you post a note in this thread when the SRD is updated with that indicator?

 

[Commander Drax]

How do we stand creating adventures and stuff for use with traveller though with an aim to be published in Stellar Reaches, in particular the empty quarter. What's the position on OTU fanzines in general, I might like to create one.

 

[MongooseMatt]

The OTU cannot be touched _at_ _all_. . .

 

[EDG]

The OTU cannot be touched _at_ _all_. . .

Whoa whoa whoa. That's not what you said earlier. When Flynn asked (several months ago) about Stellar Reaches you said that material that was released for free (like fanzines, or websites) could contain material that was set in the OTU (well, the Charted Space setting anyway). Has this changed?

 

[AKAramis]

The OTU cannot be touched _at_ _all_. . .

Whoa whoa whoa. That's not what you said earlier. When Flynn asked (several months ago) about Stellar Reaches you said that material that was released for free (like fanzines, or websites) could contain material that was set in the OTU (well, the Charted Space setting anyway). Has this changed?

Flynn's not using a license to produce commercial material. (Even if it IS commercial quality.)

 

[EDG]

Flynn's not using a license to produce commercial material. (Even if it IS commercial quality.)

Matt was responding to a request that specifically asked about Stellar Reaches (which he should already be aware of and has cleared previously) and said that "the OTU cannot be touched at all", which sounds like something's changed.

If it's all the same to you I'd rather get official clarification on this from Matt, because if something's changed since he cleared it last time then we need to know about it.

 

[Commander Drax]

I Quite Agree, Traveller is my hobby, all I want to do is submit materials to be given away free that are set in the Official Traveller Universe. I would like to either submit through stellar reaches or in the distant future be able to create my own fanzine which would also be given away free. With previous editions of Traveller there was always room for fanzines and fan produced material, I am now to think that this is not the case anymore. If I wanted to sell Traveller OTU stuff then I would obviously enquire about buying a licence

 

[Vile]

... "the OTU cannot be touched at all", which sounds like something's changed.

If it's all the same to you I'd rather get official clarification on this from Matt, because if something's changed since he cleared it last time then we need to know about it.

Yes, we really do need to know ... :|

 

[MongooseMatt]

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

 

[Golan2072]

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.

Hmmm... Couldn't you just add a section to the TLL/OGL license document (which is also part of every Stellar Reaches issue) stating that anything related to the OTU is always and automatically for non-commercial use only - even if it appears in an article with open rules content - unless you get written permission from Mongoose?

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

I've sent him an e-mail in case he hasn't seen this thread yet

By the way, once this issue would be straightened out, many of us would be very grateful to see a licensing/fan-material/fan-site/fair-use FAQ on the main Mongoose Traveller site.