Conjecture and Prognostication concerning "The Rouse"

[Umbran]

He might be subject to a non-compete clause regarding tabletop games or roleplaying games. I'm guessing he'll land with a videogame company.

Possible, but in many states these are unenforceable, or questionably enforceable, when they become more a matter of courtesy.

Anyone know the status of non-competes in Washington State?

 

[Mark]

Further, if he left amicably and wanted to leave with the best possible severance package, he might have agreed to an extended NDA making any position in another tabletop company tricky or impossible. Granted, if you do not care what sort of package you receive going out, nether an NDA nor a non-compete need enter the picture regardless of claims of how enforceable they might be. (Let's not forget that ignoring or skirting an agreed upon non-compete, or any contract, might get you in the door of a competing company long enough for them to utilize your knowledge, but it won't endear you to such companies in the long run when they have their own pipeline IP to protect.)

 

[mudbunny]

Also keep in mind that despite the opinions of TEH INTARPIPES, most (if not all) of the employees of all of the various RPG copmpanies (Paizo, WotC, Green Ronin, etc) have the utmost respect (if not outright friendship) with each other. They are not going to purposely do anything to ruin those friendships.

 

[Umbran]

Further, if he left amicably and wanted to leave with the best possible severance package, he might have agreed to an extended NDA making any position in another tabletop company tricky or impossible.

It is no more tricky than having a software developer who worked on patented technology move to another company, and that happens all the time. "You don't give away our particular secrets" doesn't preclude working in the same field, in general.

(Let's not forget that ignoring or skirting an agreed upon non-compete, or any contract, might get you in the door of a competing company long enough for them to utilize your knowledge, but it won't endear you to such companies in the long run when they have their own pipeline IP to protect.)

I said it is often a matter of courtesy - I didn't say that courtesy didn't matter

I don't think The Rouse would violate a non-compete, by the way. He's demonstrated fairly well that he's a stand-up kind of guy. I was more thinking that if they were not easily enforceable in Washington, then WotC would not have included one in his contract in the first place. It isn't like the game design is secret, and I'm not convinced that knowledge of WotC's business processes or pipeline would be all that damaging.

 

[pedr]

Of course the other possibility is going from 'Senior Brand Manager' at a company the size of WotC to 'Director' or 'VP' or some considerably higher-grade job, at a smaller company.

Another thought is that he may be in some kind of notice period at WotC. I don't know what the standard practice is in the US, but a departing employee who had to give notice can sometimes be told not to come to work during the notice period in the UK - but may not be able to start a new job elsewhere until the notice period is over.

 

[Mark]

I'm not convinced that knowledge of WotC's business processes or pipeline would be all that damaging.

Depends if discussions of 5E are already taking place and the nature of them, IMO.

 

[ggroy]

It isn't like the game design is secret, and I'm not convinced that knowledge of WotC's business processes or pipeline would be all that damaging.

Something like yet-to-be-announced upcoming 4E splatbooks (ie. after Sept 2010), probably wouldn't be excessively damaging if it was leaked.

More damaging would probably be "top secret" insider information leaks, such as the existence of a 5E design team or information about D&D being taken off the market or the IP being sold/licensed to another company.

 

[Umbran]

Depends if discussions of 5E are already taking place and the nature of them, IMO.

Given the massive lead WotC has in terms of market penetration and brand identity, I am not convinced that even this would be particularly damaging.

 

[Mark]

Given the massive lead WotC has in terms of market penetration and brand identity, I am not convinced that even this would be particularly damaging.

I think you underestimate the likelihood of current edition sales drop that would occur with a new edition confirmation and how much that sales drop would matter to WotC. It isn't an our apples versus their oranges matter, it's a how much can we keep getting for this year's crop of our apples matter.

 

[ggroy]

I think you underestimate the likelihood of current edition sales drop that would occur with a new edition confirmation and how much that sales drop would matter to WotC. It isn't an our apples versus their oranges matter, it's a how much can we keep getting for this year's crop of our apples matter.

Several local FLGS owners mentioned to me that sales of 3.5E D&D and a lot of 3PP books completely "fell off a cliff" shortly after 4E was announced in August 2007. At the time, it was complete shock to them. They felt it would have been nice if WotC had bothered to give them advanced warning a month or two earlier, so that they could move their inventory more easily.