Hosting a "Let's Play Lone Wolf" elsewhere

[Taryn]

OK, I'm thinking of posting a thread at another board allowing the members to collectively guide Lone Wolf through his adventures using the section texts and whatnot from Project Aon.

Is this permissible at all?

If so, are there any requirements? For instance, should I post a copyright notice crediting Joe Dever and link to Project Aon?

[Peregrine]

This is inspiring me to try something similar myself on a forum I frequent. To answer your main question, though, unfortunately you can't copy-and-paste the text from the Project Aon editions to another website. We're specifically not allowed to redistribute PA material, and can neither host nor post it on another site.

Other than that, though, there's no problem with the concept, as far as I know*. If you link to the specific page(s) right here on the Project Aon site, not only are you acting within the license, you're avoiding extra-long posts on that other forum! Although, you might not want to do that if it makes it easy for people to peek ahead at the results of each option...

Also keep in mind that the Project Aon license doesn't take away any rights you might have, which may include (for instance) posting short excerpts of the book -- say, less than 10%, in some countries. Following a specific path through the books, and perhaps posting abridged versions of each section, might put you under whatever your local legal limit is*.

* The usual Internet disclaimers apply, I am not a lawyer, etc.

[Taryn]

I guess I'll forget about it then ;_; I figure people are too likely to cheat, and even otherwise they may think it an inconvenience to have to visit an external link every time.

[jellyfish]

I've seen other gamebook LPs, actually people don't tend to cheat that much and to be honest LW isn't really that choice dependent anyway - it's extremely linear.

[Oiseau]

Yet I seem to recall a playthrough of Lone Wolf on another forum some time ago — it was even linked to on this board. The section texts were clearly copied and pasted from somewhere, unless the "thread master" typed it verbatim from a book in his hands. And I'm sure it's been done more than once when you consider the number of game-related forums on the web.

[Taryn]

Mar 13, 2010 17:32:51 GMT Oiseau said:

Yet I seem to recall a playthrough of Lone Wolf on another forum some time ago — it was even linked to on this board. The section texts were clearly copied and pasted from somewhere, unless the "thread master" typed it verbatim from a book in his hands. And I'm sure it's been done more than once when you consider the number of game-related forums on the web.

I remember 1 like that on rpg.net. I thought they were allowed to continue copy-pasting with a copyright notice, but I don't remember. Maybe they had to switch to links.

[beowuuf]

As has been pointed out, the Aon licence is pretty clear, so any previous full copy and pastes would be a case of getting away with it, not that it was legal.

As Peregrine pointed out, a small amout of copy and paste might be gotten away with, while writing abridged or new text around it.

Obviously Zipp's done basically that, with one person, by just writing the story text based on the books. Especially if you have multiple people, you might fun it more fun to take into account people's over the top suggestions as new text.

"The other coach passaengers look in horror as you do a dance on Parison's corpse, then cut off his left hand for 'evidence'. Viveka looks queasy, and the two briothers take turns vomitting loudly while praying to the White Mountain. Mark the Severed Hand on your Action Chart in the Eww section."

[Taryn]

Writing my own abridged/paraphrased text for each section may work. Would I still have to link to the sections and/or put in a copyright notice? How much would I be allowed to copy/paste (say, a list of equipment found in a section or some huge lump of exposition useful for understanding the story a few times per book)?

[beowuuf]

As peregrine said, that comes down to the copyright law wherever you are posting on... check it out and see. And more importantly the good will of JD If you post a few linksto mention your sources, and the fact the books are available, then it might be taken in the spirit is was intended.

It's not really PA's property for them to say what you can do legally, they can only really say what their licence allows them to do with JD's property.