| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Jeremy Grenemyer |
Posted - 22 Aug 2012 : 17:37:07
Some commentary in another scroll on this shelf about Polyhedron Realms content got me excited at the prospect of seeing the content included in the back Catalog of Realmslore that will become available with 5E.
However I’m curious who exactly owns the material published in Polyhedron? I understand the magazine was published by the RPGA and later merged with Dungeon magazine—does this mean WotC owns that older Realms content?
I’d really like to see what the Polyhedron Realms stuff was all about.
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| 22 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Markustay |
Posted - 26 Aug 2012 : 18:43:10
A pdf of collected FR articles from all those sources (split into three, as Walker suggested) sounds like a really great idea.
One problem - who owns the articles published during the Paizo Dragon run? |
| WalkerNinja |
Posted - 26 Aug 2012 : 13:49:50
Stuff I want:
A purchasable collection of FR Polyhedron articles.
A purchasable collection of FR Dragon articles.
A purchasable collection of FR Dungeon adventures. |
| see |
Posted - 25 Aug 2012 : 22:13:20
quote:
Originally posted by Derulbaskul
WotC would automatically own all the FR stuff - it's their IP, as simple as that.
No, it's not remotely that simple. If I write my own script for a Star Trek episode, I can't produce or publish it because it's a derivative work. But neither can CBS (the current owners of Star Trek) publish or produce it, because it's my work, even if it is derivative. If CBS and I reach a deal to publish it in a Star Trek magazine, whether CBS can republish it later is entirely determined by our contract, regardless of the fact that it used CBS IP.
If TSR was sensible, it put terms in the contract so that it would own the FR articles, so it could reprint, make its own derivative works without having to ask the author's permission, et cetera. But they don't have any automatic right to do so simply for owning FR. |
| Kentinal |
Posted - 25 Aug 2012 : 14:53:17
quote:
Originally posted by Derulbaskul
WotC would automatically own all the FR stuff - it's their IP, as simple as that.
Where law is involved it is never as simple as that. Contract might prohibit republish without permission. Contract might require payment to copyright holder. Contracts can get very involved. Ed's contract as much has been revealed, appears to indicate that FR could revert back to him if other terms of contract not honored. |
| Derulbaskul |
Posted - 25 Aug 2012 : 14:44:32
WotC would automatically own all the FR stuff - it's their IP, as simple as that. |
| JamesLowder |
Posted - 24 Aug 2012 : 00:49:43
quote:
Originally posted by Jeremy Grenemyer
Shoot, this was what I was worried about.
I'll have to check my contract for the Realms game stuff, but I am fairly certain that TSR bought all rights to that. If so--and it's likely they own all the rights for the Realms material in Poly--WotC/Hasbro could, then, scan and post those articles.
If they wanted to scan and post whole issues, that's another matter. I've talked with various publishers about doing a collection of my film reviews, for example, and having them posted online like that would seriously undermine my ability to get a publisher to do that sort of book.
In the same way that Wizards would not want me posting things for which they own the rights on my web site, I would not be happy to have them post things for which I own the rights on theirs. |
| Markustay |
Posted - 23 Aug 2012 : 20:05:13
Thanks Feraer - there was also the two James Lowder mentioned above. |
| Faraer |
Posted - 23 Aug 2012 : 19:57:47
by Ed Greenwood: 'Elminster’s Everwinking Eye'
misc: 70–1, 74–5, 94–5
Maskyr's Eye: 54–8
Mulmaster: 60, 64, 66–8
The Moonsea: 77–81
Zhentil Keep: 82–6
The Vast: 72, 87–9, 91–3
Turmish: 96, 98, 101, 103–8
The Border Kingdoms: 109–11, 115–21, 123–41, 143–8
by Steven Schend:
Adversaries: Lady Aridarye Phylund, Lord Urtos Phylund: 93
The Cult of Ao: 94
by Eric L. Boyd:
Forgotten Deities: 103–121
Wayward Wizards: Tulrun of the Tent: 125–6
Llurth Dreier: City of Ooze: 140
Men of the Basilisk: 142
Richard Baker:
Secrets of the City of Ravens: 144
Am I missing any?
I don't imagine Ed, Eric or Steven are hard to track down or make accommodation with if necessary. |
| Markustay |
Posted - 23 Aug 2012 : 18:58:27
I know this has probably been asked dozens of times, and I should probably know the answer, but where can I find a list of the polyhedrons with FR articles? |
| Jeremy Grenemyer |
Posted - 23 Aug 2012 : 16:58:54
quote:
Originally posted by JamesLowder
At least in the TSR era, Polyhedron did not buy all rights to everything published in the magazine, so Wizards would need to check contracts before posting issues or even specific articles online.
Shoot, this was what I was worried about.
