uk.games.roleplay Frequently Asked Questions uk.games.roleplay Frequently Asked QuestionsIntroduction This file has now received formal approval, and thus shouldhenceforward appear in the "answers" newsgroups. Further comment is still very welcome - feel free to e-mail the maintainer, or post to the newsgroup. The file was originally drafted by James Wallis, and subsequently extended by Phil Masters. A few sections may be a bit cumbersome for a FAQ, but people seem towant them here; other such have been moved to separate text files, held onthe 'Web, with links noted below. Note also that this file is appears inhttp://www.pick.ucam.org/rpgfaq.html.|Many thanks to Sheila Thomas for her work on this, although the HTML|version is now maintained by Matthew Vernon. Previously, this FAQ was posted with an "Expires:" line in the header, set one month ahead. Unfortunately, the then-maintainer's ISP's news system took to blocking posts containing such a line for some reason (probably to prevent some kind of abuse), so we've been forced to remove it. All we can do is point out here that copies of this file posted more than a couple of months back may be unreliable in some ways.Changes Changes to the file since the last posting are indicated by a "|" in|the left-hand margin. Note that this will be broken in the HTML version.Important Note: Shortening This FAQ was suffering from ever-increasing length by mid-1998, to theextent that the compiler was receiving complaints. Hence, a number of longlists of information have been hived off to a 'Web site:http://www.philm.demon.co.uk/u.g.r.FAQ Although the contents of these text files should no longer be considered parts of the FAQ, comments and updates are invited - e-mail .Redistribution This FAQ is of course a public sort of document, and redistribution,intact, to 'net-related sources, on a non-commercial basis, is positivelyencouraged. Anyone wishing to use any part of it for commercial purposes should contact the maintainer to discuss arrangements. If anyone wishes to quote a selected fragment for some (non-commercial) purpose, they should (a) state clearly where it comes from (mentioning the various authors' names would be nice, but not obligatory), (b) make it clear that what is being quoted *is* just a fragment, and (c) tell people where to find the complete document, on Usenet or the 'Web.CONTENTSWhat is uk.games.roleplay?What is the group's charter?Are there any common courtesies I should follow?Is it okay to sell things via this newsgroup?How do I learn to play these games?What do people *argue* is the best introductory system?Where can I find out about local games shops?What about second-hand/out-of-print games?Where can I find out about local games clubs?Where can I find local LRP groups?How do I run a play-by-e-mail game?Where can I find out about conventions?Where can I find out about UK and Irish RPG magazines?Where can I find out about UK and Irish RPG publishers?Where can I find out about UK and Irish RPG distributors?Are there any other good sources of RPG information I should know about?What about Net resources and computerised game aids?What's a fanzine?People in my area are attacking RPGs as dangerous/corrupting/satanic. What can I do about it?What are my chances of getting a job in the adventure games industry?How do I publish my own game?Is role-playing in decline? What is the future of roleplaying? Don't be stupid; the future of role-playing is...What's the difference between copyrights, trademarks, and patents?Didn't TSR trademark the word "Nazi"?Aren't Games Workshop the Antichrist and the source of all evil?How do I get a new section added to this FAQ, or correct any mistakesin it?Q1. What is uk.games.roleplay?A1. uk.games.roleplay is a newsgroup for the discussion anddissemination of information about "table-top" (and possibly some"freeform" or "live action") role-playing activity in the UK and Ireland,or matters concerning gaming in those places. It is not a venue for discussion of computer games, card games(collectible or otherwise), board, miniature or wargames, or family games.There are better groups in the uk.games.* hierarchy for these subjects. NOTE: This is NOT a binaries newsgroup. Posting encoded binary files ofany type (graphics, programs, word processor files, etc.) is against basicnetiquette, and will earn you a hostile response from many people. Merelyflagging such postings as "long" is not a defence; some users don't employheader-based filtering, and others, knowing this to be a small, specialiseddiscussion group, assume that they can download everything that appearshere with minimal trouble and expense. Please respect others' time andbudget, and familiarise yourself with the conventions of Usenet. ALSO NOTE: As this is a discussion newsgroup, debate here mayoccasionally become a little heated. Usenet is like that, and most peopleput up with it. However, a lot of people do think that arguments overpersonal taste in RPG systems and styles are a little futile, and in anycase, there is already a newsgroup rec.games.frp.advocacy, which may be amore appropriate place for this sort of thing. LASTLY: Note that information on all uk.