Hatrack River Writers Workshop: A Question on Copyrighted Worlds.

This is topic A Question on Copyrighted Worlds. in forum Open Discussions About Writing at Hatrack River Writers Workshop.

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Posted by eyegore242 (Member # 9317) on :

I know that the rules of the forums disallow any stories from copyrighted worlds, the star trek star wars what not. But I do have an idea for a ShadowRun (a cyberpunk rpg). I was wondering if anyone had any insights on how to go about writing in such a world.

Thanks in advance
Eyegore

Posted by LDWriter2 (Member # 9148) on :

Two things here.

I believe, even though I will be corrected if wrong, games including rpgs are treated as written or movie worlds when it comes to you using them for a story. I'm not sure if the copyright is the same but publishers and editors tend to act like it is.

Second thing is there are already quite a few Shadowrun books out, if you want to do one you might contact the publisher. Or try the rpg's web page. I don't know if they are still doing them, I haven't seen a new one in years but that doesn't mean much.

Basically I like the Shadowrun universe, not all of the books-over twenty-but the idea. The first book I read never made it clear if the MC's ex-wife and thirteen year old daughter were taken over by interdimensional insects at the end of the book or not. Then there was the book about a team that at the very end instead of winning were killed and the MC managed to escape with a bad injury but they were all turned into something. I never could quite figure that out, some type of soul eating vampires. I thought up my own Shadowrun teams and a business operated by three brothers who each had different abilities. One was a computer guy, another a mage or wizard and the last had been turned into a troll.

Posted by Pyre Dynasty (Member # 1947) on :

The only one you could sell such a story to is the copyright owner, and you would probably end up owning exactly none of the rights to your work. I know that's how Wizards of the Coast operates.

Posted by eyegore242 (Member # 9317) on :

thanks for the replies, and if you like the world i would suggest getting some of the game books.
Its an amazing world, and a lot of the novels didn't really do it justice.
But they were wrote when FASA owned the property. Sense then it was bought out by WizKids (they wanted rights to BattleTech aka MechWarrior) and now they licenced the property out to Catalyst Games.

Eyegore

Posted by MartinV (Member # 5512) on :

I'm rewriting a fan fiction of mine as we speak. Currently, I'm performing the surgery of removing the borrowed setting and replacing it with a setting I created for a story I never got to finish a few years ago. It works perfectly. The stitches won't be visible.

Posted by eyegore242 (Member # 9317) on :

just found this on the sr4 game site

quote:
Novels
Catalyst Game Labs is not currently accepting proposals for English-language Shadowrun novels. WizKids is not planning on publishing Shadowrun novels in the near future.

well there goes my idea but i guess you cant expect much from a game company that wants to dumb down table top miniatures gaming. but that just gives me a reason to make my own cyberpunk world to pull a novel from.

eyegore

Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :

I enjoyed writing Internet Fan Fiction---in fact, I got more of a response from readers than I've gotten on anything else I've written---but, with odd exceptions like "Star Trek," you've got to set your mind on the idea that you'll never be able to sell it anywhere.

Posted by rich (Member # 8140) on :

Speaking of fan fiction...

When wanting to be a tv writer (and I don't, I'm just saying) producers and show runners look at spec scripts written in that world. For example, you would write an original script for South Park, and submit it to the South Park creators/producers. And likewise for other shows.

So if you like writing fan fiction, maybe direct those talents towards writing for an existing television series.

Posted by redux (Member # 9277) on :

I did a little bit of research and found it confusing as to who owns Shadowrun these days.

Back in 2007 the original founders of FASA created a new game studio called Smith & Tinker and they bought FASA IPs back from Microsoft, including Shadowrun. But now I read that Topps Company Inc. owns all Shadowrun IPs. Catalyst Game Labs owns a license to publish RPGs and they also hold novelization rights.

If you really like Shadowrun perhaps you should write an adventure based on their sourcebooks. CGL is currently accepting submissions.

[This message has been edited by redux (edited November 21, 2010).]

Posted by LDWriter2 (Member # 9148) on :

quote:
well there goes my idea but i guess you cant expect much from a game company that wants to dumb down table top miniatures gaming. but that just gives me a reason to make my own cyberpunk world to pull a novel from.

