Savage Rifts Content

[Just2fie]

So I’ve taken it upon my self to put all the Savage Rifts Content into Fantasy Grounds. I’ve got a fair bit already and still a good deal more to go. This was out of frustration that there was no Module for this setting. Wish me luck.

[Doswelk]

There is no module as there can not legally be a licensed version, good luck.

[GaryMon]

There is no module as there can not legally be a licensed version, good luck.

I have a question about this statement, mainly because of what I want to do and the fact that I do not have a clue what is legal.
And I haven't done the research because right now it is just in it's infancy.

If I use just the FG SWADE ruleset, not any of the other stuff, like the players handbook, GMs guide or any other copyrighted material like the Rifts stuff ( I have alot of the Rifts PDF's as well ).
And I create my own story line, world, PCs, NPCs, items, GM module and Players Guide. Basically everything involved in creating a complete World module, would this still be a copyright violation because of the SWADE ruleset and I would only be able to use it for personal use only?

[esmdev]

Without a specific license to produce content you can only share mechanics, the content (names, equipment, races, archetypes and such) could not be publicly shared.

However, if you made a module for personal use you can run a game with it and players can freely access the information from your host system like any other game. You just cannot share the module itself. It is a fine line but it avoids legal hassles with publishers.

Of course if you create 100% custom content (equipment with your own names manufactured by your own companies, new races and archetypes) you could release that so long as it does not include any text from published sources.

[Lonewolf]

I have a question about this statement, mainly because of what I want to do and the fact that I do not have a clue what is legal.
And I haven't done the research because right now it is just in it's infancy.

If I use just the FG SWADE ruleset, not any of the other stuff, like the players handbook, GMs guide or any other copyrighted material like the Rifts stuff ( I have alot of the Rifts PDF's as well ).
And I create my own story line, world, PCs, NPCs, items, GM module and Players Guide. Basically everything involved in creating a complete World module, would this still be a copyright violation because of the SWADE ruleset and I would only be able to use it for personal use only?

A will try an give you the simple answer. Without a deep dive into US fair use doctrine and the ethics of Fan labour. That is just out of scope here and the previous case law is a pain in the rear end to explain. I am also rather tired right now after a late night RPG session. So please bear with me :p

The above statement is about there being no FG module. Is about the lack of an officially licensed commercial product. Without a deal with the publisher to reprint (Digitally Copy) the book. No matter how much money you have there is no product to buy. Sorry but the IP holder needs to set up a deal and get the ball rolling. It is not telling you no but saying there no way to support your project.

However if you are a fan get creative. If you get inspiration to go create something. Crack on ! If you want to drop information into FG go ahead. You can't "distribute" a book or pass yourself off as the publisher. Including advertising using trademarks or official trade dress. A simple example is the using the SWADE logo for the game which is good. Whilst going all in and pretending that you represent Pinnacle is bad. Sticking in on a T-shirt is pretty much crossing the line. Although they love to give permission for other uses of IP if you simply ask them.

Within the context of the RPG project you outlined. For an RPG table. You are pretty much well into the fair use zone. Even when large bits of game mechanics are shown. They are completely useless without the rest of the source material. Don't stick up whole chunks of IP for others to abuse and your fine.

[GunbunnyFuFu]

I've long fought this battle about Savage Rifts...I've got a story-ready SWADE (as well as SWD) version of Savage Rifts ready to go. I was recently told by Smiteworks that they could not obtain the license for the Savage Rifts IP, so at this point it's a personal-use module. Good luck in putting data in..there is a lot of it! If you know XML, you can also do things such as make Frameworks for the various Iconic Frameworks found in the published material.

GBFF

[GaryMon]

I guess I am a little confused and need to do alot of research on the subject. LOL, I don't even know the first steps in getting a hold of Pinnacle.
As I said, my ideal world is just in its infancy, I have no intention of using ANY Pinnacle art, terms, items, or anything like that.
So far, all the art I have created , I created myself in either paint.net or PS and can honestly say it is mine, even though it isn't pretty, it is still mine.
I have created world maps, icons, Bennies, working on my own set of initiative cards, plan on buying stock art from Drivethru once I get to that point.
All the NPC's I have created come from my head with a bit of Greek mythology and native american lore thrown in.
Using some of Ikeal's extensions, I have started on a GM module, Player module and my very own Bestiary, but haven't gotten very far.

Again, I do not want to use any of Pinnacle materials, other than the FG SWADE ruleset.

Sorry for hijacking the thread, Doswelk's statement just brought the questions to mind.

