From: bc@fccn01.fccn.pt (Luis Miguel Sequeira)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pbm
Subject: "Lawsuit PBeM"
Date: 16 Nov 1992 12:50:11 -0600
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu

I want just to point out the following comment by Greg Lindahl
(gl8f@virginia.edu) which he personally emailed me:

>>>If the game is free it is difficult to sue.
>
>>Excellent! So if I do something for free, everyone has fun, and I
>>don't get sued.
>
>I should point out that I've been told by several real lawyers that
>this isn't true. [...]


	I  must say  I've asked  the  same  question long ago  to some
lawyers here in Portugal, and of course Greg is right. The  law may be
different  in many aspects, but copyrights  (and similar  rights which
protect authors'  rights on their intellectual  productions) are quite
universal.

	To simply put it, nobody has  the right to  create anything at
all  which uses  the name "BattleTech"  and  uses  part  or all of the
material developed and copyrighted by FASA.

	This covers software  games, and free  PBeMs too,  despite all
"ideas" and "suggestions" in contrary.

	I must admit that I delighted  in watching the "legal warfare"
which evolved, and  jokingly participated on  it, amusing  myself, but
let's put a point on it. I'll ask FASA personally for a permission. As
I am as yet unaware of any  existing  email address of FASA, this will
be done by snail mail, and I'll receive  an answer perhaps in  a month
or so.

	To  anyone offended,  my   apologies.  Next time I'll be  more
careful...

	In the mean time, this doesn't mean that  the group can't keep
to discuss the game! I'll certainly keep encouraging you out  there to
get more suggestions flowing.

	Some more topics to discuss:

	-  Most expressed the  idea that the   initial lance should be
created from scratch, using the BattleTech rules,  more  precisely the
MechWarrior  RPG  ones. I  admit  my complete  ignorance  on this, but
certainly someone can post some  suggestions on  how this  is done? (I
could grab a copy of the rules, but I'm too lazy)

	Also, this would mean that the rules  on salvage, mech repairs
& mech construction, etc., would be fully used.

	On  the other  hand,  it seems to  exist  a consensum that the
OmniMechs are out, or, at least, reserved to a later stage. Am I right
on interpreting this? I also admit that I never  played with the Clans
(just sticked with the basic types...), so I'd  never think about them
anyway...

	However, we could always  include  them later. This would  add
some spice to the game, as no  one would  now for  *sure* if the Clans
existed or not, and when or where they would first appear...!

	- As I've not seen anywhere a contrary opinion,  it seems that
the basic scenario  is by  now somewhat  established. So,  we'll get a
bunch of planets, those listed on the BattleTech galaxy  map,  most of
them belonging to one  of the Houses, and  a few still being disputed.
Each planet will have a group of characteristics; some of them will be
simply  the   predominant  terrain   features; others  will    include
"facilities"  or strategic points  (this  suggestion comes  from Jesse
Taylor),  such as Cities,  Factories,  Water Purifiers, Mech Factories
(rare), Supply Dumps, HPGs  (if you  want to involve ComStar  in this,
too), Training Camps, Arenas, etc.

	Each  "facilty"   will  have, obviously,   some  purpose.  For
example, MechWarriors can be  hired, or their  abilities improved only
at Training Camps (this begins to have an `Olympian' flavor, but - why
not?), and 'mechs could only be repaired  at Maintenance factories (or
whatever  you want to  call them), and  so on. Mech Factories will  be
valuable indeed...

	However, there is still no clear picture about the battlefield
layout, how it's going  to  be generated, etc. More suggestions needed
here...

	- So,  the   game  will  be   played    at two   levels,   one
economic/political   one,    and      one  tactical    one.    On  the
economic/political level, there  seem to be  no problems there, except
for   the contracts  by   the  Houses.  Jesse Taylor (again) suggested
neutral  moderators, eliminating random contracts  which  are nonsense
and keeping the logical ones.

