FCS Gaming League: Downloadable Files

FCS Gaming League
Policies Statement

Version: Season 11
Last Updated: September 18, 2006

This statement is a living document. These policies are subject to change without notice for compliance with superceding law or factual information. These policies are subject to change with 30 days notice in all other circumstances. Notice is posted on the events page of this site. By participating in FCS Gaming League events or using this site, you are agreeing to the terms and conditions of this statement. If you have any questions regarding the policies governing this site, please email the webmaster.

Definitions

Superceding Policy: A policy that, if changed or altered, affects any policy stated in this policy document.
Concurrent Policy: A policy that remains in effect during the stated policy and is not expected to cover the same conditions. If changed or altered, such a policy is not expected to affect any policy stated in this policy document. If a change in this type of document does create a conflict, the rules for precedence will be stated in this document.
Document: Any file or group of files that constitute a single purpose of existence and under the same publication scheme and design.
Privacy: This refers to any expectation of confidentiality referring to information that identifies or describes a user of this site.
Member: Anyone that has participated in, is participating in, or intends to participate in an event of the "FCS Gaming League".
User: Anyone that uses this site or a resource of the "FCS Gaming League" and is not covered in the definition of a "member".
League, FCSGL, FCS GL: Short hand used in this document to mean the "FCS Gaming League".
This Site: Any reference to this site refers to the subsite on which the policy page resides. In this case, it refers to the web site for the FCS Gaming League at http://www.firstduty.com/add/league/.
Personal Information: Information about you, the user of the site, that is personally identifiable (your name, address, email address, or phone number) and that is not otherwise publicly available.
Link: This is any hyperlink connection to another site, document, or piece of information.
Third Party Connection: This is any link, contact information, or direction to a resource not under the control of the League.
Image / Graphic: This is any file in binary form that displays graphical information or art when rendered.
Electronic Contact Information: Any information that allows communication over an electronic medium. Examples are your email address, screen name, or pager number.
Shadow Copying / Shadow Purchasing: These terms refer to the practice of reproducing materials and resources for intended use without permission (implied or expressed) or intent to remunerate. This includes knowingly purchasing such materials at a reduced price from sources that did not properly acquire them.
Recognized Legal Authority: This is any legal authority that holds legitimate jurisdiction over the matter at hand. For example, if the FBI shows up and asks for the email address of one of our members, and gives a compelling reason, then we would comply with that request. If the LA Police Department asks for an email address, their request would not be honored without a warrant. They would need to work through one of the local legal entities and provide a compelling reason. What is a local legal entity? In the example above, the LA Police Department would not be, because no members live in that area and we haven't held any events there. The Schenectady, Albany, or Amsterdam Police would be, because we have members who live there and have held events there. The FBI and similar organizations are recognized because they have responsibilities across jurisdictional borders and therefore cover our local areas. What is a compelling reason? It is a reason that in good faith leads the League to believe that your life or safety are in danger OR that you have endangered the life or safety of another. For example: A member has been kidnapped and they are trying to trace their activities. If someone asks for your personal information so they can send you advertisements or because they're looking for an old college roommate, this would NOT qualify. Any reason that does not fall under the above conditions will be considered on a case by case basis and may require a duly issued warrant to back it up.

Superceding and Concurrent Policies

This web site is subject to the policies and regulations governing the following entities and sites. This page will list any additional policies that pertain to the FCS Gaming League and this site. It may restate policies for emphasis.

Ford Computing Services: This site is subject to all policies of Ford Computing Services (FCS). In cases where they differ, the FCS policy supercedes this document.
First Duty Project: This site is subject to all policies of the First Duty Project web site except in cases where they differ. In cases where they differ, this document is the superceding authority.
Open Gaming License (OGL): This governs open content for the d20 system and is a policy of Wizards of the Coast™. Any advisory or decision regarding the applicability of the OGL will be posted to the site FAQ. The following content is covered by the OGL:
- Any image listed in the Credit Gallery as falling under the OGL.
- Any mechanic component of characters, places, or things that follow the d20 standard. For example: The Sri-Kin are a race specific to the Terran Universe. The name "Sri-Kin" and the back story of the race ARE NOT included in the OGL. But the statistics used to describe the race ARE part of the OGL. Read the OGL to understand why this matters.
- Any OGL content provided by a third party.
Whenever possible, content not covered by the OGL will be identified. The following content IS NOT covered by the OGL:
- Any image listed in the Credit Gallery as being Copyrighted, Trademarked, or falling under third party ownership.
- Any non-mechanic component of characters, places, or things. For example: The Sri-Kin are a race specific to the Terran Universe. The name "Sri-Kin" and the back story of the race ARE NOT included in the OGL. But the statistics used to describe the race ARE part of the OGL. Read the OGL to understand why this matters.
- Any history, back story, description, or characters created specifically for the Terran Systems, the Survival Wars Saga, the Relic Wars Saga, or the Birth of Champions Saga.

