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Ok, so I know I’m going to come off as self-centered and kind of whiny about this, but it is something I’m hugely concerned about for a few reasons that I’ll explain before I get to my main question:
1 - I run my own living world campaign (as in many players and GMs being part of the same campaign where character actions can shape the progression of the setting as it goes through the timeline)
We use Hephaistos, a VERY well made character builder for Starfinder that also handles ship-building, mech-building, even NPC and vehicle-building. They have the ability to link specific character sheets to specific campaigns so the GM has easy access to the info they need at a glance
I also use Pathbuilder and Dyslexic Character Sheets, have used them for PFS and SFS games.
Pretty much everyone behind these projects (haven’t seen Pathbuilder statements yet, don’t know who to look at, honestly) saying that the changes to the licensing that allowed them to make these things to begin with are now making them have to or strongly consider dropping them. And they’re tools that I, the players in my game, and quite a few friends of mine, damn near rely on for reliable character building and tracking.
2 - I’m someone who loves to support independent creators and businesses. I’ve contributed to such tools myself, financially, because I want to support them. And while I’m aware Paizo has the right to make the changes to their businesses as needed, I don’t feel good about Paizo seeing such changes take effect that hurt these creators. And it makes me feel like now my own game mentioned above may have to be dropped, despite being of my own setting. I don’t make any money from it. It’s just for fun but seeing all of this, I’m possibly considering abandoning Starfinder because of how bad this whole thing feels to me as a consumer; not just if Paizo but of these creators as well. And I already ordered my hard copy of the playtest altogether. I wanted to continue in PFS, but the same bad taste is there and I want to just drop it.
THE MAIN QUESTION:
What is Paizo doing at this point to support these creators or at least allow them to continue working on their tools and projects?
I want them to continue and I see the frustration they’re feeling in their statements about the issue. I’d like to learn more about the details, but I’m no legal type. I’d read it over a dozen times and still be lost on how multiple points of the new licenses work.
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They heard the blow up. Their official response in the announcement post was:
"Since our licensing update on July 22nd, we’ve been listening to your feedback on the potential impact of these licenses on community tools and websites. Paizo is grateful to these creators and spaces for the immense value they add to our brand and player community. We are committed to adding options to ensure that a range of community projects are protected by the license.
With Gen Con on the horizon, we can’t offer an immediate solution, but we are working to reach one that is both sustainable for Paizo and supports the community we love. As always, thank you for your feedback—we hear you and are working to address your concerns as swiftly as possible."
So everything is wait and see right now, with everyone just back from Gencon. I'd imagine they are talking to their lawyers now to keep everything online. Everything I've seen out of Paizo tells me they're going to do the right thing, but we'll all have to wait and see.
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As of August 15, the creator of Hephaestos has not received anything to make him believe this is going to be rectified, though there was mention he's getting a 'sweetheart deal' that just needs to be sent over to him for a lawyer to review.
Everyone else is screwed though.
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Can anyone explain what was changed in the Community Use Policy?
When I tried looking at this link it shows it was last updated almost a year ago, which seems like the link hasn't been updated.
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As of August 15, the creator of Hephaestos has not received anything to make him believe this is going to be rectified, though there was mention he's getting a 'sweetheart deal' that just needs to be sent over to him for a lawyer to review.
Everyone else is screwed though.
You were saying?