I'm thinking of building some sort of database for SR4. My main problem in coding is time...and typing in all the weapons, gear, etc is turning out to be a total pain. Additionally, rendering tables takes awhile.

Alternatively, we could just build some text files that any database could import. That way, developers are not tied to a particular solution.

My only concern is copyright issues. I'm not sure if the company would have a problem with it.

What do you think about the project and the copyright stuff?

If your database stored anything more than lore then that would be a major copyright problem. You need to not list any rules in the site to avoid problems.

The idea is to put items in the database to be used for character generation. Gear stats, table limits, etc. I wouldn't be putting rules in it. Instead, it would be "Colt Manhunter" with the stats that the player will need.

The issue being that statistics for items are rules. If a browning max power always has 5 DV with 1 Armor piercing, that is a rule.

True, it would not be as bad as listing an explanation of how to apply DV and AP in combat, but its still pushing the limits. Currently many character generators contain lists of data with numbers to indicate DV and AP etc., and they are pushing it. I think the redeeming factor is that the numbers are kept on a hidden sheet in the background, and applied behind the scenes to your character, with the goal of assisting in helping you create a character, rather than the goal of actually listing for you the attributes of gear that is technically proprietary to Shadowrun.

Its not really a gray area, its just an area that is ignored by the copyright holder. Posting all of this information on a website is a step further, and I would hinge my bets that WizKids or Catalyst would take issue with it.

If you feel unsure about this, just ask yourself, in all the years that different role playing games have been around, why aren't people making sites like this all the time (with exception to DnD Open Source)? Shadowrun has been around since 1989 but no one has ever created a site that is a database that has actual rules from the books in it.

The worst case scenario is they not only shut down your site, but let it be known that they dont want specific data like Gun statistics released in other peoples work without their specific approval, which would be a frustrating thing for the community, but a reasonable demand for them to make.

On the other hand, McMackie did have the NSRCG with built in statistics for SR3 online for many years, but that was also under the auspices of Fanpro rather than Catalyst.

I am in the process of writing some SR4 apps myself. On some of them had no direct info from books, so I felt safe from the CGL laywers and pissing off the people I know at CGL. Now for a few new apps (or updated current ones) that would contain material from the core books. So I contacted CGL via email. I explained what I wanted to do, and asked them where I could draw the line without getting to trouble. CGL was very responsive to by request and gave me where the line is.

So if you want to put in material from the books, check out their legal page (sorry don't have link on my iPod). If the page doesn't answer the question(so), then try email.

I've already done a converter that extract data from the books' tables (at the end of the book) and write it in an xml file. The main aim was to extract data from Arsenal and Augmentation to add them to Daegann's chargen (with another converter from xml to dae). It works correctly with Augmentation but doesn't with Arsenal since some of the tables are images instead of texts.