Privacy

What does this policy cover?

This policy covers how the League and this site treats personal information that the League collects and receives. Personal information is information about you that is personally identifiable (your name, address, email address, or phone number) and that is not otherwise publicly available.

This policy does not apply to the practices of companies that the League does not own or control.

What information is collected and how is it used?

General

This web site is not set up to automatically collect any personal information specific to the user.
This site automatically receives and records information on our server logs from your browser, including your IP address and the page you request, for administrative use.
Members of the League provide their names and electronic contact information during the event registration process. Names are used on the site to identify players and their team information. Electronic contact information is used ONLY with expressed permission by the owner of the personal information. If you fill in your email address on the sign-up sheets, it will be used to send you administrative notices and to reply to queries from you. It WILL NOT be posted on the web site unless you have expressed permission to do so. The League DOES NOT sell Personal Information for any reason.
Game Masters and Players that list their contact information for use with event postings are considered to have expressed permission for such use.

Children Participating in the League

The League has no official age limits.
Game Masters make an onsite determination as to whether or not the content of their games is suitable for the age of their players and make adjustments accordingly.
When a child under age 13 attempts to register for a game, a judgment call will be made by the Game Master as to their participation. In most cases, players under 13 have been playing games at the locations for a while and the Game Masters or other players are familiar with them. If we know that the player is continually dropped off at a location by, or with the permission of, their parents, the Game Master may take this as implied permission for the player to participate.
League information is posted at all locations at which we host events.
If a request is received from a parent or legal guardian asking that we not allow a player to participate, that request will be recorded and honored to the best of our ability.
The League does not ask a child under age 13 for more personal information, as a condition of participation, than is reasonably necessary to participate in a given activity.
If a Game Master specifically wishes to run a game with content that may be inappropriate for younger participants, they may post a age limit at the time that the event is posted. In this case, an age limit on participants will be enforced by the Game Master.

Children Using this Site

By use of this site, the user acknowledges that, if they are under 13 years of age, that they have permission to use this site.
If anyone feels that additional site policies are needed, please feel free to send comments to the coordinator.

Comment on Children in the League and Using this Site:

This really hasn't been an issue. Usually, if someone is old enough to understand the game, they are old enough to play. If someone has a specific concern, please feel free to contact the coordinator. We are very sensitive to any issue regarding children and will take every comment or concern seriously.

Comment on COPPA:

Some people have been wondering if this site is covered by the Childrens Online Privacy and Protection Act (COPPA). The answer is no. This site is not specifically geared toward children under the age of 13. Neither do we directly collect information on the age of our members and users. This is not to say that we ignore COPPA. Whenever feasible we use the best practices presented by COPPA and similar legislation in the design and implementation of this site and League policy.

Information Sharing and Disclosure

We do not rent, sell, or share personal information about you with other people or nonaffiliated groups except to provide information or services you've requested, when we have your permission, or when requested by a recognized legal authority.

This site does not intentionally store cookies on your computer. If you find that we have stored a cookie on your computer, please notify us immediately and we will look into it. Thank you.

Confidentiality and Security

We limit access to personal information about you to Game Masters and Players who we believe reasonably need to come into contact with that information to provide support services to you or in order to fulfill their functions.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

The League may update this policy. We will notify you about significant changes in the way we treat personal information by posting a notice to the Events page.

Questions and Suggestions

If you have any comments or questions, you may send email to fcs@firstduty.com or you can contact us at:
FCS Gaming League
PO Box 2085
Albany NY 12220-0085
U.S.A.

Trademark, Copyright, and Fair Use

General Statement

It is the official policy of the FCSGL that friendly, ethical, and legal behavior should be followed when dealing with resources, people, and places.

Comment on Libraries vs Stores

A library is a warehouse of information, like books, that you may peruse to gain knowledge. A store is a commercial establishment where information sources, like books, are sold for private use. It is NOT appropriate to confuse the two. By using the books off of bookstore shelves, you are diminishing the value of the item. This is a disservice to the store, the publisher, the purchaser, and the intellectual property owner. If you need the book to play, then buy it or borrow it from another player. Only the PHB is required to play in a D&D game.

Comment on Copying/Use of Resources

The practice of shadow copying a book or electronic resource for intended use of its information without proper permission or payment to the intellectual property owner is no way condoned by the FCSGL.

