Writer, who wants to for the Mongoose Traveller system.

[Fenrirr]

I have been itching to write my own setting material using the Mongoose Traveller rules. So I was curious, what is the OGL in relation to works that only use the core rules (e.g. the ones that could be found on http://www.traveller-srd.com/). I really like the system, and I am worried I may get a letter stating that I should stop what I am doing. So I have a few questions:

A) Is it possible to write supplementary books for Traveller without Mongoose (or Far Future's) expressed permission?

B) Is it possible to market said books, without Mongoose's expressed permission?

C) Is there any limitations on what I can actually write, so as to not invalidate existing official supplementary books?

D) Is there a limit on what types of books can be written (e.g. large setting books ala 2300ad/Dredd, smaller supplements or LBB's?) for the setting?

E) What rights do I reserve to my written work?

The setting and its materials, are written by me and a few other people, who have no known affiliation to Mongoose.

 

[dmccoy1693]

questions for you:

1) Do you want to have your name on the cover of a book or do you want to run a business and spend more time behind the scenes then actually writing?

If the answer is name on the cover, send me a message/email. I can help you with that. If it is the second, then I direct you to questions 2 and 3:

2) have you read the OGL and the mongoose traveller license? link

3) are you sure you understand them?

If the answer to 2 is not yes, download the link and give them a read. If the answer to 3 is not a yes, then now is a good time to develop a relationship with a lawyer. They can help you understand it. Later you'll need them to write contracts and other legal matters.

I know this doesn't feel helpful, but I've asked these questions once upon a time and these answers really are the best thing for you.

The answer to your specific questions are:

A) yes-ish, see D.

B) yes.

C) yes. The above linked traveller license spells them out.

D) you can create your own setting, but you can't touch any of mongoose's settings.there is separate license for using the Traveller universe, but it has certain major restrictions on it. 2300ad and judge dread are completely off limits.

E) you keep all your rights, however others may use some of your work. See the OGL for details.

 

[Wil Mireu]

I am not a lawyer, but this is my understanding of it:

First, make sure you're referring to the current version of the Traveller Developer's Pack, which can be found here: http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/pdf/travdevpack.zip (Dale also linked to it above).

A) Is it possible to write supplementary books for Traveller without Mongoose (or Far Future's) expressed permission?

You can write books using the rules described in the OGL. You cannot call it "Traveller" though without agreeing to the Traveller Logo Licence. And you cannot use anything from the Third Imperium at all without permission from FFE.

B) Is it possible to market said books, without Mongoose's expressed permission?

If they are solely based on the OGL (and your own material) then yes. You don't need Mongoose's permission for that - that's what the OGL is designed to allow.

C) Is there any limitations on what I can actually write, so as to not invalidate existing official supplementary books?

You can't include or discuss anything from the Third Imperium (or any other copyrighted) setting without permission from the copyright holder*. Otherwise, if you want to write your own trade rules for example that are different from the ones in OGL or any published book, you can go right ahead and do that. You don't need to worry about "invalidating" anything else, because your systems would just be alternate ones that people could choose to use.

*: Actually, not strictly true. There is the Foreven licence (described in the developer's pack, I think) which supposedly gives you a bit of the Imperium that you can do your own thing in, but it's extremely limited and not many people have used it.

D) Is there a limit on what types of books can be written (e.g. large setting books ala 2300ad/Dredd, smaller supplements or LBB's?) for the setting?

Nope. You can write whatever you like. JBE have written tiny one-page d66 lists, and Spica Publishing have written full 120+ page settings, and everything in between is represented too. The key thing is that while you can use your own settings/rules, if you take any material from elsewhere it must have been released under the OGL. You also need to specify what is and isn't OGL in your book.

E) What rights do I reserve to my written work?

You own all your original material. You don't own the OGL material, and if you declare that you are releasing any of your original material as OGL as well then that becomes open content too.

 

[Fenrirr]

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Thank you for the help, this has been really enlightening!