Using published material - unsure about the legalities.

[Cearlan]

I plan on running some CoC games with FG, but that will be later once I get my head round the intricacies of the programme. My question is a simple one, so please forgive me if this seems totally noobish. I don't want to make any mistakes on this, and I beleive I know the answer already, but it's better to check than to find out later that I'd committed a faux-pas.

What restrictions are there on published material, namely scenarios and campaigns? Now personally I can foresee no problem with running, for example, Masks of Nyarlathotep as there is little or no difference between running the game on FG as opposed to over a table. But I believe it's better to check these thing first.

What if I had aomehow altered the campaign by adding or removing sub-plots and so on, if I had made some alterations to the scenario - campaign would that affect anything?

[Foen]

Welcome to the forums Cearlan, and I hope you find us pleasant and helpful!

IMHO you should be fine for personal use, just don't publish anything for other folks to download.

I'm not an IP specialist, but this seems to be the received wisdom around here.

All the best,

Foen

BTW If you have any questions on the CoC ruleset, fire away, as I have more than a passing acquaintance

[Sigurd]

I think it would be hard to imagine that a game scenario was constrained in such a way that you couldn't play it. A certain amount of fairness has to cut both ways.

If you convert a module for FG don't simply give it away without the publisher's permission. But especially since FG2 has a largely constrained the DM copy of most things It seems reasonable to me (I'm in Canada and I am not a Lawyer) that you should be allowed to enjoy the game with your friends.

I watch the excerpts I share with my players but I will send them a PRC or a rule or two when they advance the game. I think people have been photocopying that sort of stuff as long as there have been RPGs.

I don't want to take food from the writers table but I don't want to let them take the graphics I use, in game, from mine .