Teaching a New System from Afar

[Kain_Tempest]

THE PREAMBLE

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The situation starts off as such: I want to introduce a game world or two the PBP forums. The problem is that I doubt anyone is actually familiar with the system because of its obscurity. The system itself can convert to OGL, but I am strong averse to using d20 because it is inappropriate for the feel of the game world.

So the problem is I want to run the system but I cannot without teaching the system and teaching the system would involve trying to explain the game mechanics and leading to a big wall of text which I certainly think would scare off players. There is no downloadable copy of the system.

QUESTION
How does the board suggest I go about explaining a new game system on the forums. Should I:
A) Give the majority of the rules and try to be as concise and clear as possible, despite how complicated some concepts may be?
B) Present a watered down version of the system that simplifies the game so that it is easier to pick up?
C) Do I go with option A but do some hand holding by offering character packages so that the players are not overwhelmed with choices at the start?
D) Do I just bite the bullet and use d20 rules or another, more popular system instead?
E) Or do you have another option available. Please specify.

[Ascension]

The difficulty here is legality. At least for most games it wouldn't be hard to give a fairly concise version of the crunch, enough for players without the book to handle it, but the question is, would it be legal? With d20 the SRD and OGL allow a free sharing of the fluffless core mechanics, but most other games don't have that luxury.

If the book is available for purchase online, particularly if it's available through DriveThruRPG, you could simply give a link to the place where it can be bought, but your potential players might well be wary about forking over cash for an obscure system.

I need to learn to read better. So there isn't any downloadable copy. Is there any chance it's old enough for the copyrights to have expired? I know the old Marvel Super Heroes game is available freely online because it's now public domain or something. Then you could post the rules in toto without worry.

This question would be a bit easier to answer if you told us what the game is. We do have a wide variety of folks here, and someone may have heard of the game.

[Swordguy]

The difficulty here is legality. At least for most games it wouldn't be hard to give a fairly concise version of the crunch, enough for players without the book to handle it, but the question is, would it be legal? With d20 the SRD and OGL allow a free sharing of the fluffless core mechanics, but most other games don't have that luxury.

As long as you aren't copy-pasting swathes of text, you're fine. You can't copyright rules - only their presentation.

[Thrud]

The difficulty here is legality. At least for most games it wouldn't be hard to give a fairly concise version of the crunch, enough for players without the book to handle it, but the question is, would it be legal? With d20 the SRD and OGL allow a free sharing of the fluffless core mechanics, but most other games don't have that luxury.

If the book is available for purchase online, particularly if it's available through DriveThruRPG, you could simply give a link to the place where it can be bought, but your potential players might well be wary about forking over cash for an obscure system.

I need to learn to read better. So there isn't any downloadable copy. Is there any chance it's old enough for the copyrights to have expired? I know the old Marvel Super Heroes game is available freely online because it's now public domain or something. Then you could post the rules in toto without worry.

This question would be a bit easier to answer if you told us what the game is. We do have a wide variety of folks here, and someone may have heard of the game.

I'm not sure how this is possible, as U.S. copyright law states that the copyright is the life of the author plus 50 years. I mean Edgar Rice Burrough's Martian Chronicles, Carson of Venus, Tarzan books, and Pellucidar novels have only just become public domain. And they were written in the teens, 20s, 30s, and 40s. And not all of them are even in the public domain yet, some are still copyrighted. So I doubt that any gaming products are actually in the public domain because of time. It is possible that someone might have given up their copyright, but they wouldn't have actually expired yet.

[Ascension]

It is possible that someone might have given up their copyright,

I guess that must be it. I remember hearing a convincing argument that the Marvel Super Heroes thing was legal.

There's also a slim chance that the OP's game was copyright elsewhere, I suppose...

[kjones]

I know we're being deliberately obtuse here and everything, but what's the game?

[Ascension]

As long as you aren't copy-pasting swathes of text, you're fine. You can't copyright rules - only their presentation.

Wait, I missed this post earlier... seriously? That's... that's a mighty big loophole in copyright law.

I suppose if I paraphrase a bestselling novel I can then cash in on it myself, since it's not the same presentation? Or does it only apply to gaming rules?

[Thrud]

Wait, I missed this post earlier... seriously? That's... that's a mighty big loophole in copyright law.

I suppose if I paraphrase a bestselling novel I can then cash in on it myself, since it's not the same presentation? Or does it only apply to gaming rules?

No. You can never profit off of someone else's intellectual property.

[Ascension]

No. You can never profit off of someone else's intellectual property.

Well, I didn't think so, but now I'm confused. Are gaming rules not intellectual property or something?

[Kain_Tempest]

Thank you for the feedback so far. The system is called SilCORE, originally Silohuette and is owned by Dream Pod 9.

The system is used in Heavy Gear, Tribe 8, Gear Krieg, Jovian Chronicles, and Core Command.

[Yakk]

Well, I didn't think so, but now I'm confused. Are gaming rules not intellectual property or something?

*nod*, they aren't. You cannot own the rules of a game -- you can own the trademarks of the product, you can own the presentation of the rules of a game, but the actual rules are a method of thinking.

It is like the distinction between Patents, Trademarks and Copyright. They are very distinct things, often for very distinct reasons. The rules of a game are closest to being Patentable, but they apparently don't pass every test.

Interoperability is also a strong component of the freedoms that most governments guarantees. Note that Nintendo's attempt to trademark the binary string that their authorized games sent to the console was overturned because it was being used for interoperability purposes.

[Ascension]

*nod*, they aren't. You cannot own the rules of a game -- you can own the trademarks of the product, you can own the presentation of the rules of a game, but the actual rules are a method of thinking.

It is like the distinction between Patents, Trademarks and Copyright. They are very distinct things, often for very distinct reasons. The rules of a game are closest to being Patentable, but they apparently don't pass every test.

Interoperability is also a strong component of the freedoms that most governments guarantees. Note that Nintendo's attempt to trademark the binary string that their authorized games sent to the console was overturned because it was being used for interoperability purposes.

Ugh. It's times like these I'm really glad I never let anyone talk me into becoming a lawyer.

I'm also glad I'm not doing any game design.