What the Creative Commons BY–NC–SA 4.0 License Allows for Secret Hitler

Updated

Secret Hitler is published under Creative Commons BY–NC–SA 4.0, and the site states the practical consequences directly: you must credit the original, you may not profit from it commercially in any way, and any version you make must carry the exact same license. The same FAQ also rules out submitting anything to an app store or similar platform. If your plan involves selling copies, running a paid event around your version, or publishing an app, this license does not permit it.

The Four Conditions in Plain Terms

The license name is an abbreviation of its terms, and each part does real work:

Element What it requires
BY (Attribution) Give credit to the original work
NC (NonCommercial) No commercial profit from the material in any way
SA (ShareAlike) License your derivative under the exact same CC license
4.0 The version of the Creative Commons license being used

The site's own summary matches this: credit the original, no commercial profit, and the same license on anything you build from it.

What You Can Do

  • Print and play at home. The site points to a Print & Play PDF and estimates about an hour with a printer and scissors.
  • Use a print shop. The site estimates roughly $5 and 20–30 minutes at a local print shop.
  • Make your own version. The FAQ explicitly addresses this: you can make your own version as long as the license conditions are met.
  • Share it non-commercially. Because ShareAlike applies, anyone you pass your version to inherits the same terms.

What You Cannot Do

  • Profit from it commercially in any way. The site's wording is broad, not limited to selling the game itself.
  • Skip attribution. Credit to the original is a condition, not a courtesy.
  • Change the license on your version. Derivative works must use the exact same CC license.
  • Submit to an app store or anything like that. The FAQ names this restriction specifically.

The site adds that this is not an exhaustive list and that it is your responsibility to make sure you are not infringing.

Where to Get the Files

The site lists two downloads alongside the license terms:

  • Rules — RULES.PDF
  • Print & Play — PRINT&PLAY.PDF

Both are linked from the main page under "Play the Game for Free."

Common Points of Confusion

"Free" refers to the license, not to a hosted product. The site says the game is available for free under the Creative Commons license and describes the print-and-play route. It does not describe a free digital edition you log into.

The physical edition is a separate matter. The page has an "Editions" section and a Standard Edition, and the FAQ says the game is available everywhere Blackbox ships. The license governs what you may do with the game's materials, not the retail availability of the boxed edition.

The wood box is not coming back. The FAQ states there are no wood boxes available and no plans to make them available again, so no license reading changes that.

A complaint address is not a licensing channel. The FAQ's "Who can I complain to?" answer lists U.S. Senate office addresses. That is the site's editorial response to criticism of the theme, not a route for license questions.

A Quick Decision Check

Before you start a project, answer these three questions:

  1. Will anyone pay for it, or will it support something you sell? If yes, the NC term blocks it.
  2. Will your version carry the same CC BY–NC–SA 4.0 license and credit the original? If not, you are outside the terms.
  3. Is it destined for an app store or similar platform? The FAQ rules that out.

If all three answers point away from commercial use, keep the license intact, and stay off app stores, the project fits what the site describes.