SPI Game Module Posting Update

[grog]

Like many people, I had no idea about the situation regarding posting of SPI games here. I submitted (and waiting for moderator approval) the 1978 Russian Civil War game earlier today. Only then did I start looking around and stumbled onto the restrictions listed here:
http://www.vassalengine.org/wiki/Module ... nformation

Per a thread from 5 years ago, I noted that some people had gotten permission and if nothing else to contact the owner of Decision Games about permission for other titles. I emailed Chris "Doc" this morning and received a very prompt reply:

"...the exclusive license for HexWar to develop e-versions of our DG and SPI games expired over a decade ago. Now the only items excluded are the D-Day at Omaha Beach series, RAF series, War in Europe, and SGFE (because we developed and market e-versions of those games).

You’re welcome to submit your RCW module to DG or post elsewhere. We would hope you’d also convert the RCW edition we did in S&T magazine about 10 years ago so players could play either edition."

That indicates the wiki page needs to be edited to reflect this and the moderators be made aware of the change so that titles that have already been submitted can actually be hosted and future submissions (like mine) will be accepted.

I'm so new to this that I've hesitated editing the wiki note on Restrictions. I'm also unsure how to bring this to the moderators attention so that at the very least, they'll approve my game.

FYI, while searching here, I noted that some people couldn't find the link on the Decision Games site that provides a listing and downloads of game titles. Here you go:
https://shop.decisiongames.com/SearchRe ... rch=vassal

scott

[Tim M]

Please forward this email to webmaster@vassalengine.org
Its a legal thing - our last comms with DG was a C&D email so we need real coa material, not just some post by someone saying its ok (sorry), afterwards we will remove the restriction and I'll approve your module

Joel, let me know when you get it and I'll make the needed changes after

[grog]

Will do.

I understand that a first time poster with something like this deserves healthy vetting.

scott

[uckelman]

Thus spake Tim M:
> Please forward this email to webmaster@vassalengine.org[1]
> Its a legal thing - our last comms with DG was a C&D email so we need
> real coa material, not just some post by someone saying its ok (sorry),
> afterwards we will remove the restriction and I'll approve your module
>
> Joel, let me know when you get it and I'll make the needed changes after

Noted. I'll reply when I have it in hand.

--
J.

[uckelman]

Thus spake Tim M:
> Please forward this email to webmaster@vassalengine.org[1]
> Its a legal thing - our last comms with DG was a C&D email so we need
> real coa material, not just some post by someone saying its ok (sorry),
> afterwards we will remove the restriction and I'll approve your module
>
> Joel, let me know when you get it and I'll make the needed changes after

I've receive them. Wow, that's a big change. I have no memory of having been
told about this before---maybe I missed it? I wish we'd know sooner.

If I'm reading correctly, what I see is that the following remain restricted,
all of which hare Decision Games titles:

D-Day at Omaha Beach
RAF
War in Europe
Struggle for the Galactic Empire

So, unless I've misunderstood, this means all SPI titles and all Decision
Games titles except those four are now fair game for us to host modules.

--
J.

[Tim M]

Yep this is a big deal. we have a lot of pages that were iced due to a company's policy and fussed about it when it was a big deal but couldn't be bothered to tell us when it no longer applied. I will be updating a lot of pages tomorrow

[uckelman]

Thus spake Tim M:
> Yep this is a big deal. we have a lot of pages that were iced due to a
> company's policy and fussed about it when it was a big deal but couldn't
> be bothered to tell us when it no longer applied. I will be updating a
> lot of pages tomorrow

Thanks very much, Tim. I'd like to make announcements about this in a few
places, so give a holler when you're done.

--
J.

[shilinski]

Odd. DG’s “RAF” is in the Vassal library, and it’s been there since the Fall of 2009. I know because I put it there. At that year’s wbc (world board gaming championship), I bumped into dg’s chief at their vendor table. I told him I’d made the vmod and asked him if I could release it. He said yes. “Are you sure?” I asked. He confirmed and seemed to shrug it off as no big deal. Odd that now it’s supposed to be excluded. (Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned this. Let sleeping dogs lie.)

[Tim M]

Thus spake Tim M:
> Yep this is a big deal. we have a lot of pages that were iced due to a
> company's policy and fussed about it when it was a big deal but couldn't
> be bothered to tell us when it no longer applied. I will be updating a
> lot of pages tomorrow

Thanks very much, Tim. I'd like to make announcements about this in a few
places, so give a holler when you're done.

--
J.

All SPI pages are now updated/restored with their content

[ianclarence]

Thus spake Tim M:
> Yep this is a big deal. we have a lot of pages that were iced due to a
> company's policy and fussed about it when it was a big deal but couldn't
> be bothered to tell us when it no longer applied. I will be updating a
> lot of pages tomorrow

Thanks very much, Tim. I'd like to make announcements about this in a few
places, so give a holler when you're done.

--
J.

All SPI pages are now updated/restored with their content

This is indeed good news. And important news which many people will want to hear. Can I suggest this thread is "pinned" (or whatever is appropriate to make it more visible)?

Thanks,

Ian.

[panther 2010]

Great!!!!

I've been waiting for this since when I joined this forum!

I have a lot of old SPI games that I love!

Really a good news!



Panther 2010

[grog]

I had no idea this was, well, what it was, when, out of total frustration I started my first module. It didn't dawn on me there were virtually no SPI games listed, I never bothered looking beyond RCW. I figured it was such a rare game and somewhat obscure, nobody had bothered doing it. Turns out somebody might have (and probably have done a better job) if everybody had known.

It doesn't sound like anybody had approached DG in years (at least based on the 2015 posts I saw about the problematic nature of getting a response back then). Looks like I came along at the right time. Life is serendipity.

This is all pandemic-related. My friends from college and me started playing Kingmaker during the initial lockdown which then got me looking at RCW. Turns out these long political games (Advanced Civilization is one) are well suited to this because we can play for 2 hours, don't need to drive anywhere, save the game and pick up later on. No marathon 8+ hour sessions.

I'm not necessarily a big SPI fan but when I saw Sniper!, I looked forward to playing it given that's another 70s-era SPI game I played a ton back then. Looking forward to seeing what people develop.

scott

[uckelman]

The announcement's gone out to all the places we normally announce things. Hopefully we'll start seeing modules for the SPI back catalog.

[jzedward]

excellent news; as per fb group we have a lot to post. Great news is we can share and improve quality of the 'secret' modules too. Long live SPI!
ps I host https://www.simpubs.com if you are looking for SPI game content for making modules

[Piergiorgio]

The announcement's gone out to all the places we normally announce things. Hopefully we'll start seeing modules for the SPI back catalog.

well, the back catalog is 200+ S&T, 20 or so Ares and 400 or so boxed games... so, is better work out a sort of coordination/clearinghouse for avoiding duplicated efforts...

Best regards from Italy,
dott. Piergiorgio.