I had the same idea. Haven't thought of it for a while but I still wouldn't mind doing it but my ideas are too close to Shadowrun so far.

Posted by LDWriter2 (Member # 9148) on :

quote:

I'm rewriting a fan fiction of mine as we speak. Currently, I'm performing the surgery of removing the borrowed setting and replacing it with a setting I created for a story I never got to finish a few years ago. It works perfectly. The stitches won't be visible.

Probably know this already but that's called filing off the numbers. I have done it with one of my Star Trek stories and may do it with two more someday.

I had a story in the Star Wars universe I wrote years ago I thought seriously of filing the numbers off of but I seem to have lost the story. Most everything else was backed up but when my hard drive died a couple of years ago- a couple new stories and revised stores won't- but when I looked for that story I couldn't find it. Other stories written at that time had been backed up but I guess not that one.

It would have made a good space opera story too. But then again I might remember enough to do it over. Which is probably a good idea since back then my writing would have been a whole lot worse than it is now.

I also wrote a story in the Dray Prescott universe which I filed the numbers off of. Nice story but I'm sure the writing is atrocious.

Posted by LDWriter2 (Member # 9148) on :

quote:

I enjoyed writing Internet Fan Fiction---in fact, I got more of a response from readers than I've gotten on anything else I've written---but, with odd exceptions like "Star Trek," you've got to set your mind on the idea that you'll never be able to sell it anywhere.

I've thought about doing more fan fiction. Dr. Who had a contest last year or was it the year before I thought about entering but it's been years since I've seen an Ep and couldn't come up with an idea. Without using any established characters you had to show how your character had been influenced by the good Doctor in something like 2,000 words or was it 3,000.

There is a Dray Prescott site or two for stories and a couple I know of for general fan fic with no Bolo or Honor Harrington stories but I'm concentrating too much on getting published and a certain Pro writer-mentor ingrained in us about not violating copyrights. Even for those writers who have stated they don't mind fan fic in their universes.

Posted by eyegore242 (Member # 9317) on :

quote:
I had the same idea. Haven't thought of it for a while but I still wouldn't mind doing it but my ideas are too close to Shadowrun so far.

To be honest as far as i know the only stuff that shadowrun has unique to cyberpunk is the magic and fantasy races. The gritty dark world of megacorps with extraterritorially is a common theme among the genre, along with cybernetics and Virtual space (The Matrix) and the use of merc groups as deniable assets is nothing new either.

You can more than likely even get away with using stuff like private security forces taking over the roll of police and such (OCP from the robocop movies) and prepaid medical services as long as you don't use the names Lone Star or Knight Errant or DocWagon.

Actually i was looking in the writers group part of the forums and saw where some of the member here put together a group for wotf. Im abit late for the one going now but i saw where they said they are going to start one for the next quarter at the start of Dec. I'm working on a cyberpunk story for that group right now. I'm going kinda a Film Noir private dick in the gritty future kind of feel.
If you wanna catch some pretty good shows check out Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex seasons 1 and 2. good stuff.

eyegore

[This message has been edited by eyegore242 (edited November 21, 2010).]

Posted by LDWriter2 (Member # 9148) on :

quote:

Shell Stand Alone Complex

Is that one name??

You could be right about the characteristics of Shadowrun compared to similar stories. But my world would have magic and high tech together, not sure about the megacorps though.

That could be a fun world to create.

Posted by LDWriter2 (Member # 9148) on :

PS

You may not be that late, for WotF. We have one more month to go before the deadline and someone might be willing to go over your story. Wouldn't hurt to ask.

Posted by eyegore242 (Member # 9317) on :

The show is called Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex for the series there was also a couple of full length movies. Ghost in the Shell and Ghost in the Shell: Innocence http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_in_the_shell#Films there is a link with a list of the full length movies and the tv series.

eyegore

Posted by eyegore242 (Member # 9317) on :

Ps Its not like they have a copyright on magic and high tech mixed either. just come up with another way to use magic other that talismans and foci and you should be good.