* newsgroups, includingguidelines for creating new ones, can be found athttp://www.usenet.org.uk, and interested users are also advised tosubscribe to uk.net.news.announce, a low-traffic, moderated group.Q2. What is the group's charter?|Ed: this entire answer is newA2. The newsgroup is for UK (and visiting) roleplaying enthusiasts to meetand arrange games thoughout the UK. Also it can be used for (but isnot limited to) the discussions of new and old games, rules, largegame meetings (e.g. GenCon).The group is for discussion of all types of roleplaying games (RPGs);games where the players assume the roles of imaginary characters in afictional world, described and controlled by another player who isoften known as the gamemaster. RPGs include tabletop games such asDungeons & Dragons, play-by- mail/email and live-action/freeformgames. These games use a variety of rules (which commonly employ diceto add an element of unpredictability) to help the gamemaster decidethe result of actions in the game.The group does not cover 'roleplaying' in other contexts, such aspsychiatric, business training or sexual settings, or the genre ofcomputer games known as RPGs. (The use of computers to assist the playof roleplaying games is on-topic.)* Advertising:Short one-off announcements of relevant products, services and events,inviting e-mail enquiries or suggesting URLs for further information,will be allowed. Lengthy and/or off-topic posts will not bewelcome. Advertisements for clubs and social events may be repeated atfortnightly or longer intervals.No other advertising, especially offers of goods for sale, should beposted to this newsgroup; newsgroups such as uk.adverts.games.roleplayor rec.games.frp.marketplace could be used instead. Messages posted tothose groups must not be cross- posted to uk.games.roleplay.It should be noted that this specifically does not prohibit peoplelooking for groups to join, or groups looking for new players to jointhem, from posting to the group to find players.* Binaries:Encoded binaries (e.g. pictures, compressed files, etc.), are*forbidden*, except for cryptographic signatures (e.g. PGP) Binariesbelong on a web or ftp site (or similar storage systems), whose URLmay be posted.| Please note that this was recently changed by a vote.Q3. Are there any common courtesies I should follow?A3. When posting to this newsgroup please try to state what the post isabout. It may help if you place a short code (no more than 5 letters) atthe beginning of the subject line (although very few people do). Somesample codes: AD&D Advanced Dungeons and Dragons DISC General discussions. EVENT Use this for any events you know about, which anyone iswelcome to attend. FAQ: This will be used for the FAQ, and for any discussion aboutit. L(A)RP: Live (action) role-play WOD White Wolf's 'World of Darkness': Vampire/Mage/Werewolf/etc. Also, in the matter of courtesy; posting game ideas of various sortsfor discussion or use is generally within the scope of the newsgroup, butvery long posts of this kind are likely to annoy more people than theyentertain; remember that this sort of thing adds to a lot of people's'phone bills. If your bright idea requires more than a few hundred words toexpress, the best idea is probably to place it on a 'Web page, and post theURL to the newsgroup. Do also remember that most popular systems and genreshave their own, international, newsgroups. And finally - good Usenet practice applies as much here as on any othernewsgroup. For example, quoting the entire of a long post, merely to appenda one-line comment, is wasteful and untidy. Edit your quoted text down tothe pertinent basics before posting; certainly, if your post consists ofmore quotation than new text, you should think very hard about reducing it.For an introduction to good practice, seehttp://www.netannounce.org/news.announce.newusers/Q4. Is it okay to buy and sell games via this newsgroup? | A4. See the charter above (in most cases, the answer is no). For| advertising you should use the newsgroup uk.adverts.games.roleplay.