I am making a PDF supplement for Pathfinder, and I have some things I need help with.
I'll start off with what I'm doing. It's a ruleset for playing Pathfinder with a late 17th century to early 19th century technology level complete with it's own campaign setting and naval combat rules (this era was called the Age of Sail for a reason).
Now, on to what I need help with.
First, I need to know whether to use the Community Use Policy or obtain a publishing license. I intend to distribute the PDF for free, and do not intend to use any product identity, but I don't have my own website (money issues), and my "Publishing Company" is just a name I thought up myself. Does this preclude me from getting a publishing license from Paizo?
Secondly, I noticed that Paizo allows 3rd party companies to sell stuff directly off your website. I have nowhere to host my files online (again, money issues), so I was wondering if Paizo will also host 3rd party PDFs that are free, not just ones being sold.
Thanks for the assistance. If I put this is the wrong forum, I apologize. I'm a bit confused as to precisely where it goes.
I cannot speak to the second part of your question, but with regards to licenses (and with the obligatory IANAL caveat):
As you do not plan on using Paizo's product identity as allowed under the Pathfinder Community Use Policy, you probably don't need to worry about that license.
The other license Paizo offers is the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Compatibility License. All this license allows is for you to print the Pathfinder Compatibility Logo on your material (as permitted under the license). If you'd like to advertise your product(s) (free or not) as Pathfinder-compatible, you'll need to thoroughly read through the compatibility license and then submit an application and apply it to your product(s).
If they will allow me to do that with a free product, that is the route I would like to go.
Many 3rd party guys have free products.
Many 3rd party guys have free products.
Will Paizo host them on the website?
We'd be more than happy to host on d20pfsrd.com also.Many 3rd party guys have free products.Will Paizo host them on the website?
You guys offer that service? That is awesome.
Now what I know I have somewhere to put the PDF, I can work on actually finishing it. I'm tidying up the gun mechanics right now (I'm using my own, not the Ultimate Combat ones), and once done there will be a playtest in this site's PbP section (we can use that for playtesting stuff, right?) to make sure it works well in an actual game and get some feedback on it.
Okay. I've applied for a publishing license. Once completed, my work will be submitted to either Paizo or d20pfsrd.
If your product is to include any rules elements, it would be wise to get to know how OGL works and how to use it.
Will do.
Aaaand if you want a nice "Pathfinder compatible" logo, also the Pathfinder Compatibility License.
I have an application for a Compatibility License pending right now ^_^. I decided to go ahead and get one.
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Aaaand if you want a nice "Pathfinder compatible" logo, also the Pathfinder Compatibility License.I have an application for a Compatibility License pending right now ^_^.
Great, but you also have to familiarize yourself with the license.
For example, the Article 4 says what you *can't* do using the license. Inter alia, if your product contains offensive or adult material, Paizo has the right to revoke your license.
Aaaand if you want a nice "Pathfinder compatible" logo, also the Pathfinder Compatibility License.I have an application for a Compatibility License pending right now ^_^.Great, but you also have to familiarize yourself with the license.
For example, the Article 4 says what you *can't* do using the license. Inter alia, if your product contains offensive or adult material, Paizo has the right to revoke your license.
I know. I have to plans for any adult content. The worse thing I have is coverage of colonialism and slavery, and I see no reason Paizo would classify that as offensive or adult content. I'm not using product identify, either. I fully intend to comply with the terms of the license.
I'm listed on the registry under Poison Apple Games. Does this mean I got the license? If so, how do I get the thing next to my username that says (Publisher, Poison Apple Games)? Others have stuff like that, and I want one, too.
As has been discussed in the other thread, there are some details that go in to having "Publisher" next to your name on the boards, and familiarizing yourself with the Open Gaming License and Pathfinder Compatibility License should be a priority (even for a free product).
Please note that just adding your name to the Pathfinder Compatibility License Registry does not grant you the ability to upload PDFs--that requires a separate agreement (which, as Lisa has pointed out, you can email me about).
As has been discussed in the other thread, there are some details that go in to having "Publisher" next to your name on the boards, and familiarizing yourself with the Open Gaming License and Pathfinder Compatibility License should be a priority (even for a free product).
Please note that just adding your name to the Pathfinder Compatibility License Registry does not grant you the ability to upload PDFs--that requires a separate agreement (which, as Lisa has pointed out, you can email me about).
I know I need to be familiar with both licenses. I've got the compatibility license down. I'll be finished with the OGL soon.
I'll email you about it when I finish the pdf.
EDIT: Got it. I've fully read both licenses.
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As an outsider, I'm happy to see that there is a process for this that works so well. I would expect more red tape and reluctance on the part of the larger company. Paizo's (and Liz and Lisa's) attitude are quite refreshing.
I might head down this path myself in the future...
Chief Technical Officer
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There are some misunderstandings I'd like to clarify here.
Let's start with the three licenses that have been mentioned here.
The place to start is the OGL, which allows you to use anything declared as Open Game Content in any OGL product, and that's the main thing you're looking for. It's applicable for both commercial and noncommercial use.
The only catch is that the OGL says you may not "indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark"; that is, with the OGL alone, you can't tell people that your product is for use with the Pathfinder RPG. That's where the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Compatibility License comes in—it functions as "another, independent Agreement" that lets you actually tell people your product is compatible with ours, and it gives you a recognizable logo to use for that purpose. It's also applicable for both commercial and noncommercial use.
The Community Use Policy is for noncommercial use only; it lets our community use some of our material that isn't covered by the OGL, such as some of our campaign setting material. Even though you're noncommercial, it sounds like this policy probably doesn't give you anything you need, so you can probably skip it.
Next, there's the concept of PDF distribution. With one exception, Paizo only offers PDF distribution agreements to commercial publishers. (The one exception is Paizo Fans United, whom we support due to their unique approach that's extraordinarily inclusive of our community as a whole.) Several outlets for noncommercial publishers have already been mentioned upthread.
Finally, regarding publisher tags, we only offer those to parties that we have a direct business relationship with, such as consignment or PDF sales agreements, or a direct (that is, non-open) license.
So, if you ever "go pro," let us know, and we can talk about PDF distribution and Publisher tags then.
There are some misunderstandings I'd like to clarify here.
Let's start with the three licenses that have been mentioned here.
The place to start is the OGL, which allows you to use anything declared as Open Game Content in any OGL product, and that's the main thing you're looking for. It's applicable for both commercial and noncommercial use.
The only catch is that the OGL says you may not "indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark"; that is, with the OGL alone, you can't tell people that your product is for use with the Pathfinder RPG. That's where the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Compatibility License comes in—it functions as "another, independent Agreement" that lets you actually tell people your product is compatible with ours, and it gives you a recognizable logo to use for that purpose. It's also applicable for both commercial and noncommercial use.
The Community Use Policy is for noncommercial use only; it lets our community use some of our material that isn't covered by the OGL, such as some of our campaign setting material. Even though you're noncommercial, it sounds like this policy probably doesn't give you anything you need, so you can probably skip it.
Next, there's the concept of PDF distribution. With one exception, Paizo only offers PDF distribution agreements to commercial publishers. (The one exception is Paizo Fans United, whom we support due to their unique approach that's extraordinarily inclusive of our community as a whole.) Several outlets for noncommercial publishers have already been mentioned upthread.
Finally, regarding publisher tags, we only offer those to parties that we have a direct business relationship with, such as consignment or PDF sales agreements, or a direct (that is, non-open) license.
So, if you ever "go pro," let us know, and we...
Thanks for explaining everything. I'll just use this alias for official PAG posts.