Quote from: Krimson;899150Okay I'll give this a go.
snip for size

sound like a super cool  seting to me

I have a couple ideas for games, very system-centric.
for Brave New World, there is GeneCo. (yes, GeneCo is the name of the company from Repo the Genetic Opera) a new setting. GeneCo was working on a new wonder drug, an artificial stem cell formula that you could inject using a one use, 2 step hypodermic needle (or air hypo). Step 1) put the nozzle against your skin and push the green button, this takes a small DNA sample. Step 2) Shake the device, press the nozzle back against your skin, and push the red button.
Shaking the device "helps" mix your DNA with the formula (not really but marketing says that this gives the consumer the illusion that it does, and that will help with sales).  In lab tests the formula successfully repaired damaged hearts, livers, kidneys, sped the healing of broken bones, etc. Multiple applications were required to regrow Subject #42089's (not his real name) right hand.  Human trials were under way going with volunteers who had nothing to lose.  In at least one case inoperable cancers were cured. And then it happened.
One of the test subjects, a single mother of two, was in a car accident.  Her children, who were in the car, were trapped in the sinking vehicle when it went off the bridge into the river.  After she freed herself, kicking out the engine compartment of the car from the driver's seat, she carried the back 2/3rds of the car up onto shore.  After determining that her children were safe, and except for coughing up a little water, unharmed, she passed out.  Medical scans showed she had developed an odd new organ in place of her appendix. When she returned to GeneCo for further testing it was discovered that she had developed super human strength, and that this was a result of the experimental treatment.  
The rest of the test subjects were brought back for testing, and roughly 23% had developed this new organ as well, and when exposed to various stimuli also exhibited super human abilities.  Further refining determined what exactly was the cause of the development of super abilities (an unintended side effect) and what was "normal" healing.  Then GeneCo went public.
They moved their company headquarters to international territory, and gave away the formula for the artificial stem cell formula (the one that didn't cause super powers) as a sign of good faith.  Then they went into the business of selling super powers.  With a few conditions.  First off you have to sign an ethics agreement.  (no using your powers to rob banks, or perform terrorist activities, etc).  The price is steep, but those with powers are able to use their abilities to be hired for unusual jobs, (Pyrokenetic as a one man firefighter, someone who can create duplicates of himself as a stunt man, a flyer as a high speed courier, etc.) and with a payment plan, GeneCo is willing to let you work off your debt.
Break your contract however, and they send in the Repo team.  (that's where the PCs com in.  their job is to track down people who have broken their contract with GeneCo, and retrieve the organ that supplies the super power.  (After the organ is removed the patient is given an injection of the stem formula to speed healing from the removal)
The Organ is then placed in storage in a GeneCo facility.  Each organ is coded to a specific patient.  Once an organ is removed the human body will not generate a second such organ with a new injection, nor will it accept the implantation of the original (or different) organ.  Each organ only causes the development of 1 super ability (so no flight if you can shoot energy blasts).

I'll post the others later if anyone is interested, as it is 7AM, and I have been up since 9AM

Quote from: Trond;898816I have this game called "La Vendetta" that I have been tinkering with for two years. I'm just too busy or lacking in confidence in it to actually publish I suppose, but maybe I will "publish" it here.
Anybody else in this situation?

I have a couple games I'm working on. And by "working on" I mean that I have not touched my google docs pertaining to them in about a year.
'Bloodlines' is about noble bloodlines living in a Chaos vs Entropy universe. Very traditional in style (attributes, skills, etc), has a bunch of awesome stuff that I'm really happy with (inherited items that get better as they get used/attuned) and a very cool magic system inspired by the video game 'Eternal Darkness'. It is pretty much done and probably just needs a good editing /playtesting before publishing. I would say it's at about 90% completion.
Then there is 'Dungeon Crunch', which is my retro-clone-inspired system which is meant to be simple, with added layers of complexity to make it crunchy. Maybe at 15% completion.

Thanks for the thread, though: makes me want to finish those.

Quote from: kosmos1214;899719sound like a super cool  seting to me

Thanks. I did have a chat with Ryan Danks about the Jadepunk conversion and right now it's a wait and see thing. The conversion is a stretch goal so at the very least I'd like to pen streamlined rules. So this helps motivate me to work on Hachi:Blue some more and hash out some of the mechanics. Reading some of the other threads in this forum, I am determined to make the fluff useful and relevant to the setting. I promise no embedded fan fiction since I don't even like it. At the most I might give little in character blurbs to summarize NPCs. Meh even if I never finish it the experience is good. I think the hard part will be play testing. I mostly run Play by Post though if I can work out how to run it on Fantasy Grounds or maybe even Tabletop Simulator which has dice that use physics and might be the best format to use.