| The FAQ for uk.adverts.games.roleplay, including its charter, can behttp://www.p-o-p.demon.co.uk/faq-uagr.htm See| that document for details of how to use that newsgroup and what is| appropriate there.Q5. How do I learn to play these games?A5. The best way is still to learn by doing, and for that you need toknow someone who already plays. Good games shops will have a notice-boardwhere clubs and groups post information about their meetings. Crap gamesshops won't. Although most games contain some information directed at newcomers tothe hobby, distressingly few are designed with the beginner in mind. Thebest may be West End Games' old 'Star Wars Introductory Adventure Game',which leads new players a step at a time into an RPG set in a familiar andpopular setting; it's compatible with their full Star Wars game, which waspretty straightforward itself. WEG also did another "Introductory" gamebased on the *Men in Black* movie. Unfortunately, they recently hit severefinancial problems, almost went bankrupt, and have now apparently lost the*Star Wars* license. Watch out for further news of the company, one way oranother. For fantasy settings, TSR's 'Firstquest' allegedly does the jobreasonably well, and this is linked to the ever-popular AD&D. The'Dungeoneer' RPG published by Puffin as part of the 'Advanced FightingFantasy' series is good - and British to boot. 'Feng Shui' (previouslyDaedalus Games, now Atlas Games) is also aimed at new gamers, while'Everway', from Rubicon Games (originally from Wizards of the Coast) couldbe good for anyone with a taste for high fantasy, collectible art cards, orstory-telling. (Everway was originally quite expensive, but has been knownto show up dirt cheap in remaindered book shops.) And Iron CrownEnterprises has recent published 'Run Out the Guns', apirates/swashbucklers game that is the first in a planned line of complete,reasonably simple "beginner RPGs". Note also that some publishers place "Lite", cut-down versions of theirrule systems on their 'Web pages these days. (Examples include SteveJackson Games' "GURPS Lite" and the "Fuzion" rules created by Hero Gamesand R.Talsorian.) These are not necessarily well suited to beginners - theytend to be a little too terse and minimalist - but they are free, and maygive some idea as to the style of the full rules.Q5a. What do people *argue* is the best introductory system?A5a. Frankly, this is really a separate question, argued out interminablybetween old hands rather than being discussed rationally with beginners. Atthe risk of being controversial, I will quote a post Phil made when this topiccame round again. Please note that this is just one opinion. The Best Introductory System is one where: (a) The GM knows the game mechanics fairly well, so as to be able to explain, discuss, and use them smoothly and without distraction or ambiguity. and (b) The setting is one that the players can grasp quickly and enjoy once they've grasped it, so that the game appeals to them immediately on a "story" level. Therefore, The Best Introductory System depends on the players and the GM involved. In many cases, the system should also be simple and quick (especially if the GM is also a beginner - there's no way of fulfilling (a) otherwise), but this isn't an absolute.Q6. Where can I find out about local games shops?A6. At present, the nearest thing to a UK chain of RPG stockists isVirgin's Megastores; some branches have some kind of games section, andothers can in theory order stuff for you. Dillons (the bookshop chain) alsohandles some RPGs, and some branches have good selections. Chains aside, try looking in Yellow Pages, under 'Toys' or 'Hobbies'.Anything that describes itself as a 'specialist' or 'hobby' games store isprobably a good bet. If that doesn't bring any success, you may get somejoy out of the following URL:http://www.ufbs.co.uk/jason/shops/rpgshops.html If none of those yield any fruit, you can always ask on the newsgroupif anyone knows of a shop in your area. Or, as a last resort, find a shopthat deals in mail-order: there are several that advertise in gamingmagazines, and one or two of them have made it onto the Net as well; seeQ15. One common question on the newsgroup comes from people who are visitingLondon for a day or two, and who want to locate a good games shop there.Virgin have a large Megastore on the corner of Oxford Street and TottenhamCourt Road, complete with a hobby games department; unfortunately, thestock and floor-space allocated to games in there is less than it used tobe, years ago, but it's still a fairly substantial games store. The Dillonsbranch opposite the Megastore has one of their RPG displays, but the bestbets in Central London may be: Orc's Nest, at 6, Earlham Street, just off Cambridge Circus (on theleft, in the direction of Seven Dials, if you're heading south - see theirhttp://www.the-lion.demon.co.uk). Playin' Games, in