mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
Oh, and if he doesn't want any of it can I have all the drafts for A.I. and the unpublished MT adventures 
What Was It About DGP?
- Thread starter Vargas
- Start date
Well, I think Traveller forges on ahead. There is such as a thing as reinventing the wheel. I mean a lot of what was published in those supplements was published before in official CT supplements. The air raft (various versions), grav tanks (various versions), and the Vilani/Vargr Alien module, and so forth. As great of a polish as some of it had, I think a lot of that material can be reintroduced without mister Sanger's permission by virtue of the fact that it was already part of the game. Anything that was new and unique can be reintroduced by creating something to supplant what was lost. Stay tuned 
I think that many, many elements have been reintroduced. Some of these years after DGP went away and Mr. Sanger's acquisition.
Some Examples:
Chanestin Empire and Interstellar Confederacy are detailed in T4's Milieu 0 Campaign book, even though first appearing in Traveller Digest.
Traveller 1248 has: Ancient warmachines depowered/resting on Vland, The Lords of Thunder, Gateway Station, the Solomani genetic Supermen, etc.
Is just the specific DGP books and magazines which "unavailable", or is it IP as well? I ask because the above could not have been used otherwise?
Some Examples:
Chanestin Empire and Interstellar Confederacy are detailed in T4's Milieu 0 Campaign book, even though first appearing in Traveller Digest.
Traveller 1248 has: Ancient warmachines depowered/resting on Vland, The Lords of Thunder, Gateway Station, the Solomani genetic Supermen, etc.
Is just the specific DGP books and magazines which "unavailable", or is it IP as well? I ask because the above could not have been used otherwise?
Avenger Enterprises
SOC-11
The answer I was given was that you can make reference to stuff in DGP materials but you can't use the specific text. A fuzzy area might be a concept that only appeared in a DGP book, but as far as I'm aware all concepts published for the Traveller game and recognised as canon are (mostly*) fair game for any other Traveller writer.
* I say mostly because there are some legal issues with material created for certain companies. Since they published the work without paying the writer, they had no legal right to do so and thereby place the concept in the game 'body of canon' for others to use. This does affect things like the T20 CD if it ever appears, since in fact much of what was published for T20 was in fact stolen IP. I'm still open to a settlement on that, of course, but I'm not expecting anything to happen.
* I say mostly because there are some legal issues with material created for certain companies. Since they published the work without paying the writer, they had no legal right to do so and thereby place the concept in the game 'body of canon' for others to use. This does affect things like the T20 CD if it ever appears, since in fact much of what was published for T20 was in fact stolen IP. I'm still open to a settlement on that, of course, but I'm not expecting anything to happen.
I can't think of anything so specific in any of DGP's portfolio that wasn't part of the OTU before hand. I sold most of mine, so I really can't grab a book to say, but I don't remember a single device or situation that couldn't be brought back in.
Forget about buying what's-his-name out. He's going to hold onto that stuff hoping for lots of zeros on a cheque, or just out of spite. Screw it. Go through the books, look for what you want/need, tweak it, call it something else, and throw it out there for people to use.
I'm tired of hearing about this one guy and his shady-lock on this stuff.
Forget about buying what's-his-name out. He's going to hold onto that stuff hoping for lots of zeros on a cheque, or just out of spite. Screw it. Go through the books, look for what you want/need, tweak it, call it something else, and throw it out there for people to use.
I'm tired of hearing about this one guy and his shady-lock on this stuff.
For that matter, the material isn't so good that it can't be improved. Write your own version of Starship Owner's Manual, and publish it thru Mongoose, or FFE. There are other, more current, World Builder's handbooks out there. And so on.
No, it's not easy, and many can't do it. But it is doable.
Precisely.
I don't think rules are an issue, unless you mean something like how a specific device can only operate under certain conditions that was published strictly within the DGP portfolio, and I can't think of any examples of that. In fact I can't think of anything device or setting wise in the MT/DGP era that doesn't have its roots with GDW, and even if you're talking about big things like the rebellion setting, it's still free game.
Like someone reminded me on the Bestiary thread when I was talking about writing an adventure focused around Sagans and E.E. Peters gas giant life forms; ideas cannot be copywritten (copyrighted?), only expressions thereof.
I remember the equipment charts from DGP, which I thought were just outstanding, and the one for the automatic shotgun and laser weaons. I thought both the drawings of the weapons themselves and the ammo track/chart was really elegant and appealing. I'd love to be able to see that stuff circulated for everyone, or refer to those specific examples, but those specific examples belong to the current property owner.