Quote from: Nihilistic Mind;900016I have a couple games I'm working on. And by "working on" I mean that I have not touched my google docs pertaining to them in about a year.
'Bloodlines' is about noble bloodlines living in a Chaos vs Entropy universe. Very traditional in style (attributes, skills, etc), has a bunch of awesome stuff that I'm really happy with (inherited items that get better as they get used/attuned) and a very cool magic system inspired by the video game 'Eternal Darkness'. It is pretty much done and probably just needs a good editing /playtesting before publishing. I would say it's at about 90% completion.
Then there is 'Dungeon Crunch', which is my retro-clone-inspired system which is meant to be simple, with added layers of complexity to make it crunchy. Maybe at 15% completion.

Thanks for the thread, though: makes me want to finish those.

You're welcome. And me too! As for official publishing, I am not sure how to handle that. I don't even know if I want to make any money on it (it would probably be very little anyway). I do think some people might have fun with it, so maybe I'll just throw the PDF into the Internet and see what happens

Quote from: Trond;900067You're welcome. And me too! As for official publishing, I am not sure how to handle that. I don't even know if I want to make any money on it (it would probably be very little anyway). I do think some people might have fun with it, so maybe I'll just throw the PDF into the Internet and see what happens

I know that feeling. If anything I'd probably spend money getting my game done. It's like my music. I've put money into it, have it on various sites, but have no intention on trying to monetize it. What I might do when I am ready to put it together is rent InDesign by Adobe, cross my fingers that it at least superficially resembles Page Maker (I just dated myself ) and then piece the PDF together with whatever copyleft templates I can find before I bite the bullet and commission artwork.

So, here's something I want to ask you degenerate fuckers (and that's a term of endearment)....

What if I had a notebook of ideas, and let me be honest- I've used a handful of these ideas before only to find out someone had taken them and claimed them as their own?  How would I be able to safeguard what I have?  

Also, I'm no real expert- I've just jotted down a few ideas here and there.  I don't know where and how to begin turning anything I have into a functional 'game'.  But there are some things I have been working with, based on experiences with other games.  These are just some examples.

-A weapon/armor system based on materials, weight, construction, etc. to determine the effectiveness of a weapon.  I never liked the idea of a proper 'hero' using a mass-produced weapon or suit of armor.  I always figured that they'd work to construct their own or commission this.  Swordsman A might use a 'broadsword' type weapon, but his would be much different from Swordsman B's 'broadsword'.  I'd want to get really deep into how weapons are used, how they're built for a purpose and the advantages of say, a heavier short sword vs. a lighter long sword.  (Not just limited to swords, but that's just an example).

-A firearms system that's actually able to use the data from real-world firearms and incorporate it into gameplay, even different ammunition types.  I'd like for you to say, "I want Commando Joe to use an HCAR"- then pull the stats for that real-world weapon, and convert it over to a weapon you could use in the game with a simple formula.

-I want to explore the multiverse theory, and in doing so give the players the options to be a wide variety of different types of heroes and encounter a wider variety of adventures and challenges.  Instead of giving the players a setting and expecting them to shoehorn in a character to it... I want to give players a tool to say, "All right, you fuckers.  You wanna do some Wizards and Wusses, have at it.  Or you can do GI Jerkoff.  Or Space Opera Dickery.  Whatever, here's some basic ideas, use as little or as much as you want, don't pee the bed."

-Instead of 'classes', I'd like for the players to do a 'point buy' system similar to White Wolf's games.  Except, you know, not completely neutered.  I really, really believe in 'being the hero you want to be'.  I think it'd be cool to start the game as someone significant if you want- and still be challenged... rather than starting as a putz with a training sword and a leather vest.

Quote from: Crüesader;900136What if I had a notebook of ideas, and let me be honest- I've used a handful of these ideas before only to find out someone had taken them and claimed them as their own?  How would I be able to safeguard what I have?

Publish them, and make them OGL, Open Source, etc. Then anyone can use your ideas, but they have to credit you.

