We are so lucky to have the Frat and the Kargatane!

[Wiccy of the Fraternity]

Either a QtR theme or another USS book, the latter being set aside for special projects, so it may be more suited to a book with such a theme.

How it is gone about though is up to people, the FoS have their hands full alot of the time to take on an additional project (I, for instance, am currently creating a tarot deck, a line of t-shirts, creating a tarokka deck for my Ravenloft games, working on commissioned art, etc), but if someone (or someones) on the forums wish to run the show we would always host it on this site granted it doesn't break any of the rules we have (like no OGL material, etc).

[Jason of the Fraternity]

Considering we are using parts of our free time to make the site work, it is great to have a little feedback on our slave labor of love once in a while.

This is very true, Joel! While we certainly aren't fishing for compliments, it is always nice to receive feedback from the on-line community. We enjoy getting compliments, and we even appreciate getting construtive criticism to help improve these boards.

Either a QtR theme or another USS book, the latter being set aside for special projects, so it may be more suited to a book with such a theme.

Since we're theorhetically not having themes for QtR anymore, I would also lean more towards this idea being one of the USS speical projects. We're doing the Children of the Night book for this year, but a Legacy of Blood book might be an interesting topic for USS 2006. It could make an interesting collection, and the extra time would allow everyone to work together in order to produce connections between various characters.

[Hrtofdrkns]

Well shucks, I appreciate you FOS. Even though I don't run a true ravenloft campaign, I use your ideas a lot. Thanks for all your hard work!

I like the idea of the npc netbook. I have a few ideas I've been kicking around in my dreams and nightmares...

[Hrtofdrkns]

Sadly, by the time I got in to ravenloft and other campaigns, the kargatane was already gone. I wish I could have seen it whole, and not just the burnt-out shell it is now.

[Le Noir Faineant]

Either a QtR theme or another USS book, the latter being set aside for special projects, so it may be more suited to a book with such a theme.

How it is gone about though is up to people, the FoS have their hands full alot of the time to take on an additional project (I, for instance, am currently creating a tarot deck, a line of t-shirts, creating a tarokka deck for my Ravenloft games, working on commissioned art, etc), but if someone (or someones) on the forums wish to run the show we would always host it on this site granted it doesn't break any of the rules we have (like no OGL material, etc).

That's why I said that we should inaugure a thread on these boards first, where everyone can submit the sketch of his/her character; so, we could gather the articles first and then decide what to do with them...

I'd have no less than three characters more or less ready to be submitted... Means that I'll submit them in a month or so...

[Blackpaws]

Completely agreed. I've been a huge fan of Ravenloft even since I first discovered it in my early teens (I'm 23 now). Sadly I've never even been able to take part in a Ravenloft campaign. There are some D&D groups scattered across my area but I never settled for their "super drow with a sensitive side" ideaology of the game so I've taken to simply reading all I can about Ravenloft and not playing.

As a long time lurker of the kargatane I was saddened at it's demise, but just recently FoS has filled that gaping void in my black heart.

To put it simply, thanks.

[Joël of the FoS]

Thanks for the cool comments, guys.

About the NPC netbook: you might want to look at the Malodorous Goat Netbook in the library. It was compiled by a fan (Drinnik). This fan-made netbook (title to find) could be similarly driven by a fan, considering the entries will vary a lot in lenght, character level, etc.

In my view, by the way, since it would be not-FoS-driven, it is definitively not a USS project.

Joël

[Wiccy of the Fraternity]

As other members have said, it would be 2006 before we would work on an NPC netbook, but if anyone else is willing to give it a go they are more than welcome, though it wouls not be a USS project. However, we would be happy to host the netbook once it is completed.

The MGN was a success, though it's successor did fail (ask Drinnik how badly it went, I know I submitted but not sure as to who else did), but this is fresh and a few years on, so who knows. Games have changed, died, been reborn, eaten, regurgitated, etc and characters have come and gone. The only requirement is that the NPC's would be for Ravenloft and follow the rules for the website (so clue up on them before you begin the project). Also, characters need not come from the games we host, they could be anything Ravenloft or Gothic Earth related.

If possible, I will submit a few characters to this project once it is underway

[Drinnik Shoehorn]

The MGN2 was a disaster, I had two entries, and I wrote one of them.

I'd be happy to help anyone who wants to do a new version though. A write up of Lymon would be cool (from the Masque Now! campaign), and I never did get around to statting Dottir.

[Le Noir Faineant]

If you others think it is okay, I'll eventually start a post on the *Ravenloft Project* board and submit my three memorable characters to start.

I'd say that if we get 20 submissions in total, that'd be enough to create a short netbook.

However, I doubt that I can host it. I am still hoping that the Poe Netbook project isn't lost, and want to prepare the Staunton Bluff PbP for winter (can't name exact date, but this project is definitely underway).

Besides, I have to prepare my next RPG campaigns...


LOT of work for a hobby...

[Le Noir Faineant]

Ah, and can someone please post a link to the exact submission guidelines - I don't know where to find them. - Or can we use OGL material for this project?

*Besides, is the Dragonlance Campaign Setting considered OGL too? - After all, it was hosted by Wizards.*

[Wiccy of the Fraternity]

FoS submission guidelines are found in the Franternity Netbooks forum, it's the thread at the top entitled Fraternity of Shadows netbooks - guidelines for 2005. As for OGL, Ravenloft is held under a special licence that forbids the use of OGL materials in any of it's products, even fan produced ones. While it is fine to use OGL for the purposes of your own private works and games, it cannot be used in any form of Ravenloft production, even a netbook

I am sure we would be able to host the book once it is produced, we have hosted other peoples work in the past and are always glad to do so so long as it keeps to our guidelines.

As for Dragonlance, I have no idea what the standing is on that licence. I do know that any 2E Ravenloft, or d20 Ravenloft (from WW) or d20 WotC product can be used to draw material from and that is all. If DL is produced by another company now, I would go out on a limb and recommend against using it to draw material from.

And to Drinnik, it seems we both wrote the only articles submitted to MGN Vol 2, mine was the expanded Megan Llewelyn for 3E.

[Joël of the FoS]

As for OGL, Ravenloft is held under a special licence that forbids the use of OGL materials in any of it's products, even fan produced ones. While it is fine to use OGL for the purposes of your own private works and games, it cannot be used in any form of Ravenloft production, even a netbook

Ahem, that isn't correct, Eddy.

Ravenloft is licensed to WW by WotC, under a special licensing agreement which doesn't make it an ordinary d20 product. Do not assume RL works as any d20 product. This means that until further notice of clarification of this special d20 license, OGL may or may not apply to RL. There is a legal grey zone there.

So to be in the safe zone, fan netbook producing teams (Kargatane, then us) judged that no OGL from other d20 products may be used in the articles, because of the possible legal limbo zone.

So you can use anything published by the owner of the license - WotC, yes including Dragonlance and 2nd ed RL products, and WW's 3rd ed Ravenloft books.

Joël

[Wiccy of the Fraternity]

Thanks Joel, I always thought it was forbidden to use OGL material in Ravenloft publications (noth official and otherwise). I stand corrected.

[Le Noir Faineant]

So you can use anything published by the owner of the license - WotC, yes including Dragonlance and 2nd ed RL products, and WW's 3rd ed Ravenloft books.

Joël

That's very good - one of the characters I want to submit is meant to hail from Krynn, and I'd like to portray him with his original 3e stats... I believe only the DLCS is under that license, since all the other books were done by an independent company (SovPress) under the regular d20 icense.

Will look to complete that stuff soon and then start a thread.