Version 1.0
Here we go. I (Alan/Northern Lights Foundry) love third party content, open systems and more. I have personally designed and released several, as well as learned a ton and leveraged open or public systems through my time. Adding games, mechanics and ideas back into the ecosystem is important to us, and this license is intended to do that.
That said, we gotta protect ourselves too. We’re small publishers and creators. This license won’t ask for your money, and it’s pretty open, but we really want you to understand that we hope you’ll treat us, our work, and our vision with respect.
This license allows you to create material for Shadows of a Dying Sun and publish it (for free, for money, or for….I dunno, whatever you can get for it, I guess). Pretty much anything goes if you follow the rules below.
Text and art from Shadows of a Dying Sun and all other Northern Lights Foundry produced Shadows of a Dying Sun material may not be reused, translated, reproduced, or republished without express written permission from Northern Lights Foundry.
Look. If you use this license, Northern Lights Foundry takes no responsibility for any legal claims or action brought against you. Any legal matters arising from your use of this license will be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the United States and will be settled by a court of the United States.
Additionally, the following legal and copyright text must be visibly and legibly included in the publication and on websites or storefronts where you offer the product:
“[Product name] is an independent production by [Author or Publisher] and is not affiliated with Northern Lights Foundry, Gallant Knight Games, or Alan Bahr.”
[Product Name] is published under the SHADOWS OF A DYING SUN Third-Party License.”
“SHADOWS OF A DYING SUN is ©2024 Northern Lights Foundry.”
If you adhere to these terms, you may publish free or commercial products using the SHADOWS OF A DYING SUN system, and you may declare compatibility with SHADOWS OF A DYING SUN without express permission from Northern Lights Foundry or Octopress Publishing.
Some other things you can’t do with SHADOWS OF A DYING SUN: No NFTs. No AI material.
Should you want to, feel free to use the optional SHADOWS OF A DYING SUN compatibility logos in your third-party products.
The rules that power Shadow of a Dying Sun are released on their own as MAIL. You can find out more at: https://northernlightsfoundry.itch.io/the-mail-guidebook.