Creator FAQ

1Getting Started

Do I need to ask MADPUNK for permission before I create something?

No. If your project falls within the MADPUNK Community License and you follow its terms, you do not need to contact us, register your project or get it approved before publishing it. Go make something.

Do I have to pay MADPUNK anything?

No. There are no license fees, royalties or revenue shares payable to MADPUNK for permitted Community Works. You choose your price and keep your proceeds, subject to the fees charged by your publisher, retailer, platform or other service providers.

Can I sell what I create?

Yes. You can publish it for free, sell it commercially or crowdfund it. You can self-publish or work with printers, publishers, distributors, bookstores and online marketplaces.

What can I create under the Community License?

The License currently covers three categories: Chronicles, Missions and Artwork. Other formats and products may require separate written permission.

Do I have to submit my work to MADPUNK?

No. Publishing under the Community License and submitting something to MADPUNK Community Content are separate choices. You can use the License without ever submitting your work to us.

2Chronicles, Missions and Artwork

Can I write and sell a MADPUNK novel or short story?

Yes. Chronicles include novels, novellas and short stories set in the MADPUNK universe. You can publish them in print, ebook or substantially unabridged audiobook form, and you can publish your own Chronicle in multiple languages.

Can I publish several short stories together?

Yes, provided the collection consists of your own permitted Chronicles and complies with the License. Your title, branding and legal notice must still make clear that the book is an independent Community Work, not an official MADPUNK publication.

Can I make my own MADPUNK Mission?

Yes. A Mission can include original NPCs, encounters, handouts, maps, equipment, rules additions, pregenerated characters and other material reasonably necessary to play it. The Mission must still require the official MADPUNK rules and cannot replace the core game.

Can I sell MADPUNK artwork?

Yes. Original illustrations, paintings, digital artwork, physical artwork, art prints, posters and art books or portfolios are permitted Artwork under the License.

Can I put my artwork on a T-shirt, mug, miniature or other merchandise?

No. Posters and art prints are permitted Artwork, but merchandise such as clothing, bags, mugs, toys, figures, miniatures, models, prop replicas, dice, pins, patches, stickers, jewelry and similar goods requires a separate written license from MADPUNK.

Can I crowdfund a Chronicle, Mission or Artwork project?

Yes. Permitted Community Works may be crowdfunded. You remain responsible for the campaign, production, delivery, taxes, customer obligations and any promises you make to backers.

3Lore, Rules and Branding

Can I invent new characters, organizations, places or events?

Yes. You can explore gaps in the setting, tell stories MADPUNK has not told and create new material around the existing universe. Your work should remain reasonably consistent with the official lore that is public when you first publish it.

Can I change the official lore?

You can interpret it, explore it and build around it, but you cannot deliberately overwrite or materially contradict established official lore while presenting the result as part of the shared MADPUNK setting.

What if MADPUNK changes the lore after I publish?

A later retcon, clarification or expansion of official lore does not retroactively put an otherwise compliant Community Work in breach. You may update an older work if you want to, but you are not required to do so.

Can I use existing MADPUNK characters, factions and technologies?

Yes. You may use publicly released official lore and fictional elements that MADPUNK owns or controls, including characters, factions, organizations, locations, events and technologies, as part of a permitted Community Work.

Can I copy text, maps or artwork from an official MADPUNK publication?

Generally, no. Reference the material instead. Missions may cite rules, game terms, Characteristics, Skills, Traits, modifiers, numerical values and page references as reasonably necessary for compatibility, but substantial official text, tables, maps, artwork, layouts and other protected presentation cannot be reproduced unless specifically approved for community use.

What is the Creator Kit?

The Creator Kit is the set of templates, references, style guidance and Approved Community Assets that MADPUNK may make available to creators. Only the assets expressly identified for community use may be used under the License.

Can I use the official MADPUNK logo?

Not unless Seven Platform Solutions LLC gives you express written permission. If the Creator Kit provides a separate community or compatibility mark, you may use that specific mark in accordance with its guidelines.

Can I use the word MADPUNK in my title or cover?

You may use MADPUNK in plain text where reasonably necessary to identify the setting or compatibility, but it cannot be used as the dominant source brand or in a way that suggests MADPUNK published your work. For example, “The Coldest Sun - An Independent Chronicle for MADPUNK” is acceptable; “MADPUNK: The Coldest Sun” is not permitted without separate written authorization.

Do I have to include a legal notice?

Yes, even if the work is free. Use the attribution and independent-work notice set out in the Community License. You do not need to reproduce the entire License inside your work.

