D&D 5E Guidelines for D&D Next playtest/adventure discussion here at ENW

hafrogman · May 25, 2012

shidaku said:
Considering that not everyone who signs up will get a copy, I find this a silly and pedantic idea. Sorry my best friend John, you can't play with us because Wizards says I can't show you the playtest. We'll just shun you for the next few months because we'll all be talking about the playtest stuff, and we can't say it around you.

Okay, they got slammed on the first day, yes. But unless you started playtesting TODAY, by tomorrow they'll probably be able to download it. You're gonna kick John out of your game 'cause he got the documents a day late?

But EITHER way, it's not about what's logical, or what people will actually do, it's about what's legally defensible. When you have a major corporation at your back, all you need is a small foothold for your lawyers to use to stop infringement, duplication, unauthorized sales or other shenanigans. You want silly and pedantic? I give you the entire legal universe. Most of the time when you see a ridiculous piece of contract law, it's because someone tried it, and probably got away with it.

Sunseeker · May 25, 2012

hafrogman said:
Okay, they got slammed on the first day, yes. But unless you started playtesting TODAY, by tomorrow they'll probably be able to download it. You're gonna kick John out of your game 'cause he got the documents a day late?

Assuming John actually does sign up, and assuming that he gets approved to playtest. I've playtested MMOs before, I understand the logic of only playing with other playtesters, but the inherent natures of the mode of playing with others in MMOs makes such an NDA reasonable, enforceable, and workable.

The inherent nature of D&D is to get together with a group of friends and play, only one person needs the materials.

hafrogman · May 25, 2012

shidaku said:
Assuming John actually does sign up.

Yes, assuming he does as they request.

shidaku said:
and assuming that he gets approved to playtest.

Okay, looking back, you said something like this earlier. Are you somehow under the impression that they're vetting playtesters or selecting a limited pool to send it to? Everyone gets in who signs up.

So yes, they request that everyone sign up. You may not agree with their reasons to do so, but they do have them. I'm sure if we could get any copyright lawyers in here, they could explain it better than I ever could. But in the end, it's not much they're asking for.

Assuming John doesn't have a computer, the internet or an e-mail address, it's not difficult to lend him the first two, and have him create the third so he can participate within the bounds of the agreement.

They can't stop you from breaking the agreement. So do whatever you feel comfortable with. But the fact remains that the post you quoted, saying it made "no sense" did indeed turn out to be exactly the kind of agreement put forth. *shrug*

Olive · May 25, 2012

shidaku said:
Considering that not everyone who signs up will get a copy.

Is that actually true? Got a link?

Lwaxy · May 25, 2012

...and then there is the issue of people not wanting to or allowed to (yes minors do play) give out their email to wizards or have an account there. Can't split the party, errr gaming group.

Umbran · May 25, 2012

shidaku said:
Assuming John actually does sign up

Yes, well, if John is not psyched enough by the idea to sign up, perhaps he'd not be a great playtester.

The question of folks who don't want to give their e-mail addresses is a red herring, as anyone (including minors) can get a throwaway address for free from Hotmail of Gmail in minutes.

...and assuming that he gets approved to playtest.

What makes you think there's an approval process involved? Have you seen *any* signs of that? 'Cause I sure haven't. Not a single person has said, "Gee, I signed up, but they told me I wasn't approved!"

Sunseeker · May 25, 2012

Umbran said:
Yes, well, if John is not psyched enough by the idea to sign up, perhaps he'd not be a great playtester.

WOTC needs playtesters, not yes-men. If John isn't psyched about DDN, wouldn't the playtest be a great way to give him a taste of what it looks like? It's not my job to get John psyched about DDN, but I do intend to playtest the product, and I'm not going to tell my best friends to stay home 'cause Wizards didn't approve them as testers.

What makes you think there's an approval process involved? Have you seen *any* signs of that? 'Cause I sure haven't. Not a single person has said, "Gee, I signed up, but they told me I wasn't approved!"

Because I've beta-tested before, call it experience. They don't have to send you a "sorry we didn't accept you" letter, they just won't send you anything at all.

MoonSong · May 25, 2012

Umbran said:
The question of folks who don't want to give their e-mail addresses is a red herring, as anyone (including minors) can get a throwaway address for free from Hotmail of Gmail in minutes.

But they can't suscribe to wizards if they are under 13.

mudbunny · May 25, 2012

shidaku said:
Because I've beta-tested before, call it experience. They don't have to send you a "sorry we didn't accept you" letter, they just won't send you anything at all.

So in other words, you have no proof that WotC is doing any sort of vetting whatsoever beyond someone being able to get an email address.