OR

Publish them, then send attack lawyers at anyone who uses your ideas.

Quote from: Spinachcat;900141Publish them, and make them OGL, Open Source, etc. Then anyone can use your ideas, but they have to credit you.

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But for real, though.  How do I OGL?

Even- what is it like doing this, what would you recommend doing to start with, what would be the safest way to troubleshoot ideas, etc.

Quote from: Spinachcat;900141Publish them, then send attack lawyers at anyone who uses your ideas.

I'm not going to lie, I pictured a doberman in a tie sitting next to a briefcase.

Quote from: Crüesader;900142But for real, though.  How do I OGL?

First off anything original you write, you automatically have copyright in. There is nothing further you need to do. In the United States, if you want to be able to sue for damages then you will need to register your original work with the copyright office. Otherwise the best you can hope for is a court judgment for the violate to cease distributing your work, turn over/destroy all copies (if physical).

So now have a work that you write and you have the copyright in it. What that means? The more important right is that you have control over how it is copied. Any copy of the work can only be with your permission under the conditions you imposed.

The Open Game License is a set of permissions expressed in a formal document. The basic gist, is that in exchange for the right to copy the open content of my work, you must a) not cite compatibility unless you have a separate license, b) declare whatever you use from my work as open content in your work, c) modify Section 15 to include a citation to my work.

To let people know you have granted this permission you take text of this copy.

https://www.wizards.com/d20/files/OGLv1.0a.rtf

If you are making something based off of the d20 SRD then add your work to the bottom of section 15. If it has nothing to do with the d20 SRD or any other work under the OGL, then just replace it with a citation to your work in the same format as the Wizard entry. If you are using content from another OGL work then copy their ENTIRE Section 15 and then put the reference to your work at the end.

Then in a separate paragraph outside of the license text clearly state what part of your work is open content. It could be as simple as all text in this book is open content. Or you can designate specific chapters or even marked paragraphs. Personally I think it  is a dick move if the author doesn' t make simple to see what open content or not. Some say something like "All content devired from the d20 SRD is open content." Yeah OK like that helpful.

Then have another paragraph declaring what is Product Identity which is the stuff that can't be copies. Even products that have their entire text under the OGL declare that their company name, trademark, and art are product identity.

That how you OGL a work.
 

Quote from: Crüesader;900142Even- what is it like doing this, what would you recommend doing to start with, what would be the safest way to troubleshoot ideas, etc.

All you really have to do is make clear the terms on which you are allowing people to copy your text. If you post a document and at the end say "This document can only be copied for personal use by members of the therpgsite for the purposes of playtesting and commentary." The thing about the OGL is that a lot of people know what it means so once you get comfortable with it and designating what is product identity and what is open content, then you have less questions to answer.

Again the OGL is about clearly communicating to the reader what portion of the text can and can't be copied. It is a formal permission by you.

Quote from: Crüesader;900136What if I had a notebook of ideas, and let me be honest- I've used a handful of these ideas before only to find out someone had taken them and claimed them as their own?  How would I be able to safeguard what I have?  

Once you write something original, you have copyright. That your protection. However that give you to right to use the court to stop somebody from distributing your work. Even then the infringement has to be over a certain values. Which is why you see the ludicrous numbers in those cases involving people downloading songs. The plaintiff is trying to boost the value over the minimum so they can file it. Downloading cases are ideal, because you can assign a nominally "low" Number to each download and then multiply it by a lot of downloads. I believe you can recover any actual damages, but then that not the situation you are asking about.

If you register the copyright then you have more options in what you can claim for monetary compensation.

Remember there is no small claims for copyright. However if the copying is found on-line then you can use the DMCA to take down the content.

Like I said earlier the point of copyright is that you have sole control over how the work is duplicated. The driving principle in all of this is making clear what permission you give to people for copying your stuff. It not some black art. Just think of what you will say to me, spinachcat, or pundit if we were in person you just handed me a bunch of papers with your stuff written out. "Please don't copy this." "You can copy it but don't make a product out of it." "Only copy this for people who in theRPGsite" etc, etc.

The worse screw up that could happen is that a copyright holder loses his ability to recover PAST damage. You can't lose copyright unless you explicitly sold it or gave it away.

Thank you, degenerates.  In 5 months- who would like a playtest?

Dark Albion: Cults of Chaos will be coming out any time now. It's almost done.