4Ownership, Community Content and Canon

Who owns the characters, stories and artwork I create?

You do. MADPUNK retains ownership of the existing MADPUNK IP, while you retain ownership of the original Creator Material you add. Publishing under the Community License does not assign your original material to Seven Platform Solutions LLC.

Can another MADPUNK creator automatically use my original character or story?

No. The Community License grants rights to use MADPUNK IP; it does not make your original Creator Material free for other creators to reuse. Anyone who wants to use your original material needs the permission you choose to give them.

Does my Community Work become official canon?

No. A Community Work remains independent and non-canon unless MADPUNK expressly identifies it as official under a separate written arrangement.

Can I submit my work to MADPUNK Community Content?

Yes, when the Community Content area is available. Submission is optional. If you submit, MADPUNK may display basic material such as your title, creator name, cover or representative image, description, links, thumbnails and reasonable excerpts for the purpose of operating the Community Content area.

If my work appears in Community Content, does MADPUNK endorse it?

No. Community Content is a discovery area for independent work. Listing or linking a project there does not make it official, endorsed, approved or canon.

Can MADPUNK take something I create and use it officially?

Not under the Community License alone. If MADPUNK wants to publish your Chronicle, Mission or Artwork, include it in The Network, give it a dedicated official feature, adapt it or incorporate it into official lore, we must contact you and make a separate written agreement.

What would that separate agreement cover?

It would address the rights needed for that project and may cover matters such as duration, territory, editorial process, credit, compensation or revenue sharing, approvals, publication rights, adaptation rights and other commercial terms. The Community License does not predetermine those terms.

5Projects Outside the License

Can I make a new MADPUNK RPG, board game or card game?

No. Missions for the official MADPUNK tabletop RPG are permitted, but standalone RPGs, replacement rulebooks, board games, card games, miniature games, war games and other standalone games require a separate written license.

Can I make a MADPUNK video game, app or digital tool?

No. Video games, mobile games, apps, software, character builders, virtual tabletop modules, interactive experiences and similar software products require a separate written license.

Can I make a MADPUNK film, series, animation or audio drama?

No. Films, television, animation, scripted video, stage adaptations, scripted audio dramas, radio drama, serialized fiction podcasts and other dramatic or audiovisual adaptations require a separate written license. A substantially unabridged audiobook of your own permitted Chronicle is allowed.

Can I make MADPUNK merchandise?

Not under the Community License. Merchandise such as apparel, figures, miniatures, props, dice, pins, stickers and similar goods requires separate written permission. Original posters and art prints remain permitted Artwork.

I have an idea that the Community License does not cover. What should I do?

Talk to us. The Community License is designed to make certain kinds of creation easy without asking permission first. Projects outside its scope are not automatically rejected, but they require a separate agreement before you proceed using MADPUNK IP.

6Publishing, Collaborators and Compliance

Can I work with a publisher, artist, editor or co-author?

Yes. You are responsible for making sure you have the rights and agreements needed from everyone who contributes to your project. A publisher or successor that exercises rights in MADPUNK IP through your Community Work must also comply with the Community License.

Can I translate my own Community Work?

Yes, provided you own or control the necessary rights. You may not translate and distribute an official MADPUNK publication under the Community License.

Can I use fan art or community material I found online?

Only if you have permission from the person who owns it. Something being posted online, shared in the community or listed in Community Content does not make it free to reuse.

What am I responsible for when I publish?

You are responsible for your Community Work, your collaborators, third-party permissions, taxes, platform fees, consumer obligations, production, fulfillment, advertising and compliance with applicable law.

What if I accidentally break one of the rules?

For an ordinary breach, MADPUNK will generally give written notice identifying the problem and you will have 30 days to fix it. Serious breaches - such as deliberately pretending your work is official, unauthorized use or registration of MADPUNK Marks, prohibited product categories, knowing infringement or other serious legal exposure - can result in immediate termination for that work.

What happens if the Community License changes later?

A Community Work first published in compliance with a particular version of the License may continue to be published under that version, subject to the License terms. New Community Works may be required to use the then-current version.

Who do I contact if I still have a licensing question?

Use the official licensing contact method published on MADPUNK.com. If your project falls outside the Community License, explain what you want to make and which MADPUNK elements you expect to use.

7Final Rule of Thumb

If you are making a Chronicle, a Mission or original Artwork, the Community License is designed to let you create and publish independently. If you are making a new game, merchandise, software or an audiovisual adaptation - or if MADPUNK wants to make your work official - that requires a separate written agreement.

Practical guide only. If this FAQ conflicts with the MADPUNK Community License v1.1, the License controls.