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View Full Version : Comming SOON S1 Tomb of Horrors in d20



Lucius13
July 10th, 2006, 18:21
Hello everyone,
Well as my first venture out I took all of the S1 Tomb of Horrors stuff from the Wizards of the Coast website and am creating it into a module that can be downloaded.

I know we all worry about copyright here, but the module is available for free download, both it and the art pannels for the illustrations of the rooms, so I don't think Its in any violation from any thing.

The next step for me is to figure out how to make the darned thing go into a module for all of you.

If you would like the links, they are as follows

Module: https://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/oa/20051031a
Maps: https://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/mapofweek/ToH_Maps/M03_TombOfHorrors_300.jpg
Illustrations: https://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ag/20051031a

This is a Wondeful module, made with Gary Gygax, and As noted in the credits for the revised adventure, this classic art was created by Jeff Dee, David C. Sutherland III, and David A. Trampier.

So I give credit where its due. Its a wonderful adventure and I look forward to feedback. ... Now to figure out how to make it so you can all download it...

Oh and I've got a few other classics underway as well... :D

Lucius

Lucius13
July 11th, 2006, 02:38
OK everyone Here is the download link, Enjoy

Lucius

[Link removed - all conditions stated here (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3464) were not met. /Ged]

Ged
July 11th, 2006, 06:35
The fact that a module is free for download does not make it free of ownership. Unfortunately, until you have received a permission from the copyright owner to distribute your conversion, we have few options but to remove the link to the conversion. Sorry.

Azrael Nightstar
July 14th, 2006, 08:10
Bah, I hate copyright. It's completely ridiculous that you can't redistribute something a company is already distributing for free. But such is that law, unfortunately. :(

Lucius, if you can figure out a way to share the parts of the module that don't require approval from Wizards (standard monster/npc stats and other material covered by the Open Game License, reworked/paraphrased text, etc.) I'm sure people would still be interested in your work.

If not though, I might suggest making your next endeavor something that Wizards doesn't own the rights to, as getting their approval for anything is a longshot at best. And you might be able to distribute it to individuals (through email or the like) legally as long as it's only for their own personal use, but I'm not sure about that, so don't quote me on it. Maybe someone else knows more about the niceties of copyright law?

Illrigger
July 17th, 2006, 17:37
It's not so rediculous for a publisher to want control over their work in case someone were to come along and make a bad spin-off version of it, and WotC were to start receiving negative responses and requests for support on it. That's the problem with open distribution - it's only a matter of time before someone clueless gets a copy of it who has no idea who made it, and they go back to the original authors for support. When they can't provide it because they've never heard of it, the clueless customer gets mad, and the publisher loses that customer through no fault of their own, and possibly more down the line as the clueless one spreads his story. IP control is one of the few reasons for copyright that actually holds water.

That being said, Lucious has done a great job - I managed to snag a copy before Ged pulled the link. In fact, with a little clean-up and a look-over from WotC, they'd probably let this be published. I'd suggest talking to Mynex at Code Monkey Publishing to see what proceedures are needed, and perhaps about them hosting the file since they already have a license from WotC. I PM'd him about it, but the author contacting him directly would be a preferred way to do things.

Griogre
July 17th, 2006, 18:20
Aside from what Illrigger said there are also financial reasons publishers don't want to re-publish things they have under copyright or allow their republishing as a free item. Depending on the agreement the owner made with the original writer, they may have to pay the author again. They would probably not be that excited about doing that if they aren't able to recover their payment with sales.

While I don't know the details, Tomb of Horrors may have a rather tangled legal threads - after all you have Gygax, Cordell and Schley plus whoever did the art. This module was written before Gygax was booted from TSR and before TSR was saved by WotC who was in turned swallowed by Hasbro.

Kalan
July 17th, 2006, 19:50
I do remember Wizards granting permission to convert the old modules to d20 rules, and then distributing them...there's a link somewhere over there...but I do remember it distinctly...

Might be in the d20 System documents...but I'm not 100% sure...

Thore_Ironrock
July 18th, 2006, 00:45
I do remember Wizards granting permission to convert the old modules to d20 rules, and then distributing them...there's a link somewhere over there...but I do remember it distinctly...

Might be in the d20 System documents...but I'm not 100% sure...

I doubt it. The legal statement on the site it specifically states that you cannot reproduce or distribute these adventures without WOTC permission. Code Monkey has the *only* license to convert WOTC material into FG adventures, and even they cannot touch the free adventure downloads. One of the reasons I know for sure is what Griogre stated, and that is if they are republished in any fashion then they likely have to pay the authors and artists again.

We did go through this in a past forum thread many months ago, and the end result was that WOTC shot down all permission to do this. You can do whatever you want with it for yourself, but as soon as you post a link to converted copyright material it is a violation. Here is a portion of their Terms of Use statement:

Ownership of Intellectual Property and Restrictions on Use of Materials

The materials available through this Site are the property of Wizards and/or its subsidiaries, affiliates, licensors, licensees, or other respective owners. These materials are protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. Information received through this Site may be displayed, reformatted, and printed for your personal, noncommercial use only. You may not reproduce or retransmit the materials, in whole or in part, in any manner, without the prior written consent of the owner of such materials, with these exceptions only:

You may make single copies of the materials available through this Site, solely for your personal, noncommercial use, and only if you preserve any copyright, trademark, or other notices contained in or associated with them. You may not distribute such copies to others, whether or not in electronic form, whether or not for a charge or other consideration, without prior written consent of the owner of the materials.

Requests for permission to reproduce or distribute materials available through this Site should be mailed to: Legal Department, Attn: Usage Permissions Request, Wizards of the Coast, Inc., P.O. Box 707, Renton, WA 98057.

Link here is you want to read the whole thing:

https://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=copyrightnotice


Hope this clears things up.

Kalan
July 18th, 2006, 01:53
I knew I'd seen it somewhere...

d20 SRD Page (https://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/welcome). Along the right hands side there's a link to the Electronic SKU Download Agreement. Basically, so long as you follow the rules outlined within this document, you are able to convert ESD products from previous editions into d20/OGC material.

Granted...it doesn't give you the right to distribute the "flavour" stuff...but at least you can convert the encounters...

Pax...

Thore_Ironrock
July 18th, 2006, 02:49
More specifically ...

Wizards shall be the sole source of the original materials, whether they have been obtained as ESDs, scanned, or otherwise procured. All you are authorized to convert to 3E are the mechanics, themselves. For example, if an AD&D encounter describes a scene wherein the adventurers are traveling down a road when they are accosted by a group of orcs, who demand their money or their lives, followed by a stat block that details the orc party, all you are authorized to convert is the stat block. You may add any additional mechanical information necessary to run the encounter in a 3E game, aside from the stat block, but you may not include the encounter itself, or the entire adventure in which it takes place.

In other words, all you can really do is stat blocks and treasure (if said treasure is of SRD content). You can't put out any of the text or copyrighted material.

Snikle
July 18th, 2006, 03:42
That's the problem with open distribution - it's only a matter of time before someone clueless gets a copy of it who has no idea who made it, and they go back to the original authors for support.

Perhaps if people quit being clueless? ;-)

Lucius13, work up something good of your own material and the FUMs will look at hosting it for you.