In some, VERY RARE, circumstances when the resource is available by no other means, limited exception to this rule may be permitted. If the item is out-of-print AND originals are no longer available AND the intellectual property owner has no intention of releasing or gaining profit from the resource, then the judgement call is up to the individual. The FCSGL bears no weight of responsibility for individual decisions in this matter. Be cautioned, even when the original intellectual property owner is deceased, their estate may still have intentions of profiting from their works. This are can get very gray very quickly.

Graphics

Any image NOT in the general domain will be displayed on the Gallery page along with the appropriate credits.
If a graphic appears in the site and it's use is in dispute, you may contact the webmaster by email. Please include the name of the graphic, where it is displayed, why you are disputing its use, and any supporting information. If your dispute is determined to be legitimate, the graphic will be removed within 30 days.
Graphics are determined to be in the general domain if they are generally accepted as such, their original source has a licensing policy that indicates they may be freely used, or if the graphic is offered by a source and no owner can be determined.
Unless specified at the time, any member that provides an image for posting on the web site or for inclusion in League documentation grants the League, Christopher J. Ford, and Ford Computing Services non-exclusive rights to use that image and intellectual property without reimbursement of any kind. By providing an image or other information, the member implies ownership and/or permission to do so. Any case deviating from this policy will be stated in the Credit Gallery.

Team Profiles

Unless specified at the time, any member that provides character or background information for posting on the web site or for inclusion in League documentation grants the League, Christopher J. Ford, and Ford Computing Services non-exclusive rights to use that information and intellectual property without reimbursement of any kind. Any case deviating from this policy will be stated on the affected document. This includes only information for which the member has ownership. It does not cover anything already covered by the OGL or a Superceding Policy.

Character Information

Unless specified at the time, any member that provides character information for posting on the web site or for inclusion in League documentation grants the League, Christopher J. Ford, and Ford Computing Services non-exclusive rights to use that information and intellectual property without reimbursement of any kind. Any case deviating from this policy will be stated on the affected document. This includes only information for which the member has ownership. It does not cover anything already covered by the OGL or a Superceding Policy.

Intellectual Property

Unless specified at the time, any member that provides character information, background information, or other material or intellectual property for posting on the web site or for inclusion in League documentation grants the League, Christopher J. Ford, and Ford Computing Services non-exclusive rights to use that information and intellectual property without reimbursement of any kind. By doing so, they affirm that they are the property owner at the time OR that they have the right to transfer such rights as stated. Any case deviating from this policy will be stated on the affected document. This includes only information for which the member has ownership. It does not cover anything already covered by the OGL or a Superceding Policy.

Links and Third Party Connections

Ford Computing Services and the League cannot be held liable for content on sites linked to, mentioned, or described on this site or in it's documentation. The owner of that content bears sole responsibility for its use.
If anyone feels that a link on this site is inappropriate, you may notify the coordinator. If the coordinator agrees, the link will be removed within 30 days.

Credit Footer

The following is posted on several pages of this site to point users to Credit Information in good faith.

Site Management and Design Copyright 2004 - 2008 Ford Computing Services, Mayfield NY U.S.A. Copyright 2001 - 2004 Ford Computing Services, Amsterdam NY U.S.A. Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Greyhawk (and other campaign settings), and RPGA are registered trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. See the Credit Gallery for additional third party Copyright, Trademark, and License information. All other rights reserved by Ford Computing Services and the FCS Gaming League. All members and site users acknowledge and affirm that they have read and agreed to the site policies by use of this site and/or participation in League events. If you do not agree with the poilicies of this site or the League, you are required to leave this site immediately. Webmaster fcs@firstduty.com.

Responsibilities and Rights Under This Document

Your Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of every member and user of the web site to become familiar with the Policies of the FCS Gaming League; including this document.
You should review this document at least every 60 days for updates or changes. If a change has been made, it will be noted on the document. Look for the date last updated.
If you have a concern about a policy, or the lack of a particular, you should bring it to the attention of the League for relief.
Members are expected to promote the policies of the League at ALL events.

Adjudication and Recourse

If you feel that a policy has been violated, and you have failed to receive relief from the Game Master or the offender, you may contact the coordinator for adjudication.
If you do not feel that adjudication was successful, you may seek relief through third parties as covered in this document.
You agree to allow the League a period of no less than 60 days to settle any disputes before it.
In any case where legal relief is sought, all matters are to be settled in the jurisdiction of Fulton County, New York State, U.S.A..
The League may not be held financially liable for any matter. In jurisdictions where this policy is not legally binding such responsibility shall not exceed $100.00.