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Thanks for the added thoughts. FWIW, given my shallow knowledge of the subject, the basics seem fair to me: People can't lift text wholesale from others' games, for which I'm glad, but they can use rules ideas, which as you note, can't be granted protection. Legal protection for game ideas seems impractical anyway. No complaints here so far.
Re D&D: The rights granted by Wizards' OGL are interesting stuff. Though what I gather from my weak understanding, and from Jeff Dee's comment, is that with or without that OGL, one could "clone" much of D&D simply by being careful to avoid copying specific text or other tangible expressions of its ideas. It would seem I could easily create a game in which "Warriors", "Magic Wielders", "Priests", and "Burglars" gain "ranks" as they delve "catacombs", picking up magic armor to boost "Protection Class"... Actually, that seems far more cautious than necessary, based on what I see in countless existing pro and amateur creations.
Anyway, I approach this post simply from a "huh, never thought about this much" perspective. There's a world of info out there I need to skim to gain basic competence on the topic.
Unrelated tangent: I had recent cause to drop by your site, though I forget what exactly brought me there. I quite like the How to make a Fantasy Sandbox post. Great stuff for any GM, new or old.
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Thanks for the added thoughts. FWIW, given my shallow knowledge of the subject, the basics seem fair to me: People can't lift text wholesale from others' games, for which I'm glad, but they can use rules ideas, which as you note, can't be granted protection. Legal protection for game ideas seems impractical anyway. No complaints here so far.
Re D&D: The rights granted by Wizards' OGL are interesting stuff. Though what I gather from my weak understanding, and from Jeff Dee's comment, is that with or without that OGL, one could "clone" much of D&D simply by being careful to avoid copying specific text or other tangible expressions of its ideas. It would seem I could easily create a game in which "Warriors", "Magic Wielders", "Priests", and "Burglars" gain "ranks" as they delve "catacombs", picking up magic armor to boost "Protection Class"... Actually, that seems far more cautious than necessary, based on what I see in countless existing pro and amateur creations.
Anyway, I approach this post simply from a "huh, never thought about this much" perspective. There's a world of info out there I need to skim to gain basic competence on the topic.
Unrelated tangent: I had recent cause to drop by your site, though I forget what exactly brought me there. I quite like the How to make a Fantasy Sandbox post. Great stuff for any GM, new or old.