Museum Street (one of the streets leading south fromopposite the front gates of the British Museum) - a shop which sells allsorts of games, including RPGs and wargames (in the basement). However, many people's favourite London shop is a tube ride from thecentre; Leisure Games, at 91 Ballards Lane, Finchley, is close to FinchleyCentral station (on the Northern Line), and has an impressivelycomprehensive stock. They also have a 'Web page - see:http://www.btinternet.com/~leisuregamesQ6a. What about second-hand/out-of-print games?A6a. One might observe that the UK RPG hobby barely seems big enough tosupport shops carrying new product; thus, there are relatively few*specialising* in older stuff - although plenty of provincial RPG shopshave old material that they've never cleared off their shelves - butactually, there now seem to be more than there used to be. Unless you areespecially lucky in your location, you will probably have to resort tomail order; the Internet can help here. For one list of such shops andpeople, see:http://www.philm.demon.co.uk/u.g.r.FAQ/Second-Hand.txtQ7. Where can I find out about local games clubs?A7. If a local club exists, any half-way decent local games shop shouldbe able to point you in the right direction. In fact, any half-way decentlocal games shop should be running a discount scheme for club members.Local universities and colleges also often have games societies, and manywelcome outsiders. If that's no good, try a copy of 'Valkyrie' or 'Games Games Games',both of which print excellent directories of games clubs in the UK andIreland, and all over Europe. It's not complete or exhaustive, but it's thebest there is at the moment. Or, of course, you can ask in the newsgroup, or onuk.adverts.games.roleplay. Elenor Maclaren maintains a WWW page with a listing of clubs in the UKand Ireland. See:http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Shadowlands/1641/index.htmlQ8. Where can I find local LRP groups and events?A8. Set your browsers to the heart of the sun:http://www.eirias.demon.co.uk/- which should give you all the information you need about groups in theUK. For the UK there is an Events Guide on The Net, at:http://www.netlrp.uk.com/larp/aldebaran/Events/index.htmlThis list only covers the UK. If you would like your event listed pleasemail the information to . You might also want to look at the FAQ for rec.games.frp.live-action:http://www.upl.cs.wisc.edu/~chaos/LARP.html (This used to be maintained by Marcus Hill , andhe is still willing to act as a UK liaison on the subject; ask him to e-mail you a copy if you can't get through to the WWW site.) One of the longest running lists of LRP events on the 'net is Shade'sLARP list, available on:http://www.coil.com/~zargonis/shade.html.- You can add your group to the list by e-mailing Joe Santocildes at.Q9. How do I run a play-by-e-mail game?A9. The Irony Games WWW site has some info on running PBeM games:http://www.pbem.com/ This also lists new PBeM games starting and needing players as well aslinks to already up-and-running games on the Web.The 'How to run a play-by-e-mail game' section can be found at:http://www.pbem.com/pbem-howto.html (This has lots of useful links.)'Intro to PBeMs'/'What's a PBeM' is at:http://www.irony.com/pbem.htmlQ10. Where can I find out about conventions?A10. Phil Masters maintains a WWW page with listings of forthcomingBritish conventions:http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Phil_Masters/rpgcons.htm Convention organisers should e-mail all relevant information to. Magazines like 'Valkyrie' and 'Games, Games, Games' maintain lists offorthcoming conventions. Don't bother with the one in 'Dragon'; when lastchecked, it had a notable bias against anything not in the USA or Canada.Q11. Where can I find out about UK and Irish RPG magazines?A11. We had some hopes of a resurgence in British RPG magazines a littlewhile ago; then the disappearance of the fully professional 'arcane', andthe non-appearance or irregularity of some others, rather took the shineoff that. However, the recent announcement of at least one new project froma professional publisher may restore optimism. A listing of a best guess at the current state of the UK RPGprofessional magazine market can be found athttp://www.philm.demon.co.uk/u.g.r.FAQ/Prozines.txtQ12. Where can I find out about UK and Irish RPG publishers?A12. There aren't many. Some are listed athttp://www.philm.demon.co.uk/u.g.r.FAQ/Publishers.txtQ13. Where can I find out about UK and Irish RPG distributors?A13. Distributors are the people who supply games shops with games: theyorder from the manufacturers, import the goods into the country, and shipstuff to the shops. Their names and