[esmdev]

Pinnacle is not the problem, the problem is Palladium Books, the actual owner of the intellectual property. Pinnacle Kevin Siembieda is notoriously stingy with licenses. In order to even use the title Savage Rifts you would first have to get Palladium Books to sign off on it, then you'd have to get Pinnacle to sign off on it, then you'd have to get lawyers for all parties (you included) to write up an agreement (which would include their cut). Also most publishers have some sort of review process before anything can be released.

On the other hand, if everything you're doing is your own custom work (or inspired by public domain mythology) then call it something new like Savage Mythology or whatever and you can just use the Pinnacle OGL. There is more work if you want to be an Ace publisher but not everyone worries about that.

[Talyn]

@GaryMon and @Just2fie you're perfectly fine entering the data to play your home game. Everyone else has explained why we will never see an official Savage Rifts DLC (which @Gunbunnyfufu was originally supposed to be the DLC Developer for until Palladium shut down the whole discussion) but as long as you don't distribute your work? No harm, no foul. Go for it.

[Doswelk]

I guess I am a little confused and need to do alot of research on the subject. LOL, I don't even know the first steps in getting a hold of Pinnacle.
As I said, my ideal world is just in its infancy, I have no intention of using ANY Pinnacle art, terms, items, or anything like that.
So far, all the art I have created , I created myself in either paint.net or PS and can honestly say it is mine, even though it isn't pretty, it is still mine.
I have created world maps, icons, Bennies, working on my own set of initiative cards, plan on buying stock art from Drivethru once I get to that point.
All the NPC's I have created come from my head with a bit of Greek mythology and native american lore thrown in.
Using some of Ikeal's extensions, I have started on a GM module, Player module and my very own Bestiary, but haven't gotten very far.

Again, I do not want to use any of Pinnacle materials, other than the FG SWADE ruleset.

Sorry for hijacking the thread, Doswelk's statement just brought the questions to mind.

The dangers of typing a quick line before going to bed, I meant it to explain why you have to create your own Savage Rifts modules, there can never be one you can buy, the only way to have an Savage Rift FG module, is to make your own, having made more than a few FG modules, I remember how daunting it is the first time, hence the good luck :D

[GunbunnyFuFu]

I'm glad to help answer any questions that anyone has in regards to Savage Rifts module making!

GBFF

[GaryMon]

I believe there has been some confusion on my initial post, and it is my fault for hijacking someones else's thread.
I do sincerely apologize, I should have just started my own thread with the question.

Doswelk's comment got me to wondering about the legality of what I am doing, it has nothing to do with Rifts or any other product out there except the Fantasy Grounds SWADE ruleset.

I have alot of Rifts content, but I do not play Rifts.
Heck, I even have some LowLife content and that silly caveman content ( can not remember the name right now ).
I do not play any of the PnP content I have for Savage Worlds, I love Savage Worlds dice mechanics but the content out there does not fit what I want to play ( plus most is SWD ).
When I do play, I have removed most , if not all, of the players, npc's, Hindrances, Edges, equipment, tables, basically everything and created my own.

Pretty much why I play DCC RPG. ( but I do not like the funky dice very much )

So, I am creating my own content for FGU that uses just the mechanics but none of the existing content out there, with the hopes of one day, maybe being able to publish it.
I did find Pinnacle's stuff on being an ACE though.

Thanks for the replies, and sorry for the confusion.
We now return you to your original programming!

[Just2fie]

Well I wasn’t going to buy nor be able to buy a Savage Rifts Module. It’ll only be used by my gaming group and compadres. Yes it’s daunting but it’s coming along nicely.

[MagiusAlpha]

As someone that's starting to look at the possibility of taking on this sort of project (and has already gotten my feet wet with entering the data from several of the Files for Everybody series for Pathfinder 2E), I'm wondering if anyone has any pointers to a tool that I could use to cut down on the amount of either manual or copy-and-paste work that I would need to do in order to get the rules bits copied over (the players I'd be looking to play with are familiar with the setting and have some of the Palladium books for world information, so I'd just need to pull the rules over)? As has been said, it's a daunting task, and I definitely don't look forward to entering the plethora of weapons into the system in order to get things going... Especially as I can't figure out how to get the correct item sheet pulled up without copying an existing weapon and then updating that.

To be clear, I'm looking at creating modules for RIFTS, Warhammer 40k, Star Wars, Babylon 5, and Flash Gordon currently (more or less in that order), and likely others down the road. Nothing that I intend to share publicly, just use on my own system with the games that I run.

[damned]

The only advise as far as cuting down the amount of copypasta is to only copy what you need each session and keep expanding it that way.