Old D&D Material for 5th Edition?

[Chorpa]

I just started to enter the old AD&D 2nd Edition Adventure The Accursed Tower into FG and updating it to 5th Edition of course. After I am finished I would love to share it with my fellow Fantasy Ground:ers. But I am not sure how to best achieve this. Is it possible to release it officially through since 5th Edition is Licensed to FG? I am not sure if the old material falls under the same License and how WotC's stance on this is.

[damned]

The license specifically covers 5th Edition only but the DMs Guild throws a real curly one into the mix. Id send an email to Doug via [email protected] and see if there is any movement on the whle licensing thing now the DMs Guild is open. I suspect not as I think that they have specifically chosen one outlet with big reach - OBS - to handle this.

[Chorpa]

As I suspected. Guess I have to check the DM Guild rules closer too. Better to just keep it to myself and let interested people contact me personally if they want my version of the module when it's done. :ninja:;)

[damned]

Hi Chorpa - there is absolutely no sharing of copyright materials here unless the publisher permits it. Send an email to Doug is your best starting point.

[Chorpa]

Ahh sorry! That is what I meant by my previous post. Guess I wasn't clear about that when I said people would have to contact me personally. By that I meant outside the forums of course. But yes I am gonna check with Doug and other venues first like DM Guild (but then it will be PDF format and not pre-written for FG). If neither works it will probably just be a project for my personal gaming groups and friends.

Edit: Have checked the DM Guild Guidelines and even there I can't post the full adventure since it is already for sale digitally over OneBookshelf. However I am allowed to publish all the new material like NPC stats and such since it constitutes as new material. So I can make sort of a 5E NPC & Item Module with guidelines how to use the adventure but without including information from the actual adventure that you can instead buy from OneBookshelf. I do assume it will be a similar answer from Doug. Saw some similar modules there providing information and material on running some old adventures and such so gonna check those out to see how they have solved it.

[Minty23185Fresh]

I'd love to see topic this become sticky. I suspect there are many of us working privately to bring old DnD adventures into 5e. The Mysteries of the Moonsea has some 20+ adventures/missions that I'm slowly bringing to 5e. I'd love to share all that work but the licensing issues sure put a damper on things. A thread that adds to the knowledge base of how to stay away from stomping licensing toes would be nice.

[jshauber]

I'd love to see topic this become sticky. I suspect there are many of us working privately to bring old DnD adventures into 5e. The Mysteries of the Moonsea has some 20+ adventures/missions that I'm slowly bringing to 5e. I'd love to share all that work but the licensing issues sure put a damper on things. A thread that adds to the knowledge base of how to stay away from stomping licensing toes would be nice.

Always assume that you will violate licensing.

Check with Doug at [email protected] and if he says it is OK, then you can post. OR they might want to contact the license holder and work out a deal to put what you have done in the store, check out https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?11156-Want-to-produce-official-FG-products-adventures-rulesets for more details.

[JeffKnight]

The DMs Guild license allows you to use anything published in the Forgotten Realms or Ravenloft setting and then put it ONLY on the DMs Guild. To put it elsewhere, it can only use the SRD. So, the answer to your question is that if you want to sell a 5e conversion pdf on the DMs guild and include the FG module, then you're good. If you want to put it here, no go.

[damned]

The DMs Guild license allows you to use anything published in the Forgotten Realms or Ravenloft setting and then put it ONLY on the DMs Guild. To put it elsewhere, it can only use the SRD. So, the answer to your question is that if you want to sell a 5e conversion pdf on the DMs guild and include the FG module, then you're good. If you want to put it here, no go.

I wonder if there is some FG licensing that might also apply?

[Minty23185Fresh]

Aargh!! I turn 60 this year. "Ain't nobody got time for this!" All I want to do is share my work. It's not like the proceeds would make anybody rich. And content owners wonder why there's an underground. I'm not complaining about the comments here, I truly appreciate them. I'm just screaming at the rain.

To add to the "I wonders.." Isn't there some sort of expiration of copyright then content goes to public domain?

UPDATE: Google results simplified, death of the author plus 70 years. So. "Nevermind."

[Nylanfs]

Yep, thank Disney Corp.