addresses are commercially sensitive,and you're unlikely to be given a complete list of distributors just forthe asking. Try asking games retailers which specialist distributor theyuse, or ask a games publisher if they can help. And some of them advertisein magazines like 'Valkyrie'.Q14. Are there any other good sources of RPG information I should knowabout?A14. Yes; there's the British Roleplaying Society (BRS). This operatesvia a mailing list, which you can join by sending a message with the word'Subscribe' in the subject line to: .Messages to the list itself are sent to Q15. What about Net resources and computerised game aids?A15. It's always useful if helpful readers of this newsgroup forwardme their suggestions. FTP or WWW sites don't have to be in the UK orIreland - the nature of the Net makes physical location mostly irrelevant -but anything of direct relevance or interest to UK or Irish role-playerswould be greatly appreciated. That can include club and shop homepages,details of forthcoming events, indexes of UK-produced gaming magazines, theCAMRA homepage ... whatever. 'My D&D page' is not UK-specific enough. To begin with; there are many computerised RPG aids and utilitiesavailable from numerous 'Web site or FTP directories, butthis FAQ isn't really the best place to suggest where to look. Aside fromthe fact that what's available changes rather frequently, there are simplytoo many games, too many things that a computer might be used for in playor preparation, and too many operating systems and platforms, for any shortguide to be truly useful. If you ask on the newsgroup, do specify what sortof thing you have in mind - but better still, try a 'Web search enginefirst. It's more likely to be up to date. However, for now, I will just list a few URLs that have been recommendedby readers of this newsgroup as widely useful. No guarantees or specialrecommendations are intended:http://www.gothtech.com/rpgs.htmhttp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/doc/games/roleplay/programs/http://www.netrpg.com/programs.htmlhttp://www.irony.com/webtools.html Any new participants bemused by the terminology used round here mightlike to look at the article on "The Vocabulary of Role-Playing Games", onthe 'Web at:http://www.philm.demon.co.uk/Miscellaneous/Vocabulary.html The UK Masquerade is a society, mainly based in the south of England,concerned with White Wolf's 'Vampire: The Masquerade'. They have a 'Website:http://www.jaburt.demon.co.uk/index.htm This hold both IC & OOC information, including who's who, status list,newsletters, contact points, and a WoD Time Line.Warhammer FRP is a British-written and British-published game, so I'll passon the following two URLs that were sent to me: ..apparently covers all those articles relating to the game in variousprozines and fanzines, and...http://www.cs.odu.edu/~gonding/WD/WDindex.html..gives a breakdown of all articles that ever appeared in White Dwarf (upto about WD206). Some UK game shops are now moving onto the 'Web, at least to theextent of placing their catalogues there. Examples include:http://www.btinternet.com/~leisuregames/http://www.northwest.co.uk/wanet/bestbooks/index.htm There's also an admirable library of material at monosys.com,accessible by FTP or e-mail. The URL for FTP access is - with a welcome/help page at - or, for information on e-mail basedaccess, send an e-mail to with a Subject linecontaining just the word "info" (no quotes).MUDs (online multi-user dungeons) are slightly off-topic for this group,but may be of interest; the following sites have been recommended to me:Vampire Wars - a UK MUD based loosely around Vampire the Masquerade, with asite that's said to have a useful general FAQ:http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~joker/ telnet: contact: For a list of MUDs with machines located in Britain: contact: http://mudhole.ehche.ac.uk/~tnt/others.html The European branch of the RPGA has a 'Web site, with another list ofUK and European conventions, a list of companies, and other links:http://web.ukonline.co.uk/members/rpgauk/ Lastly, polyglot gamers might want to look at the FAQ for the Germancounterpart of this group, de.rec.games.rpg.misc, at:http://www.informatik.uni-oldenburg.de/~henry/spiele/RPG-FAQ/ (And see also many of the company and magazine home pages mentionedabove.)Q16. What's a fanzine?A16. A fanzine is an amateur-produced magazine, typically with lowproduction values and more enthusiasm than technical proficiency.Nevertheless, fanzines are a traditional seed-bed of gaming, teachingpeople publishing skills and the dynamics of the game industry, and many oftoday's professional games creators and publishers emerged out of thefanzine