My outsider's view of WotC is they're not heavily staffed, so devoting resources to having someone track down all the rights and then get permission/work out the process to get this stuff included in the back catalog probably isn't high on their list of things to do.
That said, securing the rights/permissions to get this stuff can't be nearly as hard as getting the rights to use a song, for example, so I hope they'll try. |
| Matt James |
Posted - 23 Aug 2012 : 13:00:47
I love the Border Kingdoms. |
| Quale |
Posted - 23 Aug 2012 : 09:54:09
only the useful ones
Some of the Border Kingdoms and Raven's Bluff articles were published. The Turmish articles, Malatra, and Llurth Dreier (not the version from Underdark) were the most interesting. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 23 Aug 2012 : 01:41:04
quote:
Originally posted by Razz
I managed to get my hands on all of them finally.
Indeed. Through assistance from George Krashos [I can never thank him enough for that] and my haunting of old bookstores here, I also finally completed my collection of each and every relevant POLYHEDRON Realms-related issue. |
| JamesLowder |
Posted - 22 Aug 2012 : 22:35:41
quote:
Originally posted by Jeremy Grenemyer
However I’m curious who exactly owns the material published in Polyhedron? I understand the magazine was published by the RPGA and later merged with Dungeon magazine—does this mean WotC owns that older Realms content?
I’d really like to see what the Polyhedron Realms stuff was all about.
At least in the TSR era, Polyhedron did not buy all rights to everything published in the magazine, so Wizards would need to check contracts before posting issues or even specific articles online. They might have rights to some things I wrote, such as “The Friendly Familiar” in #45 and “The Brothers Galgolar” in #50 (both are Realms content). But I own the rights to my video column, "Into the Dark," which ran for quite a few issues. They'd need my permission to post those. |
| Razz |
Posted - 22 Aug 2012 : 22:31:02
quote:
Originally posted by Jeremy Grenemyer
quote:
Originally posted by Razz
I managed to get my hands on all of them finally.
Well done.
Just curious: were you more successful through e-bay type searches or did you happen to find most of them in used book stores?
I imagine online would be easier, but it's kind of fun to go looking for old issues of Dragon and Dungeon magazine in antique shops and book stores.
Definitely got them online, the easiest route for sure. |
| Eilserus |
Posted - 22 Aug 2012 : 18:50:42
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
Lucky bastitch. 
The only ones I ever owned were the few they released along with dragon magazine for awhile.
The old Polyhedron stuff is exactly the kind of material that should go in a 'freebie' section of the WotC site (which I discussed at length in another thread). Those are the kinds of thing that draw new fans into the setting.
That's a good idea. I wouldn't mind being able to look through all the old RPGA Living City material either. I suspect there's lots of interesting lore about the Ravens Bluff area that hasn't seen the light of day in years. |
| Jeremy Grenemyer |
Posted - 22 Aug 2012 : 18:30:42
quote:
Originally posted by Razz
I managed to get my hands on all of them finally.
Well done.
Just curious: were you more successful through e-bay type searches or did you happen to find most of them in used book stores?
I imagine online would be easier, but it's kind of fun to go looking for old issues of Dragon and Dungeon magazine in antique shops and book stores. |
| Markustay |
Posted - 22 Aug 2012 : 18:26:08
Lucky bastitch.
The only ones I ever owned were the few they released along with dragon magazine for awhile.
The old Polyhedron stuff is exactly the kind of material that should go in a 'freebie' section of the WotC site (which I discussed at length in another thread). Those are the kinds of thing that draw new fans into the setting. |
| Razz |
Posted - 22 Aug 2012 : 18:15:03
I managed to get my hands on all of them finally. |
| Jeremy Grenemyer |
Posted - 22 Aug 2012 : 18:03:28
Thank you Wooley for pointing out TSR was the publisher.
That's something not mentioned in the wiki page for Polyhedron.
(Anyone want to volunteer to fix it?) |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 22 Aug 2012 : 17:40:26
Since Polyhedron was published by TSR (thru the RPGA), I'd expect that they own all the content, and that said ownership is now in the hands of WotC.
I have a few old issues of Polyhedron, and if the content was available as part of the back catalog, I'd happily buy more. |
| The Red Walker |
Posted - 22 Aug 2012 : 17:38:58
quote:
Originally posted by Jeremy Grenemyer
Some commentary in another scroll on this shelf about Polyhedron Realms content got me excited at the prospect of seeing the content included in the back Catalog of Realmslore that will become available with 5E.
However I’m curious who exactly owns the material published in Polyhedron? I understand the magazine was published by the RPGA and later merged with Dungeon magazine—does this mean WotC owns that older Realms content?
I’d really like to see what the Polyhedron Realms stuff was all about.
The way I understand it, yes they own it....but I would love to get an "official ruling".
I'd love to see that stuff.
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