	Another suggestion would be a game with two  types of players:
some play for the Houses, some are mercenaries...

	Perhaps  it would be simpler to  assign a  group of players to
each of  the Houses, and  leave the  rest as merc forces. When joining
up, each player would declare if he wants to be on his  own or prefers
to work with one of  the Houses. This  would mean that players working
with the Houses would get equipment free (or not?), but needed to obey
orders.

	Or am I getting  this  wrong? Let the  players play  what they
want and how  they like it.  If Steiner is wiped out  of the map,  bad
luck.


	I  also think that  this level  should  have a  lot of  little
"surprises"  hidden (as  suggested by Jonny   the Z): special  things,
technology, special missions  ("retrieve that  SuperMarauder!!"), etc.
Also, the   lance shouldn't  just   get better   'mechs    and  better
MechWarriors. It would be  nice to include infantry, tanks, dropships,
AeroTech fighters,  'copters  (I *hate* those nasties! My  poor little
Marauder... :-) ), and so on...

	-  The tactical level. I'm for  a simplified combat simulator,
and with economical turns at the same time as the tactical ones. I say
a simplified combat simulator just because of the scale involved. Some
of  you  suggested that  an arena-type game wouldn't  be  fun [agreed!
:-)];  others, however, pointed  out   that the  battlefield is  where
BattleTech is strong!

	Hmm. Difficult  to  join both  extremes.  However,  I think we
could do something in-between, with some  abstract warfare (seems that
RoboTech   RPG  is good  at this) but    which  still shows individual
differences between the 'mechs. A nice touch would be complete 'mechs,
as by the rules, convert them into  some abstract notion (with at most
six or  seven characteristics,  like movement, attack, defense, etc.),
fight the battle (selecting primary  and secondary targets, like  "hit
base" or "hit heaviest mech" or "run like hell from  there!" [good for
Locusts! :-)]), and convert the result back to "real"  mechs. Then you
could repair them, add equipment, etc., as per the rules.

	What do you think?


	- Last point (I must hurry...): ORDERS!  Suggestions (a lot of
them!)  are REALLY needed! Argggh...! (ok, ok, I won't overreact, just
this once).

	Hope the best suggestion isn't:

	MOVE <MECH #> TO <HEX #> - Basically, moves the 'mech numbered
<MECH #> to the hex numbered <HEX #>.  Can only be  ordered  to 'mechs
which are on  the battle,  haven't exploded  (yet),  and have   living
MechWarriors.

	ATTACK <MECH #>  WITH <MECH #> ON  <HEX  #>  -   Attacks 'mech
numbered [...]

	Aaaagh!!

	Ok,  any better  suggestions? (I could  live  just with move &
attack... or couldn't I? Hm? Well, I'll sleep over the matter)

---

	BTW, there seems to be some problems with the mailer daemon on
my site (or on the mail server itself). If you  want to contact  me by
any reason, try the following addresses in order:

	bc@fccn.pt (seems not to be working correctly)
	bc@fccn01.fccn.pt (works sometimes)
	bc@fccn01.fccn.pt%fccn.pt (works fine from some sites)
	bc@fccn01.fccn.pt%ns.dns.pt (should work always, but sometimes
				     it doesn't)
	bc@cygnus.lnec.pt (this machine is crazy - yep, it's an IBM!)
	Post to news...


	See ya,

  _________________________________________________________________________
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    _/     _/     _/  _/_/_/     Computer scientists do it byte by byte.
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 _/     _/     _/       _/       but Chaos was created by computer
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  bc@fccn01.fccn.pt                        Luis Miguel Sequeira
                                  Laboratorio Nacional de Engenharia Civil
  Phone 351-1-8482131 Ext. 2752   Centro Informatica/Grupo Sistemas Centrais
  "Don't call me, I'll call you"  Av. Brasil, 101 - 1700 Lisboa, Portugal
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