Before starting, letīs begin with a disclaimer to avoid any misinterpretations: What Iīll ask below is not applied to any published material unless express permission from the publisher is given (and from the author also, if possible). Also, Iīll NOT break any copyrights and wonīt work on any material (homebrew, online or otherwise) without seeking the authorīs approval first. Even then, Iīll compromise to state clearly on the text the name of the author and the source/site which appears, if applicable.
Now, to the point. I really like WoG, but unfortunately the setting is barely known in Brazil. In the brazilian mesageboard I participate (www.rederpg.com.br), there is only one fixed topic GH-related and the thread is replied only occasionaly, generally by me and two or three other fans. I would like to make people know more about Oerth and its wonders, but I wonīt violate any copyrights by translating official, published, material. So, I have little room to maneuver when deciding what I can show to potential gamers.
Two years ago, I translated an AOL-released document of the overview of the Greyhawk Wars, made by Roger E. Moore, J. Robert King and David "Zeb" Cook. The response I got was very positive and I was looking to translate other texts into portuguese, in order to stimulate people here to know about Greyhawk. Seriously, do you know how many times I have to endure sayings like "Greyhawk is bland", "Greyhawk doesnīt have any flavor", "This setting is just standard"? All because the only source of GH material they have read is the PHB and a smattering of references in the D&D 3E crunch books (yes, LGG isnīt included).
So, this message is directed not only to the Canonfire! staff but also to whoever devised a nice and juicy text about Oerth. Could I translate into portuguese one or more GH articles you created, respecting all coyprights, in order to illuminate souls who donīt know anything about Greyhawk? If the answer is "no", I fully understand and wonīt press the issue and wonīt translate without permission. If the answer is "yes", I ask you to reply this message, describing which material you are generously letting me to translate. I prefer this method instead of launching PMs to known authors because a) I feel this is less intrusive, b) It reaches many more GH sages at once and c) I tried once contact one author but got no response (Iīm not blaming him/her; the email adress could be no longer valid).
Finally, even if permission is granted, Iīm still thinking about what kind of material could be most useful to the brazilian gamers. So, I tried to establish some priorities before translating an article, because the GH lore is vast but my free time is not :-). I hope this is not seen as a spoiled request, but as a question about which material I should look instead of being stumped in many possible texts. Please note I created the following guidelines without a lenghty analysis; they can and should be discussed and criticized if you think there are mistakes on them.
- Freestanding and no need to know Captain Kirkīs Safe combination. The people who will read the text are newbies to Oerth. So, the greater articleīs content is understood without external references, the better.
- Closest to LGG Canon as possible. No, Iīm not being snobbish nor conservative nor disregarding innovative material and Iīm not a canon fundamentalist. The point is: Iīm trying to show potential gamers some limelights of a published scenario and in the best case, estimulating them to know more and buy GH products. As currently the LGG is the standard Greyhawk campaign set, I think itīs a good idea to show material that could be related to the core book text ("Hey! Thereīs no mention here about the Purple Spelljamming Turnips of Zagyg!").
Note: I didnīt try to translate "Ivid the Undying" because it is monstrously large and because it depicts the Great Kingdom before the current date (a smaller article however, could be different).
- Fluff is In, Crunch is Out. If the idea is to show a bit more of the setting, history and background are much more important than game statistics. Obviously, this doesnīt excludes material with mechanics, it just states the preferential focus.
Well, thatīs it. I hope the request hasnīt been too whiny or pedantic
PS: It has nothing to do with the topic, but I was listening to one of my favorite bands, TEN, and noticed how the lyrics of a song ("We rule the Night" - Spellbound album) can serve as a nice soundtrack (as far as modern music goes) to the servant of Heironeous. Just commenting. _________________ Kneel before Rahu!
Anything Greyhawk I've written, wither here or in the Oerth Journal, can be translated into any language you like. Just keep my name with it. Also, you should talk to Dui. about translating the Oerth Journal(s).
Thanks a lot, but I really need to know your nick :-) If you want that I include also your real name and the original URL, just send a word. Regarding the OJīs, itīs a good suggestion, Iīll keep in mind. _________________ Kneel before Rahu!
You're more than welcome to translate the OJ's into Portuguese. In fact, if you do so send me copies so maybe I can post them online as well, text only. I'll add the rest back in. =) _________________ Cheerz,
-Rick "Duicarthan" Miller
Editor-in-Chief, Oerth Journal
http://www.oerthjournal.comhttp://www.greyhawkonline.com/duicarthan
Iīll begin to do so by small steps. Iīll try to translate #1 beginning at this weekend and then keep you informed. If I meet with sucess, of course Iīll send them to you. When you said "add the rest back in", means you could change the .doc translated into a .pdf and then include the images? _________________ Kneel before Rahu!
Great. Iīve already begun translating #1, but I have some doubts if the following text must be included (first page):
At present, this group meets and communicates primarily on America Online. Send inquiries to Iquander@aol.com.
AND
The Oerth Journal is made available to users of America Online, Genie or MPGNet (or other electronic retrieval systems later sanctioned by TSR, Inc.). Please do not upload this file to any other BBS, FTP site or any other form of electronic media. Any reproduction or transmission of this material without the expressed consent of TSR, Inc. and the authors of the work is a violation of copyright law. Unless otherwise noted, all individual contributions copyright their respective authors.
Not only Iīm a bit reluctant to freely distribute an email adress, also the 2nd passage can give a wrong message. I know, itīs 10 years old, but it is a potential headache that I want to avoid if anyone comes to me accusing of violating the distribution. _________________ Kneel before Rahu!
I can't compete with the OJ, nor do I know if anything I have contributed to CF would be appropriate for your purposes. However, you have my permission to translate anything I have submitted to CF into Portuguese to make such available to Brazilian GH fans or wouldbe fans.
Wykthor wrote:
Thanks a lot, but I really need to know your nick :-) If you want that I include also your real name and the original URL, just send a word. Regarding the OJīs, itīs a good suggestion, Iīll keep in mind.
Please. Credit Glenn Vincent Dammerung with a URL to an article's location on CF.
Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance. _________________ GVD
GVD, thanks a bunch for the offer. Donīt worry, I will credit any articles properly. Iīm thinking that after the first translation of OJ #1, I will see how the folks react and translate separate articles meanwhile :-) _________________ Kneel before Rahu!
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