hobby. For a list of possibly-active UK fanzines, seehttp://www.philm.demon.co.uk/u.g.r.FAQ/Fanzines.txtQ17. People in my area are attacking RPGs asdangerous/corrupting/satanic. What can I do about it?A17. First of all, stay calm. Flying off the handle never helps. Secondly, check out the WWW, if you've got time; there are varioussensible pages containing suggestions and useful hard facts you can usedefensively. One list of useful links is in a section of the page at:http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Phil_Masters/rpgs.htmFor example, the American trade association GAMA have a leaflet thataddresses this subject, albeit with some US-specific references. It can befound, in Adobe Acrobat format, at:http://www.gama.org/downloads/roleplay.pdf Thirdly, write a calm and considered letter to the local paper, simplystating that RPGs are just games. Use evidence gleaned from WWW pages orwherever to support your case. Invite anyone interested - includingreporters from the paper - along to a club night or convention, so they cansee the truth about RPGs for themselves. Fourthly, contact the company whose games are being attacked. Usuallythis will be WotC/TSR, but more recently Steve Jackson Games, Chaosium andMetropolis have all come under fire. Most companies have e-mail addressesthese days, and they will almost certainly be just as worried as you aboutthe attacks on their products. And finally, if the attacks persist, drop an e-mail to the followingpeople, letting them know that there's a problem. They all have experiencein dealing with the media, and because they're involved in the gamesindustry in this country their voices will carry some weight with thepress. They are: Paul Evans, SFCP John Brown, WotC/RPGA Andy Butcher, Future Publishing Andy Jones, Games Workshop James Wallis, Hogshead Publishing (Paul Evans has contacts with the CARPGa, who deal with such issues in theUSA, and John Brown is concerned that the RPGA be made aware of suchproblems, and is based at WotC UK, so contacting these two may beparticularly helpful.)Q18. What are my chances of getting a job in the RPG industry in the UK?A18. Pathetically tiny, frankly, unless you're prepared to move to theUSA or start your own company. It is possible to make some money fromworking as a freelance writer and designer in the RPG business, and ahandful of hardy souls around the world earn a living from it. You might dobetter to regard RPGs as just a part of a career in writing or journalism.Contact as many games publishers and magazines as you can think of, and askfor their submission guidelines. We have been asked to point out that some RPG publishers aren't as onthe ball professionally as you might hope, and you should prepare yourselffor disappointments and delays - although this applies to every other fieldof publishing too.Q19. How do I publish my own game?A19. The answer's far too big for a FAQ - James Wallis says that hecould write a book about what he learned in two years, and probably anotherbook about his preceding five years as a freelancer. For an overview of themajor points, seehttp://www.philm.demon.co.uk/u.g.r.FAQ/Self-Publishing.txtQ20. Is role-playing in decline? What is the future ofroleplaying?A20. At any given time, by whatever measure you consider important,role-playing may be in decline. Even if it is, this does not necessarilymean that people are not still enjoying it. Define your terms before askingthis question on the group, and do not expect a useful answer from anybody. Well, okay - to be honest, there are some seriously unhappy signs aboutthe RPG industry at the moment. When TSR, the original and biggest pro RPGpublisher, gets taken over by Wizards of the Coast, who make their moneyfrom card games, the situation has gone beyond a joke. The disappearance of'arcane' magazine, partly because of the loss of TSR advertising revenue,shows that the UK side of things is not immune. How serious things are, howlong the problems it will last, and what solutions may be possible, arematters that can be discussed on the group. But don't expect generalagreement. As for the future; no-one on the group is psychic. Probably, somepeople will continue to play, and (we may hope) to enjoy these games. Manypeople also think that a high degree of diversity in the games that peopleplay (and enjoy) is a good thing. All of this, however, is a matter ofopinion.Q20a. Don't be stupid; the future of role-playing is...A20a. ...Don't tell us - it's your favourite game or approach. Thechances are that you have just discovered this game or approach, and youare feeling very happy with it. Good for you. However, the chances are alsothat it will remain just one part of a complex (if not massively popular orfashionable) hobby. Some people will even tell you that this is a goodthing. But please phrase these "questions" as questions in future. (And doremember that rec.games.frp.advocacy may be a better place to express yourpersonal preferences in RPGs.)Q21. What's the difference between copyrights, trademarks, andpatents?A21. Intellectual property law is a large and messy subject - especially inan international context - and there really isn't space to do it justice inthis FAQ. Nor, for that matter, am I an expert on the subject. However, itis sometimes relevant to discussions on the newsgroup, so it's worthproviding a brief outline. Remember, to begin with; some regular posters deal with such issuesregularly in their day jobs, and they can become a little irritated withpeople who argue about intellectual property rights without, say,remembering the difference between copyrights and trademarks. When the lawis involved, it's important to be precise, and shooting your mouth off willget you mocked. On the other hand, if you ask politely, they may be willingto explain details you don't understand. For more specific information, seethe 'Web sites listed below. HOWEVER - if you're involved in legal actions involving intellectualproperty, and especially if you're going to court, you need a lawyer. NOW.The following is NOT professional legal advice, makes no claims to bedefinitive, and should not be used for reference if there's money involved. Anyway, in brief:COPYRIGHT is ownership of the content of a piece of creative work, such aswriting. It is granted automatically, with no need for registration, and itis covered by international conventions signed by almost every country onEarth. It generally belongs to the author (or their heirs for severaldecades after their death), unless the creation was done under contract, as"work for hire", in which case the copyright belongs to the employer. Whenyou buy, say, a book, you buy one copy of the text - but the copyrightremains with the creator.If you photocopy the book, or scan it into a computer, you are violatingcopyright, and the author or publishers have every right to set theirlawyers on you. It makes no difference whether or not you are making anymoney from the copying; aside from anything else, you are quite likelyreducing the chances of them making money from it. Quoting short extractsfor review or discussion is usually okay under various "fair use" get-outclauses, and is unlikely to get you into court, but don't push your luck.And yes, the Internet and the 'Web are fully covered by copyright. It maysometimes be a little harder to enforce, but enough money, spent on enoughlawyers, will deal with that. Electronic communications are not above thelaw.There's no copyright on ideas or facts - just on the way they arepresented, the "expression of ideas". But ripping off another writer'sstuff is not only bad manners, it can very easily be interpreted by a courtas plagiarism and breach of copyright. It's unwise to push your luck ingrey areas, if only because publishers will not generally touch suspectedplagiarists with a ten-foot pole. (It's too much grief for them.)Incidentally, original characters are generally covered by copyright.Legendary characters (such as, say, Hercules) are in the public domain, butsomething that borrows too much from a modern telling of the tale (such asDisney's "Hercules" movie or the TV version) may be considered breach ofcopyright.TRADEMARKS are names, symbols, or logos used to identify something in thecommercial world. They are covered by a fairly complex system of claims andregistrations, mostly at the level of national law. The main aim of thesystem is to stop anyone passing their products off as someone else's work.For example, you can't call your game "Dungeons and Dragons" - that's a TSRtrademark. If you called it "Demons and Dragoons", you'd probably bepushing your luck. But you can talk about TSR's Dungeons and Dragons, byname, as much as you like; that's not passing anything off as TSR'sproduct.The distinctive logos that companies use are also covered by trademark law.Note that using either names or logos in, say, a magazine you publish -even a fanzine - may fall foul of trademark problems, especially if theyare attached to, say, a scenario for the game. (The scenario might be takenfor something the company sells.) Most companies will permit magazines touse such things, provided that the trademark ownership is acknowledged, butpermission IS required, and is not automatic.Note also that the law says that companies MUST enforce their trademarks;otherwise, they lose them. It may seem harsh, but it's the rules. So if youhear about a games company