Topic: House Rule Contest

[Defendi]

Just an FYI, and to give you all something to talk about, we're looking to have a house rule contest for each product.

This is an informal announcement, so don't start submitting yet.  We will post official rules closer to release.

Essentially, it's this.  You will submit your favorite house rule(s) for consideration.  You can submit Rolemaster, HARP, d20 or our as yet unannounced fourth license (when we announce it, of course).  We intend to have one contest for every product release, with a winner in each of the four systems.

By submitting, you will be signing over the idea to us (although legally you can't copyright an idea, we want to make it clear you're giving us the rights to use it for "free").  If you don't win, you get it back (well, you still have it anyway since you can't copyright a rule).  If you do win, we write up the house rule and publish it in the product (probably in the sourcebook part).  You get full credit as "John Doe, of New York City, New York," or such in a high-tech greyscreen text box.  Maybe even with a drop shadow like your finest word processors can produce.    If you win, you will get a free copy of the product in the full bundle (basically all systems, so you don't have to choose).  It will be the PDF, in the event we work out enough legal issues with the licenses and cost issues in general to do Lulu.

Our sophisticated judging system involves what we like best.    There might be a little play in that as well.  For instance if we have a big arctic adveture and you supply an arctic house rule, it's got a good chance of winning us over.    Also, if you submit in multiple systems and you would have won more than one, we might give you to option of holding one or more until the NEXT product.  That way if it's still the best, you could get two products in a row for free.

These are just informal ideas, as I said.  Feel free to talk about it as much or as little as you want.  Anything you say here will not be a submission and will only be referenced officially if there is some dispute over who put forth an idea originally.

[Grafton]

When you say Rolemaster, I ask what version?

[ictus]

As most house rules are based on the rules, which can be copyrighted, then they are derivative works thus ICE own them, so it is hard to even say they are ideas as they are based on copyrighted matterial, I've no doubt your licence covers you, but just so others are clear, it is more complex than ideas can't be copyrighted as each case would be taken on it's merits.

just a left field observation

[Defendi]

Grafton, the rule needs to be usable in RMFRP.  Of course there's a lot of overlap between all versions of RM.  A parrying house rule, for instance, is likely to useful in all systems.

Ictus, I'm not a copyright lawyer, so don't take my understanding as law, and I don't need to verify said understanding because of my license, but it's my reading that you cannot copyright a rule.  A rule is an idea and you can't copyright concepts (if you could there would be no fiction left to publish).  You couldn't publish a RM house rule without a license because RM is copyrighted (and a trademark and all that), but if anyone out there has a house rule that they might one day use in their own game, they could still publish it later.

[GerikGnome]

You can copyright words (not actual words in individuality, but strings of words--what we call sentences) if they're unique enough.  But to actually have a case in court, you have to prove that a substantial portion of the work was, in fact, stolen (about a chapter in a book, several paragraphs in a smaller work, a few lines from song lyrics, etc).  The derivative works clause is a toughie, though.  It's so ambiguous it could mean anything (which is why, I think, I've never heard of a successfully prosecuted derivative works case).  I think for derivatives you would need something so obvious as (for example) people running around in robes, using laser-swords, and the "Power" in a non-parody.

Anyway, long story short...you can't copyright ideas themselves (only content, art, logos, icons, etc--that is intellectual property).

But then, I'm not the lawyer in my family.  The law may have changed since the last time I talked.

[Defendi]

We are opening our first House Rules contest now.  Go to http://www.finalredoubt.com/house_rules_contest.htm.

[Defendi]

Only two weeks left of the contest.  Make sure you get your enteries in.

[Xennex]

I'd submit a house rule... but I'm a d20 whore. I don't have any house rules that would apply to Echoes. And what house rules I do have, Goodfellow Defendi taught me. 

[Defendi]

. . . How have you been in the playtest for nine months and I haven't told you that we're doing a d20 version?

[Xennex]

Oh, I know that there's a d20 version.  I thought the House Rules contest was only for Rolemaster. Of course... is it fair for me to enter since I am in the playtest?

[Defendi]

No, not really.  I was just saying.

[Elton Robb]

No, not really.  I was just saying.

I have the most interesting house rule for d20 for you Xennex.  After you create your character, I leave the rules alone until I feel that they are needed.

[Xennex]

That's pretty close to what I do anyway. I'm in process, though, of getting the gumption up of seeing if Bob can let me copy the Crit charts for Rolemaster, so I can use them in my next d20 game. 

[Elton Robb]

well, technically, you don't have to ask for permission for private use, or else every Palladium GM would be swamping Kevin's office with letters.  But it's nice that you've asked. 

[Defendi]

Three days left in the house rules contest.  No one's entered for RM or HARP yet, so if you enter, it might be an easy win.

[Sorloc]

Look for my RMSS/RMFRP submission tomorrow...

[kedrake]

Got my submission in late Friday.

[Defendi]

Okay.  I hope send out notifications to winners for the House Rules Contest on Monday.  Today, I opened the SECOND house rules contest.  If you win this one, you get the second product for free and your house rule will be published there as well.  This contest ends May 31st, so enter soon and enter often.

If you are unsure whether or not to resubmit your rule from last contest, don't worry about it.  Though we has a surge of entries right at the end there, it wasn't so big I need to clear the deck for the next contest.  So anything you submitted will be carried over to the second contest so you don't have to worry about overlap (eventually one contest will be completely closed and everyone will know what happened before the next one opens).  So basically your last rule either won or it's already entered for two.

But don't let that stop you from submitting again.  Just submit something new.  Remember, if we don't have any we like, we declare no winner.  Don't let that happen.  It's a free product just getting wasted out there for nothing.

http://www.finalredoubt.com/house_rules_contest.htm

[Defendi]

One day left to get in your house rules.

[Defendi]

Okay.  Second House Rule contest closed and notifications have gone out to winners.  We've opened the third.  Enter soon and enter often.

http://www.finalredoubt.com/house_rules_contest.htm