Members of the House

The House Doesn't Always Win is a bespoke set of mechanics designed to tell a story of revolution and social change, but its mechanics have the power to represent much more than that. If you're a game designer who's been inspired to create something from my works then you can contact me with the form at the bottom of this page to inquire about having your game recognised as a Member of the House. A Member of the House is a game that builds itself from the core mechanics introduced in The House Doesn't Always Win and either changes, re-imagines, or evolves them to work in different settings, genres, and stories. It could contain just some or all of the rules I've put together. It could evoke the same themes as THDAW or completely different ones. But they are always written and presented in their own words.

The text, characters, art, designs, and all other things that fall under Copyright protection contained within The House Doesn't Always Win are mine and my collaborators' intellectual property. That basically means that you can't copy things from the book wholesale and then credit them as your own work. It's possible you could obtain my permission to use elements of the book in your own work, but you're much better off just rewording it in your voice.

If you've just been inspired by THDAW and want to build a game that follows some of the mechanical ideas then you don't have to credit me as long as you aren't using any of the actual words, art, etc. I would love it if you did though, and I always want to hear about games you've made that are inspired by THDAW. If you want to call your game a "Member of the House" system then you have to make sure it follows the policy below.

The rule book for The House Doesn't Always Win is a paid product and as it stands there's no online rules document to reference outside of that book. If you're a game designer from a marginalised community and you'd like a copy of THDAW to write your next game with, please contact me using the form at the bottom of this page and you can talk to me about sending out a free copy.

Okay, here's the important stuff. If you want to call your game a Member of the House then it has to abide by these standards:

• Your game cannot express hateful views about other individuals or groups of people. That includes Racism, Sexism, Homophobia, Transphobia, Ableism, or anything that is hateful toward other people. This is the big one. If your game is a platform for punching down then I don't condone you making it or putting my name on it.
• Your game cannot copy any of mine or my collaborators' original works from The House Doesn't Always Win or any of the other games I make and present it as your own. It must use your own wording, even if every mechanic stays exactly the same.
• I would appreciate it if you mention in your game that it was inspired by myself and The House Doesn't Always Win
• If you want to use the Member of the House logo then you have to obtain my express permission. I want to hear about your games so don't hesitate to contact me!

If you follow the rules above then I have no issue with you calling your game a Member of the House. You can distribute it, sell it, hack it, make your own system name and start a page like this if you wish. It's up to you what you do with