Be social
Thanks for taking the time to post a new comment or a reply to one! First scan these quick notes, if you please:
General
* Currently, previewing a post is optional; you're welcome to preview or post immediately.
* You should see plain text input by default; click "enable rich text" for fancy formatting tools. (Some people love that and some don't. Be aware that formatting tool performance may vary by browser.)
* With apologies to all, "captcha" questions may face unregistered posters. Otherwise, the spam flow will dwarf the Nile.
Registration and login
* Registration is available! Sign up here. Chief benefits at present include the ability to edit your own comments, bookmark favorite content, and manage subscriptions (newsletter, threads, etc.).
* If you'd prefer to post as an unregistered visitor, that's welcome too. Just leave "Your name" as the default "Esteemed Visitor", or type in some other name. (But if you happen to type in a name used by a registered user – say, "tbone" – you'll get an error telling you so when you hit "post comment". And while your post text should still be there, waiting for a revised user name, there's a chance it could disappear.)
* If you're a registered user but haven't logged in and want to post a quick comment as Esteemed Visitor, that's fine; see above.
* If you're a registered user but haven't logged in, and enter your user name under "Your name" when posting, you'll get an error saying that's the name of a registered user. That's a good thing; it means strangers can't make posts under your user name! But as above, there's a chance of losing your post text. It's best to log in first here, and then start your posting.
Final
All the above is standard stuff for community web sites, but reminders are good; I hate post-related glitches, and hate to see people run into them on this site. On this or any site, it's a good practice to do a quick "Select All" and "Copy" on your post text before hitting "Preview comment" or "Post comment" – just in case.
For more on the whole topic of interaction with the site, please see User Interaction (opens in new window).
Patron advantage
How's everything?
Enjoying your Games Diner meal? Is the wait staff attentive? Is the chef bathed? (Then it must be a Sunday.) You do know that a little eggshell in the French toast adds calcium, right?
If the cramps haven't set in yet, I hope you'll say Hi to the chef or check out the many ways you can contribute to the Diner.
Now eat. Eat up! You're as thin as a rail.
Build a site!
Cast Seek Spell
THE TAKEOUT MENU
For collaborators, contributors, or the curious. Notice of site updates; project announcements; calls for playtesting; etc.
Ideas can't be granted
Ideas can't be granted protection. An expression of an idea can be copyrighted, a machine, or process based on an idea may be patented, a brand developed around the products developed from an idea may be protected by trademark.
But the idea itself is free for anybody else to use. The only option is trade secret which the law protects if you make a deliberate effort to keep the idea a secret. This is self-defeating for a games however.
The reason for this is that the founding fathers realized that while efforts of inventors and authors need to be protected that continued progress for the collective good requires the free exchange of ideas. Understand that copyright was created by the crown heads of Europe as means of CENSORSHIP and control.
Too strong copyrights, patents, and trademarks only benefit entrenched interests. Too weak has the same effect. Between the two extremes is the middle ground where the little guy gains some measure of protection as well as the big guy.
As for the retro-clones, you have to understand that Wizards FREELY gave use of the terms and concepts need to recreate the older editions of D&D. As long as you abide by the terms of the Open Game License.
This is because D&D 3.0 can be transformed to D&D 1.0 by limiting the choices a 3.0 character has. Want to play the 1974 rules then you can only pick a Figher, Cleric, or Magic-User. You can only pick a Human, Elf, Dwarf, or Hobbit err Halfling. You get no feats, and less spells.
If you look at the retro-clones you will find that they are incomplete. That because only 90% of what was done in the past can be used through the OGL. This missing bits are mostly found in the monster and treasure sections.