We've had a couple threads lately that put in my mind the need to have a free open source translation of the Star Frontiers rules. Animux's website sounds like it would a cool resource to have around but it doesn't seem like the rights holders are willing to do more than they've already done.<br /><br />The biggest reason not to make a retroclone is the fact that all of the Star Frontiers material is available free online. I don't know the details of the agreements that allow this so I don't know if they can be recinded or how robust they are to losing people or websites. Please don't take this as me fearmongering. The likelyhood of Hasbro/WOTC forcing the game materials off the web or everyone who can offer them disappearing is very very small. But there's another related issue.<br /><br />If you search for Star Frontiers on DrivethruRPG, you come up with StarFrontiersMan, Frontier Explorer, and now the Destroyer Technical Manual. What you don't see is any way to directly download the rules. <br /><br />I'm aware of Frontierspace but that's kind of its own thing, isn't it? I don't think you will be able to use an existing Star Frontiers module without converting it.<br /><br />I don't think that putting up a retroclone is going to produce a huge revival but it might draw in some new players and maybe even result in the creation of new adventures. I'd love to see some of the stories from the forum offered up to a larger audience. <br /><br />Having said all of this, I'm currently engaged in writing a retroclone called <i>Alien Skies.</i> I'd like it to be free and able to run the classic SF adventures without conversion while still tweaking the parts where the rules are weak. It would be mostly setting free with only the elements needed to run the adventures. I wouldn't be adverse to a setting book or something but if it's close to TSR's work, it would need to be free.<br /><br />I am not a lawyer but I do know that mechanics can not be copyrighted. As long as I don't use any terminology invented by them and don't copy from the text, I should be in the clear. There's no SRD so, for example, I can create a bug guy race but I can't call them Vrusk. So far, that doesn't seem to be a serious issue.<br /><br />Is anyone willing to provide feedback and/or proofreading?
- Log in to post comments