Forgive me if this has been asked before, but I couldn't find anything.
In past threads I've seen that it is okay to manually input 3rd party content such as Kobold Press or DMsGuild that you own for use in your private homebrew. But I was wondering if it is okay and possible to share any of that content with your players only, not fully public. I'd like my players to be able to use the Midgard Heroes Handbook options for example, which I own in both physical and pdf.
If you create the Homebrew options, it will automatically be shared with your Campaigns. You don't have to make them public... it is just there. As it isn't publicly available, I don't believe there is a restriction on what you can load for your Homebrew content... you just have to live with the consequences of any possible poor choices you made in what is available.
It is a gray area, but it is the same gray area you would be in with 100% original content from your brain. For someone to report you on this, they would have to be invited to be part of your campaign and then search for the options. Generally this is acceptable in these types of scenarios. You aren't monetizing it (I'm not sure where the line is for professional DMs, but for us normal folk, that isn't an issue). You have paid for the intellectual property and have limited rights to use it. You are not making it publicly available. If you change any of those parameters, you could be in trouble. Even then, most people that find something copyrighted and realize it is their property will send a "removal" notice unless you are monetizing it.
If you are bothered by Copyright and its use (and the people that may not receive compensation by your groups actions), then you have the right to not allow it at your table and let anyone that deals in gray areas make those judgements themselves.
Oh... I see... you were reacting to my "possible poor choices"... that statement was made about you allowing home-brew in that might wreck your campaign. Not about dealing with copyright issues. My apologies for the confusion and the possible guilt trip. For the record, I use copyrighted material from time to time with my players. Sometimes there are just great items or ideas and there's no reason not to add them in to a campaign where it makes sense. I don't try to go out and harvest entire works and make them part of our campaign just so people can have 'all the things'. I try to make sure I always include sources when I am copying something though, just in case there is an issue down the line and I need to go in and remove any (or all) of them.
Forgive me if this has been asked before, but I couldn't find anything.
In past threads I've seen that it is okay to manually input 3rd party content such as Kobold Press or DMsGuild that you own for use in your private homebrew. But I was wondering if it is okay and possible to share any of that content with your players only, not fully public. I'd like my players to be able to use the Midgard Heroes Handbook options for example, which I own in both physical and pdf.
As long as you don’t “share with comunity”/“publish” it, you can homebrew or input as homebrew any darned thing you want, even official WotC products. That is 100% legal and you will get in no legal trouble for it. It’s only ever a problem legally if you publish it.
What kinda troubles caused by any imbalances that material creates in your campaign are a totally different kinda trouble.
Consider this, if you have the physical copies of the 3rd party source you'd pass it around your table for everyone to use. That's the purpose of private homebrew
Forgive me if this has been asked before, but I couldn't find anything.
In past threads I've seen that it is okay to manually input 3rd party content such as Kobold Press or DMsGuild that you own for use in your private homebrew. But I was wondering if it is okay and possible to share any of that content with your players only, not fully public. I'd like my players to be able to use the Midgard Heroes Handbook options for example, which I own in both physical and pdf.
If you create the Homebrew options, it will automatically be shared with your Campaigns. You don't have to make them public... it is just there. As it isn't publicly available, I don't believe there is a restriction on what you can load for your Homebrew content... you just have to live with the consequences of any possible poor choices you made in what is available.
Thanks for the reply. I'm not to sure about the legality of sharing that content now with my players then... Does anyone know?
Nobody cares what you and a few friends do. Try to think practically not theoretically.
It is a gray area, but it is the same gray area you would be in with 100% original content from your brain. For someone to report you on this, they would have to be invited to be part of your campaign and then search for the options. Generally this is acceptable in these types of scenarios. You aren't monetizing it (I'm not sure where the line is for professional DMs, but for us normal folk, that isn't an issue). You have paid for the intellectual property and have limited rights to use it. You are not making it publicly available. If you change any of those parameters, you could be in trouble. Even then, most people that find something copyrighted and realize it is their property will send a "removal" notice unless you are monetizing it.
If you are bothered by Copyright and its use (and the people that may not receive compensation by your groups actions), then you have the right to not allow it at your table and let anyone that deals in gray areas make those judgements themselves.
Oh... I see... you were reacting to my "possible poor choices"... that statement was made about you allowing home-brew in that might wreck your campaign. Not about dealing with copyright issues. My apologies for the confusion and the possible guilt trip. For the record, I use copyrighted material from time to time with my players. Sometimes there are just great items or ideas and there's no reason not to add them in to a campaign where it makes sense. I don't try to go out and harvest entire works and make them part of our campaign just so people can have 'all the things'. I try to make sure I always include sources when I am copying something though, just in case there is an issue down the line and I need to go in and remove any (or all) of them.
Yea that worried me about the possibility of copyright issues, but that helps clear it up, thanks!
As long as you don’t “share with comunity”/“publish” it, you can homebrew or input as homebrew any darned thing you want, even official WotC products. That is 100% legal and you will get in no legal trouble for it. It’s only ever a problem legally if you publish it.
What kinda troubles caused by any imbalances that material creates in your campaign are a totally different kinda trouble.
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Consider this, if you have the physical copies of the 3rd party source you'd pass it around your table for everyone to use. That's the purpose of private homebrew
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