[New White Wolf Policy] Does this affect Ravenloft?

[Brandi]

Some of you may or may not have heard of this new White Wolf policy, posted on their boards at

http://forums.white-wolf.com/viewtopic.php?t=19615

It sounds like it's mostly meant to protect IP and possibly enforce the handling of pay-to-play LARP games at conventions, but it is very broadly worded, as in it might include games that don't make a profit but have all the players chip in for facilities (or possibly amenities like food!)...

And then I came across this entry:

"Q. Which games fall under this license?
A. All White Wolf roleplaying games (traditional tabletop or live-action) regardless of setting. This includes all World of Darkness games, Exalted, Trinity, Scarred Lands and most anything else published by White Wolf, Arthaus Publishing or Sword & Sorcery Studios. If you are unsure whether the game you are interested in falls under this license, please contact Philippe Boulle, Marketing Director of White Wolf Publishing, at prboulle@white-wolf.com."

So, uh... what the hell does this mean for Ravenloft?

[Also, mods: if this is not the right forum please move it. I wasn't sure where it should go.]

[Dr Bloodworth]

A) That they cite Scarred Lands; funny, that, as they've already said they're not supporting the setting any longer.

B) Ravenloft is still owned by Wizards, and is only licensed, so this SHOULD mean absolutely nothing.

Otherwise, like you said, sounds like just convention stuff to me. Maybe a Wolf will let us know.

[Faust]

I know people here on this forum kind of follow the law and stuff like that but personally who care? I mean white wolf dont want me to charge player to play their game? What can stop me? White wolf's secret police? The mafia? I mean if I decide to set up pay by play vampire game:

1.They will probbaly never hear about it
2.I live in canada and law are more lax concerning coppyright stuff and other boringness
3.Bringing me to court would cost them to much money

So does this really affect somebody? Nope, you bought the rule do what you want with them.

[Dion of the Fraternity]

My two cents:

Besides, why pay money to play a game, anywayz?

[Catman Jim]

According to the linked forum thread, the money paid in addition to normal convention fees was to provide props necessary for LARP-ing. WW must have reason to believe that these fees could also be profit-generation, and wanted to exert control over these events that involve their copyrighted materials.

Personally, I believe it has equally as much to do with potential income generation for WW. What will be next? Will they go after the secondary-sales market, like selling used game materials on Ebay, and ask for a cut of those sales?

[Stygian Inquirer]

I went to AnimeNorth this year in Toronto and there was a L.A.R.P. group there that you had to pay to play in and there were no props used. It was purely for profit. People even had to photocopy their own character sheets. I think White Wolf is trying to cover its butt when dealing with groups like that.

[Drinnik Shoehorn]

I'm confused. What does this mean for RPG clubs? They charge people, usually to help pay for the place they play, in me experience. Would they have to register?

[Jasper]

I see it as not afecting 90% of us here.

If you just have a club that charges five bucks a month in dues for pizza while you play everything from Ravenloft to Forgoten realms to Vampire to Battletech your safe. Nothing you do is offical and dosn't affect White wolf in any way.

But if you charge that five bucks to play in a offical Living Death campiagn under a registered DM where your characters actions go on a offical posted journal of some sort you need to be licanced by White Wolf to run one of these clubs.

[Joël of the FoS]

I don't see it changing a iota to the site (unless we start charging for netbook downloads ).

For RPG clubs, it means they are now illegal if they charge and do not get a license. However, as many said, enforcing it is utopical. Make it a pizza sharing club.

Interesting. This news is making a lot of comotion, but I wonder why they did that.

[Also, mods: if this is not the right forum please move it. I wasn't sure where it should go.]

The main board is about Ravenloft, the setting. Anything else is deleted or moved. This post is relevant here, as it is main news from the RL publisher.

Joël

[Wiccy of the Fraternity]

I used to run a games club (may the gods keep its soul safe in the Summerlands) where a few World of Darkness games were run (not by me though, never liked the system). There was a charge to enter the club, mostly to cover the fee for hiring the hall and to put towards more material for the club or to cover fees later if member turn out dropped one week (as it would do now and then, particularly around holidays). This would mean that the club I used to run would have required a licence if it was still running, though the club later broke down into individual groups who played at home (a mutual agreement by myself, the other organisers and many members as it got harder for many to turn up on a regular basis), hence becoming pizza clubs... or beer clubs as ours went, heheheh.

I think this new licence is daft though and will likely push fans away and maybe even force clubs to either close or charge format. Games Workshop, a company renowned for being money hungry haven't done this, instead they help promote and organisational aid for their clubs.

[Trickstergod]

Personally, I believe it has equally as much to do with potential income generation for WW. What will be next? Will they go after the secondary-sales market, like selling used game materials on Ebay, and ask for a cut of those sales?

As I understand, the primary motivation is so White Wolf can fix its claws into the LARP organization One World by Night.

I'm not sure of all the details, though.

Of course, that's not to say just because White Wolf's primary motivation in this is based around another LARP'ing organization means it won't extend that to other things.

But I wouldn't be too concerned about Ravenloft, personally, as it's only licensed, and those interested in what's going on might be best served by looking into One World by Night and the Camarilla LARP organizations.

[Jester of the FoS]

There is no way in Odin's green Earth this will be used to hunt down and end clubs. Too small-fry. Even the ones abusing the fees for a mass profit. I'm sure the legal people know it's mostly for pizza and rooming costs. The cost of enforcing it would be cost-prohibitive.

However, the really big clubs that are making a killing, the semi-official ones that are charging alot and abusing their status and the underhanded events going on at clubs will be effected and rightly so. WW is covering its ass and rightly so. They don't want to be blamed when someone gets upset after they pay for a hotel, con entrance and everything else only to find out the officially-sanctioned gaming group running an event has an exorbitantly high playing fee, possibly to weed out undesirables and kids.
It’s not a problem NOW but it very well might be in the future, better they’re doing it now rather than later.

-edit-
This also only applies for clubs that charge fees outright, as in officially ask for a required amount. If you, say, pass the hat around at the end with a suggested but not required donation that is not a fee. Loophole people.

[Blackpaws]

I can just see it now.

Heading to the seedy part of town, navigating a maze of dark alleys making sure you aren't followed, three password protected doors, 300 pound bodyguards to search you at each door for a wire or a bugged d20. Broken knees and horse heads.

Really though, I see this as strict as cracking down on people downloading mp3's.

[Jonathan Winters]

Hello everybody,

I don't see this as a big problem for me. I do get the feeling this is targeted at large ''businesses''...

Black Paws (I am in a hurry and wasn't even going to reply to this thread): I get the feeling you think downloading songs for free is fine...

We are talking about intellectual property here. Very complicated topic. But what if I start downloading every RL book on internet (they can be found) instead of buying them? I think we should all do that and see how long the setting lives...(I am being ''ironical'' here")

No offense meant...

Patrick

[Tadelin]

Black Paws (I am in a hurry and wasn't even going to reply to this thread): I get the feeling you think downloading songs for free is fine...

I'll spare you the rant about who's really losing money on a downloaded mp3,

LARPs really aren't my thing, and they don't seem to fare well for the Ravenloft setting. Since this is LARP-specific, we really shouldn't concern ourselves with this measure.