taking a fanzine publisher to court overtrademark use, don't assume that the company is evil; they probably have nochoice if they want to hang on to the thing that marks their products outfrom everyone else's stuff.PATENTS are the things that give inventors rights to machines or processesthat they invent, handled by a registration system at the national level.As such, they are not generally relevant to the RPG industry, as you can'tpatent ideas with no unique physical form. However, in 1997, Wizards of theCoast were granted a patent for "Magic: the Gathering", their trading-cardgame - something which caused a lot of discussion and controversy in thehobby game world, and which may have indirect consequences for RPGs.The following 'Web sites have been recommended by readers of the newsgroupas providing more extensive information on these subjects:Copyright in general:http://www.aimnet.com/~carroll/copyright/faq-home.htmlhttp://www.clari.net/brad/copymyths.htmlUK Copyright:http://www.patent.gov.uk/dpolicy/index.htmlUK Trade Marks:http://www.patent.gov.uk/dtrademk/index.htmlInternational Protection of Intellectual Property:http://www.wipo.org/eng/general/index2.htmOn Intellectual Property in the USA, see the US Patent and Trademark officesite at:http://www.uspto.gov/- recommended pages at this site include:http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/doc/general/http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/tac/doc/basic/The latter is a pamphlet, customarily furnished in response to generalinformation requests about trademarks received at the Patent and TrademarkOffice. This whole site is widely recommended as a first stop.Q21a. Didn't TSR trademark the word "Nazi"?A21a. It may seem bizarre to include such a specific question in a FAQ,but the number of times the thing comes up really does justify it. The quick answer is "no." What seems to have happened is that TSR's old"Indiana Jones" game included an illustration or cardboard figure of a Nazisoldier (as a villain), with a "TM" symbol next to the word. The myth grewfrom there. However, what was being trademarked was NOT the word, but theassociated image. Furthermore, the trademarks in that product were claimed,not by TSR, but by Lucasfilm (makers of the Indiana Jones movies). However, some people refuse to let mere facts get in the way of a goodurban legend. This one is amazingly persistent. If you try to resurrect iton the newsgroup, expect to be derided by the old hands. Plenty of people on the newsgroup find plausible reasons to mock theold regime at TSR (and others are ready to defend the company). But pleaseleave the "Nazi(TM)" canard out of it.Q22. Aren't Games Workshop the Antichrist and the source of all evil?A22. No. Okay, this deserves a little more explanation. Some people who post tothis newsgroup believe that Games Workshop's action in changing from agames importer/distributor to a wargames company handling purely their ownproducts was extremely bad for role-playing, and object to the companyphilosophy that it reflected. (The expansion of their retail chain, and thebusiness tactics allegedly involved at times, are particularlycontroversial.) Others emphasise that these were business decisions, anddefend GW on that basis. Either way, this change took place about ten yearsago; whether it is worth discussing after all this time is *itself* subjectto dispute. All this is certainly on-charter for the newsgroup, and may be relevantto more general discussion of the UK RPG industry. However, it may also beworth noting that very few opinions have ever actually been changed whenthe subjects have been discussed here. While not everyone who mentionsGames Workshop on uk.games.roleplay is trolling, the effects may besimilar. If you do raise this subject, polite requests for relevant factualinformation are probably the least inflammatory approach. (The facts of thematter are not particularly obscure, and arguably verge on the trivial.)Q23. How do I get a new section added to this FAQ, or correct anymistakes in it?A23. You e-mail me at the address below, with your ideas. Allcontributions gratefully received: I know a fair amount about bits of thehobby, but I don't know it all.This FAQ for uk.games.roleplay is currently re-posted monthly. It wasoriginally drafted by James Wallis, and subsequently revised andextended by Phil Masters and now Matthew Vernon. Additionalinformation and assistance was supplied by helpful and admirablepeople too numerous to list.Last update: 3rd December 1999 Send corrections/additions to the FAQ Maintainer: matthew@sel.cam.ac.uk Matthew VernonLast modified: Sun Dec 5 17:36:23 GMT 1999 |
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