: Project Lead on VENERANCE here.

: I think it could fare fairly well. (Wordplay only halfway intentional.)

: Yes, HaloGen was issued a C&D, and yes, Halo Wars is essentially the reason
: why, best as folks know secondhand, but that does not have to be the sole
: reason for such a C&D.

: Here are the rules I would recommend you, your project, and your teammates
: live by: Rule #1: Don't even let the smell of money get near your
: project. Don't let your site have ads, don't put up a donate button, and
: don't sell T-Shirts. If it involves money, basically don't touch it with a
: 60-foot pole.

: Rule #2: Do not ever, ever compromise on your obedience to Rule #1.

: Rule #3: Do yourself a favor and be familiar with Microsoft's Game Content
: Usage Rules, linked here for your convenience:
: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/community/developer/rules

: Rule #4: Never be afraid to ask folks in the Halo community for help or
: feedback. Seriously, it's more willingly offered than you'd think. The
: worst they can do is ignore you.

: Fact is, if they are aware of your project's existence, then they can issue
: you a C&D. They don't really need to explain themselves if they do, since
: it's their IP. But they've been pretty cool about things like this lately.

: Personally, I think the time could very well be ripe in the next couple of
: years for a "Halo Wars 2," so there is that.

: Be careful, and best of luck! =)

Hey, Lionheart.
Many thanks for the detailed response. Obviously, there is no commercial interest behind my endeavour if it were to achieve any degree of success.

My main concern is the specific configuration of Hearts of Iron, the game I'd like to make the Halo mod for.
Specifically, this game deals heavily with politics and military aspects, since it's a WW2-based game. There are 2 scenarios I have in mind for this mod: the Covenant invasion of Earth (2552) and the Interplanetary War (2160-2170). Which means the entire Earth map will have to be more or less detailed, with countries and ministers. The problem is, Halo canon doesn't provide much data in the way of what Earth looks like in 2552, the countries that still exist, what they look like, who leads them, etc.

This means that I have to either bypass the holes in the Halo canon in order to not upset the IP holders, or simply go with my (or our, if more Halo fans are interested in helping out) gut instinct regarding countries and leaders.

But I suppose I'm getting ahead of myself and these things will be sorted out once the project gets more or less off its feet.

Thanks for the helpful reply again! And good luck on Venerance.