"Lawsuit PBeM" From: bc@fccn01.fccn.pt (Luis Miguel Sequeira) Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 18:50:11 +0000 I want just to point out the following comment by Greg Lindahl (gl8f@virginia.edu) which he personally emailed me: >>>If the game is free it is difficult to sue. > >>Excellent! So if I do something for free, everyone has fun, and I >>don't get sued. > >I should point out that I've been told by several real lawyers that >this isn't true. [...] I must say I've asked the same question long ago to some lawyers here in Portugal, and of course Greg is right. The law may be different in many aspects, but copyrights (and similar rights which protect authors' rights on their intellectual productions) are quite universal. To simply put it, nobody has the right to create anything at all which uses the name "BattleTech" and uses part or all of the material developed and copyrighted by FASA. This covers software games, and free PBeMs too, despite all "ideas" and "suggestions" in contrary. I must admit that I delighted in watching the "legal warfare" which evolved, and jokingly participated on it, amusing myself, but let's put a point on it. I'll ask FASA personally for a permission. As I am as yet unaware of any existing email address of FASA, this will be done by snail mail, and I'll receive an answer perhaps in a month or so. To anyone offended, my apologies. Next time I'll be more careful... In the mean time, this doesn't mean that the group can't keep to discuss the game! I'll certainly keep encouraging you out there to get more suggestions flowing. Some more topics to discuss: - Most expressed the idea that the initial lance should be created from scratch, using the BattleTech rules, more precisely the MechWarrior RPG ones. I admit my complete ignorance on this, but certainly someone can post some suggestions on how this is done? (I could grab a copy of the rules, but I'm too lazy) Also, this would mean that the rules on salvage, mech repairs & mech construction, etc., would be fully used. On the other hand, it seems to exist a consensum that the OmniMechs are out, or, at least, reserved to a later stage. Am I right on interpreting this? I also admit that I never played with the Clans (just sticked with the basic types...), so I'd never think about them anyway... However, we could always include them later. This would add some spice to the game, as no one would now for *sure* if the Clans existed or not, and when or where they would first appear...! - As I've not seen anywhere a contrary opinion, it seems that the basic scenario is by now somewhat established. So, we'll get a bunch of planets, those listed on the BattleTech galaxy map, most of them belonging to one of the Houses, and a few still being disputed. Each planet will have a group of characteristics; some of them will be simply the predominant terrain features; others will include "facilities" or strategic points (this suggestion comes from Jesse Taylor), such as Cities, Factories, Water Purifiers, Mech Factories (rare), Supply Dumps, HPGs (if you want to involve ComStar in this, too), Training Camps, Arenas, etc. Each "facilty" will have, obviously, some purpose. For example, MechWarriors can be hired, or their abilities improved only at Training Camps (this begins to have an `Olympian' flavor, but - why not?), and 'mechs could only be repaired at Maintenance factories (or whatever you want to call them), and so on. Mech Factories will be valuable indeed... However, there is still no clear picture about the battlefield layout, how it's going to be generated, etc. More suggestions needed here... - So, the game will be played at two levels, one economic/political one, and one tactical one. On the economic/political level, there seem to be no problems there, except for the contracts by the Houses. Jesse Taylor (again) suggested neutral moderators, eliminating random contracts which are nonsense and keeping the logical ones. Another suggestion would be a game with two types of players: some play for the Houses, some are mercenaries... Perhaps it would be simpler to assign a group of players to each of the Houses, and leave the rest as merc forces. When joining up, each player would declare if he wants to be on his own or prefers to work with one of the Houses. This would mean that players working with the Houses would get equipment free (or not?), but needed to obey orders. Or am I getting this wrong? Let the players play what they want and how they like it. If Steiner is wiped out of the map, bad luck. I also think that this level should have a lot of little "surprises" hidden (as suggested by Jonny the Z): special things, technology, special missions ("retrieve that SuperMarauder!!"), etc. Also, the lance shouldn't just get better 'mechs and better MechWarriors. It would be nice to include infantry, tanks, dropships, AeroTech fighters, 'copters (I *hate* those nasties! My poor little Marauder... :-) ), and so on... - The tactical level. I'm for a simplified combat simulator, and with economical turns at the same time as the tactical ones. I say a simplified combat simulator just because of the scale involved. Some of you suggested that an arena-type game wouldn't be fun [agreed! :-)]; others, however, pointed out that the battlefield is where BattleTech is strong! Hmm. Difficult to join both extremes. However, I think we could do something in-between, with some abstract warfare (seems that RoboTech RPG is good at this) but which still shows individual differences between the 'mechs. A nice touch would be complete 'mechs, as by the rules, convert them into some abstract notion (with at most six or seven characteristics, like movement, attack, defense, etc.), fight the battle (selecting primary and secondary targets, like "hit base" or "hit heaviest mech" or "run like hell from there!" [good for Locusts! :-)]), and convert the result back to "real" mechs. Then you could repair them, add equipment, etc., as per the rules. What do you think? - Last point (I must hurry...): ORDERS! Suggestions (a lot of them!) are REALLY needed! Argggh...! (ok, ok, I won't overreact, just this once). Hope the best suggestion isn't: MOVE <MECH #> TO <HEX #> - Basically, moves the 'mech numbered <MECH #> to the hex numbered <HEX #>. Can only be ordered to 'mechs which are on the battle, haven't exploded (yet), and have living MechWarriors. ATTACK <MECH #> WITH <MECH #> ON <HEX #> - Attacks 'mech numbered [...] Aaaagh!! Ok, any better suggestions? (I could live just with move & attack... or couldn't I? Hm? Well, I'll sleep over the matter) --- BTW, there seems to be some problems with the mailer daemon on my site (or on the mail server itself). If you want to contact me by any reason, try the following addresses in order: bc@fccn.pt (seems not to be working correctly) bc@fccn01.fccn.pt (works sometimes) bc@fccn01.fccn.pt%fccn.pt (works fine from some sites) bc@fccn01.fccn.pt%ns.dns.pt (should work always, but sometimes it doesn't) bc@cygnus.lnec.pt (this machine is crazy - yep, it's an IBM!) Post to news... See ya, _________________________________________________________________________ / / _/ _/ _/ _/_/_/ Computer scientists do it byte by byte. _/ _/_/ _/_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/_/_/ God created Law and Order from Chaos, _/ _/ _/ _/ but Chaos was created by computer _/_/_/ _/ _/ _/_/_/ scientists. bc@fccn01.fccn.pt Luis Miguel Sequeira Laboratorio Nacional de Engenharia Civil Phone 351-1-8482131 Ext. 2752 Centro Informatica/Grupo Sistemas Centrais "Don't call me, I'll call you" Av. Brasil, 101 - 1700 Lisboa, Portugal / _________________________________________________________________________/ Referenced By Up