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Roll20 and Modules

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Lazarus Lazarus's picture
Roll20 and Modules
So Roll20 has these things called modules. They function rather similarly to print adventures. They can be detailed with lots of maps and NPCs and outline a full adventure, they can be the vaguest of outlines, or anywhere in between. They can be purchased through the marketplace or they can be free (I think technically they still go through the marketplace at that point but they don't cost anything). So what I'm wondering is exactly how the Roll20 modules works with Eclipse Phase's Creative Commons License. Obviously if a module was sold through Roll20 it couldn't contain CC material without some sort of licensing agreement, but what if the module was free? Roll20 is a 'for profit' company but I don't believe you have to have a paid subscription to use a module. The reason I'm asking about this here is because it occurs to me that a base module for Eclipse Phase could prove highly useful in generating more EP games on Roll20 (not to mention just getting EP more exposure). The module I'm currently envisioning would be nothing more than a collection of sample characters, NPCs, and character artwork that could be used for tokens and character objects. I suppose in a sort of absolute sense I already know the answer to this question. I am pretty sure that legally such a thing could be created. I suppose what I am looking for is some sort of blessing from the powers that be to undertake such a thing. From a practical standpoint the creation of a module is not simply the creation of the material. The module has to be submitted to the people at Roll20 and there's always the possibility that they would nix the idea if they were worried about legal issues, so having the approval of Posthuman Studios would be good. More importantly than that, to me, is that fact that I absolutely love the licensing structure EP uses. I want every game company to adopt similar models and part of that means being as respectful of Posthuman's Studio as possible. Even if I might have a legal right to do something like this and even if Roll20 were to agree without getting the go ahead from Posthuman I feel a real need for Posthuman's imprimatur. Finally, there's the fact that entering all the sample characters, npcs, cleaning up Roll20's current character sheet (it's a little bit of a hot mess, imo), and transferring various items of artwork will take a lot of time. It would be nice if I could locate others on the forum who would be interested in contributing to the effort.
My artificially intelligent spaceship is psychic. Your argument it invalid.
trismegiste trismegiste's picture
From my knowledge, the CC-BY
From my knowledge, the CC-BY-NC-SA states that you could sell any derivatives with author's approval (the "NC" part) but the real trick would be to build an eclipse phase module like any other software product : opensource and free. Is it possible into the Roll20's marketket place ? On the other hand, Roll20 scripts are stored on Github (the opensource holy ground) and are licensed under MIT: https://github.com/Roll20/roll20-api-scripts/blob/master/LICENSE . So there's hope. I have no clue about how these two licenses could be compatible.
Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced
Lazarus Lazarus's picture
Actually, assuming the
Actually, assuming the modules were free (which I know they can be as there are some adventure modules that are free) I think by definition they would be pretty much opensource. The whole idea I had wasn't a module that could be picked up and played (although that would certainly be a possibility) but rather a collection of things already largely setup, such as all the sample characters, to make it easier for someone to setup and run their own game.
My artificially intelligent spaceship is psychic. Your argument it invalid.