I've been working on a board game version of M.U.L.E., mainly for myself as an exercise in game design. I want to share it for free with people on the Internet. Can I do that? I'd love to see it improved through the creativity here on BGDF.
I was about to add it to the free games area of my site when I hesitated. Because of the computer clone Space HoRSE and some other info I read, I had convinced myself that only the name M.U.L.E. was protected. I promptly called it Q.U.L.E.
In creating my own games, I copyright the rules and was told by a Intellectual Property lawyer that was as far as it goes. In my case, no patents could be applied for because the components were done many times before. And that name use was based on first use in a state. (I am going by memory on that last bit, but I remembered some urgency about wanting to sell one copy in each state.)
It is all very confusing. There is some excellent work on http://www.s3dconnector.net/ where people are creating a fantastic computer version of Settlers of Catan, a far more recent game than MULE. Are they risking lawsuits? I know they've gone to pains to create their own artwork.
Am I pushing it to use the original artwork of the resource icons? How about the little pixelated mechanical MULE image that itself looks ripped from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back?
Thank you for your thoughts.
Doug Borresen
Wilcot Group
www.wilcotgroup.com
That is great! A lot of neat ideas there and I like that it uses PiecePack.
So maybe implied in your answer is that you don't see any problem with making a board game version out of M.U.L.E. Perhaps when someone makes money out of it, then you would get some grief but that is not likely anyway in this wonderful hobby of ours.
Thank you for your post and sharing your game creation. I will read a few more opinions if others post them here and then probably post my early version on my site.
Doug