Backer Playtest Packet

AN UPDATED PLAYTEST PACKET IS HERE.

Hey folks! It's James, here to tell you that another playtest has been created, and this one has a much wider audience. Everyone who backed the Backerkit campaign for Draw Steel just got this version. But you folks are also supporting the development of the game, so we thought we'd share it with you too!

As a heads up, this packet isn't THAT different from what you received in July. There have been some significant updates in streamlining monsters, a revised Fall of Blackbottom  adventure to work with those new creatures, and a few tweaks to the rules and character options. There's also a short new adventure in there by Leon Barillaro that can serve as a prequel to Fall of Blackbottom or serve as a introductory one-shot adventure to Draw Steel.

If you want to know what EXACTLY has changed this time around, check out the changelog attached to this post! The biggest change is with monsters and VP. Captain rules have been simplified, there are fewer VP options but what's there is more impactful.

One thing to know is that we haven't made it through all your feedback yet, so we're still cooking. But we wanted to show the backers some of our progress and figured you all deserved to get in on this tweaked version too. There will be a survey coming in a couple weeks that we'll also send to backers. You can fill that one out if you like.

You'll be getting a bigger Patrons-only update sometime before the fall is over with more levels of play!

The backer packet is attached to this post below.

The License

Guess what? We have a license for creators who want to make stuff for Draw Steel. This is the language the backers are getting, talking about the license:

This is the debut of the Draw Steel Creator License. It grants you the right, if you follow the rules, to use the text in this packet to make your own products according to the constraints of the license. 

You’re gonna have a lot of questions, and there is a FAQ; but you will see it’s pretty short.

This is because the license is a legal agreement. We wrote it in plain language (for the most part!) to make it as clear as possible. If you are not confident you understand, if you’re not willing to take the risk that maybe you don’t understand, then you need to talk to a lawyer. Here’s why.

With game rules, we feel an obligation to make sure if folks misunderstand something that we correct it, give feedback, provide errata, etc… But game rules are not a legal document.

Any answers we give about the license could be construed as legal advice, and we are not your lawyers. If we inadvertently give a wrong or bad answer, or our answer is misinterpreted, we could be responsible for that. We made the license clear to avoid these kinds of issues.

Frankly, a lot of the questions we already get, and have always gotten, about our books are covered under normal copyright law and fair use. If you do not know the law, if you are not familiar with copyright and fair use, you should read about it before you worry about the license. 

It’s natural to think “well why won’t they answer this question?” But that’s because the license IS the answer. Any questions you have are not questions for us; our answers are already in the license. They are questions for your lawyer. 

You may notice, the license only covers this packet. That’s because this is our first go round with something like this, and we are using the Backer Packet as a test case. If it turns out we left something out of the license, or didn’t put something in we should have, we will revise the license for when we publish the next packet or the final game, depending.

There is one clause in the license that might seem alarming—the fact that we can amend the license. That will freak some folks out because they naturally start wondering “well, what happens to my quite-lucrative Draw Steel product if MCDM changes the license, and I hate the new terms?” Good question!

There is language in the license that explicitly states any changes we make to our license only cover new content we make under that new license. Our old content will still be covered under the old license, so IF we make changes to the license, you can keep using the old license and the old content that it covered. You only need to agree to the amended license if you want to use the new content we publish under it.

But in reality, and this is important so I hope folks made it this far, there is no such thing as an agreement that cannot be amended. Someday, everyone at MCDM will be dead, and other people will own Draw Steel and they will have the rights to do whatever they want with it and the license. 

So, use it at your own risk! But…you know, we WANT people to use this text and this game. We want folks to be able to make their own stuff, share it, sell it, whatever. So our real advice is just: use common sense. Tons of people make and share stuff online based on other games with open licenses, and they don’t talk to lawyers and nothing happens because most of what people make and share is fine. 

But if you’re worried then you should talk to a lawyer. We are not your lawyers! Anyway, back to the GAME.

Come Talk About The Game

If you want to engage with other community members about Draw Steel, come and join us on Discord or on the new Draw Steel subreddit.

—James Introcaso