[Stitched]

The DMs Guild license allows you to use anything published in the Forgotten Realms or Ravenloft setting and then put it ONLY on the DMs Guild. To put it elsewhere, it can only use the SRD. So, the answer to your question is that if you want to sell a 5e conversion pdf on the DMs guild and include the FG module, then you're good. If you want to put it here, no go.

Oh. So if you do a FG conversion of NPCs etc. you can publish it on DMs Guild? That's kind of ... cool?

Even if it's referencing a publicly made FREE document released by Wizards?

[Nylanfs]

Im not sure if you can host anything in the DMSG that isn't a pdf.

[kp9911]

At the end of the day you need to respect the copyright laws. Please do not break them unnecessarily. Yes like you there are a lot of people who have ready made modules which have been played through and now just collecting digital dust in their Hard Drives.

Due to the copyright rules in place I cannot even share my Death House Module with anyone and this particular adventure was released for free :p

[Stitched]

This may help with people converting old adventure to 5e:

https://brentnewhall.com/games/1e5e.html

[Trenloe]

Even if it's referencing a publicly made FREE document released by Wizards?
Don't mistake "free" with copyright free.

The D&D Basic Rules (https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules?x=dnd/basicrules)are available for free, but are covered by copyright. There is a clear copyright statement in each of the D&D Basic Rules PDFs.

However, with the release of the D&D SRD (System Reference Document) and OGL (Open Gaming License) there is an avenue that allows you to publish your own 5E material, including anything in the SRD and any other publisher game mechanics material that is released as part of the OGL. As long as you release the game mechanics side of your material under the OGL. You must recognise what the OGL terms "product identity" (anything that is not game mechanics, material such as: story, descriptions, character and place names, etc.) and do not use any product identity other than your own, or material you have the copyright holder's permission to use.

Details on the SRD/OGL here: https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/systems-reference-document-srd This is not a carte blanche to use all 5E material, there are specific entries in the SRD and only these can be used, or other material released under the OGL. Standard D&D products (PHB, GDM, MM, WotC adventures, etc.) aren't released under the OGL.

[Chorpa]

The DMs Guild license allows you to use anything published in the Forgotten Realms or Ravenloft setting and then put it ONLY on the DMs Guild. To put it elsewhere, it can only use the SRD. So, the answer to your question is that if you want to sell a 5e conversion pdf on the DMs guild and include the FG module, then you're good. If you want to put it here, no go.

My impression is that since the module is already for sale under the DM Classics I can't publish it again. If it was a new adventure in Forgotten Realms it would be no problem. But I could write a 5E update for an existing module without the actual information in the Adventure and sell it on DMG tough. Either way I will contact Doug about the FG module once the module is finished and see if he can arrange something. But for now it will be only for my personal D&D groups running around the Sword Coast. :D

[JeffKnight]

Oh. So if you do a FG conversion of NPCs etc. you can publish it on DMs Guild? That's kind of ... cool?

Even if it's referencing a publicly made FREE document released by Wizards?

You can do a conversion, referencing the original source, and you can add your own stuff. Don't just copy/paste. Always give credit and don't steal art, ever. It's a big no-no.

As a quick (not exhaustive guide) look here: https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/systems-reference-document-srd

[JeffKnight]

My impression is that since the module is already for sale under the DM Classics I can't publish it again. If it was a new adventure in Forgotten Realms it would be no problem. But I could write a 5E update for an existing module without the actual information in the Adventure and sell it on DMG tough. Either way I will contact Doug about the FG module once the module is finished and see if he can arrange something. But for now it will be only for my personal D&D groups running around the Sword Coast. :D

Yeah, it has to contain something substantial and original to you (or a bunch of work converting to 5e). So yep, you have that right.

As for Fantasy Grounds, if the DMs Guild lets you post the module, as long as you create it yourself and don't use other assets, I think you're good. If you link to the Monster Manual or stuff like that, it should require the person who downloads it to have it, so should be ok there, but it is worth checking on.

[damned]

Yeah, it has to contain something substantial and original to you (or a bunch of work converting to 5e). So yep, you have that right.

As for Fantasy Grounds, if the DMs Guild lets you post the module, as long as you create it yourself and don't use other assets, I think you're good. If you link to the Monster Manual or stuff like that, it should require the person who downloads it to have it, so should be ok there, but it is worth checking on.

I think SmiteWorks will hopefully have some more info on this to share soon....