JeffC
03-27-2001, 06:50 AM
Someone's comment about a Mechwarrior game got me to thinking, so I'll toss this question out.
The storybuilder toolkit will be, in effect, an engine through which you can create and run your own game, right? Once it is opened to the public, any member who pays for the premium service will be able to access the toolkit to create their own game?
What if someone creates a D&D game? Since Skotos is charging money to use the site, wouldn't that be some kind of violation or other? But if it is, why isn't it a violation for a game store or convention to charge to rent a table to play a game of D&D in the their game room? Is the owner of the space responsible for the copyright and license infringments of those who play in his space? Even if the game store doesn't charge to use the space, what if they allow players to reference books on their shelves without actually purchasing them? Wouldn't that technically be the same thing?
So what I am asking is, once the Storybuilder toolkit is up, is Skotos going to have to approve each game before it is made available, even if it is a personal and private game between a small group of people? Even if you do maintain some sort of approval process, how are you going to keep storybuilders from occasionally stealing material from other games? I don't imagine you'll be able to monitor every game for contect, yet if someone takes an entire published adventure setting from a D&D module and uses it in their game, Skotos could get in trouble, couldn't they?
The storybuilder toolkit will be, in effect, an engine through which you can create and run your own game, right? Once it is opened to the public, any member who pays for the premium service will be able to access the toolkit to create their own game?
What if someone creates a D&D game? Since Skotos is charging money to use the site, wouldn't that be some kind of violation or other? But if it is, why isn't it a violation for a game store or convention to charge to rent a table to play a game of D&D in the their game room? Is the owner of the space responsible for the copyright and license infringments of those who play in his space? Even if the game store doesn't charge to use the space, what if they allow players to reference books on their shelves without actually purchasing them? Wouldn't that technically be the same thing?
So what I am asking is, once the Storybuilder toolkit is up, is Skotos going to have to approve each game before it is made available, even if it is a personal and private game between a small group of people? Even if you do maintain some sort of approval process, how are you going to keep storybuilders from occasionally stealing material from other games? I don't imagine you'll be able to monitor every game for contect, yet if someone takes an entire published adventure setting from a D&D module and uses it in their game, Skotos could get in trouble, couldn't they?