However, laser weapons and auto-shotties are still part of the game, and it doesn't mean that you can't come up with your own really slick drawings and different ammo-tracks or equipment sheets for those items or any other piece of equipment.
And I think that's important, because I think what a lot of people miss is the combination of good rules and presentation. And I think someone with enough school and desire can easily create their own stuff. I might take a crack at it. The Laser Rifle and Laser Carbine are both in the LBBs, Book-4, the Big Traveller book, MT, T4, TNE, and I'm assuming T5. They don't belong to mister Sanger and his DGP portfolio. Just the expression of those devices.
Like someone reminded me on the Bestiary thread when I was talking about writing an adventure focused around Sagans and E.E. Peters gas giant life forms; ideas cannot be copywritten (copyrighted?), only expressions thereof.
I remember the equipment charts from DGP, which I thought were just outstanding, and the one for the automatic shotgun and laser weaons. I thought both the drawings of the weapons themselves and the ammo track/chart was really elegant and appealing. I'd love to be able to see that stuff circulated for everyone, or refer to those specific examples, but those specific examples belong to the current property owner.
However, laser weapons and auto-shotties are still part of the game, and it doesn't mean that you can't come up with your own really slick drawings and different ammo-tracks or equipment sheets for those items or any other piece of equipment.
And I think that's important, because I think what a lot of people miss is the combination of good rules and presentation. And I think someone with enough school and desire can easily create their own stuff. I might take a crack at it. The Laser Rifle and Laser Carbine are both in the LBBs, Book-4, the Big Traveller book, MT, T4, TNE, and I'm assuming T5. They don't belong to mister Sanger and his DGP portfolio. Just the expression of those devices.
I'm not sure what you mean by 'device' exactly, but let me give you an example of what I mean. Suppose I wanted to republish the rules for bionics and prostheses from the Traveller's Digest, so they were available outside of the magazine. Not even for money, but I assume I can't do it straight up. So suppose I were to change them somehow, perhaps updating them with new types of bionics and such, or changing some of the numbers (cost, armor values, etc.), how much would be enough? Or perhaps converting them to be compatible with a different rules system (MgT, or T5 maybe). How different do they have to be? Just the presentation, or whole new numbers?
That falls into the "specifically developed by and for DGP" category, and therefore you would have to discard everything from that article and invent something new. I think I remember the issue you're talking about; it also had a hit location chart for characters and it had that picture of a man with a bionic arm holding his kid.
Bionics are nothing new, so you can probably create your own stuff, as you should.
Bionics are nothing new, so you can probably create your own stuff, as you should.
You know, just forget about the DGP material. It's gone. If you want to reintroduce bionics, then read up on it, see what the latest is in the field, and do a write up Don't even mention the previous stuff. Forge on ahead
Don't even mention the previous stuff. Forge on ahead 
GypsyComet
SOC-14 1K
Note that the concept of cybernetics and bionics, and the precise definitions of those terms in Traveller, started with the first issue of JTAS back in the 70s. That article just codified the MegaTraveller versions.
We could also check with the author and see if DGP bought the article outright or just first publication rights.
We could also check with the author and see if DGP bought the article outright or just first publication rights.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
Cybernetics have been re-introduced in TNE, MgT an T5.
GypsyComet
SOC-14 1K
That is really dependent on how much you've added and/or re-written.
Rules are only protected in their exact wording in the US. Paraphrase it and you're golden.
Europe varies widely; in France, copyright can protect the whole mode of play (there was a case recently about a board game called Jungle Speed...).
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
In addition to Aramis's paraphrasing recommendation, if it's a DGP source chances are you'll have to correct the numbers anyway - that changes it.
Add new artwork - that changes it.
Add new artwork - that changes it.
You know, just forget about the DGP material. It's gone. If you want to reintroduce bionics, then read up on it, see what the latest is in the field, and do a write up
Good advice.
I'm pretty sure neither DGP or GDW ever bought first publication rights, it was always an outright purchase. Having said that, it's my understanding that when GDW went under, material from Challenge and the like reverted to the original author. (Note that I am not a lawyer; perhaps Don would know?)
And I had an interesting conversation with an old friend recently where we noted that no one brings up Flaming Eye as one of the DGP products they're dying to get their hands on . . .
