WotC may have sent the Pinkertons to a magic leakers home. Update: WotC confirms it and has a response.

[Snarf Zagyg]

*Second best album.

FIGHT ME!

You're going to say Blue, aren't you? I just know it .... well, just for that .....




....it's in your head now ....

 

[Mannahnin]

I think anytime a company threatens customers with legal action, though lawyers if through security agencies, it is going to be read as intimidating, because the company has resources you don’t and litigation isn’t something most people can afford, and prison time isn’t something most people want to risk.

Certainly that's true. In this kind of situation, the degree of intimidation tends to also be proportionate to the degree the person suspects or knows that they've done something wrong. It's not a direct correlation, of course, but clearly Cannon KNEW he wasn't supposed to have those cards. He also wasn't sure exactly how much civil or criminal liability he might be subject to. Once someone showed up at his door, though, the fact that he might indeed be in actual legal trouble of some kind no doubt felt more plausible and tangible. That's got to be scary. The idea that agents dispatched by WotC might physically assault him seems much less plausible.

As well as the insinuation elsewhere that the only issue people have with the Pinkertons is what they did a long time ago, even though it's been repeatedly mentioned that's not the case. That same question has been asked/insinuated 3 or 4 times and answered. This thread may be headed the way of other hot topics, of the same things being said all around for 20+ more pages until slowly sputtering off.

It has been, but all the contemporaneous reports we've seen linked so far of any kind of anti-union activity seem to be trivial, legal, or exaggerated. Nothing like Blair Mountain. No strikebreaking. One report from a Polish Amazon factory of the Pinkertons being hired to investigate reports that employees were circumventing the interview process. One story about them providing security during a Frontier Communications strike, with no allegations of violence.

No, Paizo would be absolutely slaughtered by their closest and biggest fans and the damn company would be in anarchy because of it - especially considering it is unionised, and it appears private investigator companies are often involved in union busting or spying on employees.

 

[Mannahnin]

FIGHT ME!

You're going to say Blue, aren't you? I just know it .... well, just for that .....

PUT UP YOUR DUKES!

Yes, I'm saying Blue. More consistent front to back. An all-time rock classic.

Pinkerton is brilliant, though.

....it's in your head now ....

Pfft. You can't make me listen to that.

 

[MGibster]

I kind of feel like this is a big nothingburger. All this wailing and gnashing of the teeth about WotC hiring the Pinkertons is just a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing. Some of you act as if WotC hired the mafia to go break someone's legs.

 

[Dire Bare]

Eeeeh. The names are close, sure, but anyone who retails Magic cards regularly would easily distinguish the sets and packaging. I understand that Cannon said his dealer is more familiar with Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh, but I'm still a bit surprised.

No doubt the name similarity could cause some confusion somewhere along the distribution chain, though, especially on packing slips or spreadsheets with abbreviations.

The name is confusing. And it's not just the name, but the logos and packaging are very similar as well.

On one hand, "Aftermath" is a coda to the main set. It's something new WotC is trying. So it makes sense the names, logos, and packaging are all very similar.

On the other hand . . . there has been a lot of confusion from fans over these releases, at least casual fans such as myself (not a competitive player). I'm a long time casual Magic player, and when WotC started marketing these two sets, I was very confused for a while.

I've also chatted with many game store owners and employees over the years, they tend to be VERY knowledgeable about their favorite games, and much less so about other games they sell. A rare few seem knowledgeable about games they sell, but don't personally care for. All anecdotal, of course.

 

[Valetudo]

Leaks like this from the MTG side of WotC which some of you may know a little about RARELY happen on this scale and with this amount of product. Using an outside agency to look into stuff like HAPPENS ALL THE TIME.

The only reason this got any traction is because 1. It was a content creator and 2. It was WotC.

And you all because the way WotC treats the D&D community automatically think bad. Call it hyperbole but I honestly think some of you would believe it or wouldn't give them the benefit of the doubt if someone told you WotC kicks puppies and kitten.

WotC has taken steps similar in nature to pervious MTG leaks like this. Spoiler

Time Spiral​

In December 2005, Daron Rutter, under the name "rancored_elf", posted an image of three Time Spiral playtest cards on MTG Salvation, nine months before that set was released. This leak led to legal action against Rutter and ten John Doe defendants, which was settled out of court.

On April 20, 2011, the entirety of New Phyrexia was leaked when unauthorized players gained access to the set's "God Book". The "God Book", an item containing each card in the set, had been provided to Pro Tour player and journalist Guillaume Matignon for his use in writing for Lotus Noir. Matignon shared it with Guillaume Wafo-Tapa, after which it became available to the wider internet. Wizards then accelerated their normal preview schedule, providing official previews for the set over the course of a single week. Ultimately, four players, including both Matignon and Wafo-Tapa, received DCI suspensions for their part in the leaks, though Matignon's was later shortened.

Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate​

On April 15, 2022, eight weeks before the release of Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate, someone opened five stolen Collector Boosters on TikTok. Multiple cards and mechanics were revealed. After being threatened with legal action, he created other accounts on TikTok and revealed even more cards.

These are different in that they intentionally broke their ndas to get the product. Supposedly, this guy got his stuff by accident. Me personally would have told the guys no thank you but I have a 357 hollow point you can have.

 

[Valetudo]

I kind of feel like this is a big nothingburger. All this wailing and gnashing of the teeth about WotC hiring the Pinkertons is just a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing. Some of you act as if WotC hired the mafia to go break someone's legs.

Pretty close actually. And the timing. Wizards needs some good pr before their new edition comes out.

 

[Dire Bare]

I just got an email about the latest bundle from Bundle of Holding . . . it's called the "Solidarity Bundle" and is being marketing as "Pinkerton-free"!!!

From their site:

Adventurer! Nobody will send security agents to your door to confiscate the tabletop roleplaying game ebooks in this Solidarity Bundle. By focusing on corporate accountability and citizen empowerment, these .PDF RPGs – about modern life, cryptography fantasy, and dystopian futures – help you understand why a Hasbro executive feels free to dispatch private security to your home to seize your purchases – and how we can start addressing that fact.

 

[Maxperson]

Not everyone knows, but a lot of people do. The Pinkerton National Detective Agency is muscle for the primary antagonist of Red Dead Redemption 2, for example. That's the 8th best-selling video game of all time, beating out generation 1 Pokemon and falling just short of the original Super Mario Brothers. A lot of people on reddit responded with, "Wait, Pinkertons are real?!" Even then, not knowing that you should feel threatened, intimidated or harassed doesn't mean you're not being threatened, intimidated or harassed, after all.

It's hard to argue that they're not intentionally operating with that reputation, either. After all, they have changed their name since the 19th century... by dropping "National Detective Agency"!

Sure. I'm talking about whether or not the Youtuber would have been intimidated or the intimidation being enhanced simply by virtue of it being Pinkerton. There's a good chance he didn't know. However, there are enough people who do know about it and would bring it up later. Word spread fast these days and the bad PR is worse after the fact since people are becoming aware of Pinkerton's history.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I just got an email about the latest bundle from Bundle of Holding . . . it's called the "Solidarity Bundle" and is being marketing as "Pinkerton-free"!!!

SAY IT AIN’T SO!!!!!!