Bethesda Comments On Accusations Of Plagiarizing D&D Adventure

Bethesda has issued an apology for plagiarising D&D adventure The Black Road by Paige Leitman and Ben Heisler. Well, not an actual apology, just a brief explanation.

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"We have pulled a previously shared ESO tabletop RPG adventure while we investigate the source. Thank you to those who reached out with concerns.

Thanks again to everyone who highlighted the issue of alleged plagiarism in relation to the ESO Elsweyr tabletop RPG promotion. Our intention had been to create and give away a unique Elsweyr inspired scenario that could be played within any popular tabletop RPG rule set.

We requested that an original scenario be created, and we are investigating why this does not appear to be the case. We have removed all assets relating to this and ask, in respect to the creator of the original scenario, that it should not be circulated.

Lastly, to avoid any confusion, please note that there is no correlation between this scenario and anything that will eventually appear within the video game."

 

[trancejeremy]

Do we know if they even hired a writer? As I said in another thread, my guess is they probably coerced a tester or something into doing it

 

[Paul Farquhar]

This. It wasn't their fault the contractor turned out to be a plagiarist, I don't blame them for not catching it, and they did the right thing by taking it down right away. My only issue is with this lame (non-)apology.

The company's lawyers would have insisted on it - to the degree that they would have walked out without it. Ever been in a motor accident? Your lawyer would tell you NEVER admit responsibility, no matter how clearly it was your fault or how guilty you feel.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Why should anyone (other than the original authors) expect an "apology"? What's the point? Do any of us actually care or have been impacted by this in any way?

Sure, seeing someone apologize to someone else makes us feel nice from a "we're all part of a harmonious world" kind of way... "Oh, look at that, they apologized, isn't that nice of them"... but none of us personally have been hurt by what someone within Bethesda did. So what does an apology get us? For my money, just a lot of self-satisfied and schadenfreudian people thinking "Ha! Yeah! Make that company eat crow!"

That is one of the downsides of "social media"... it allows people to jump into and get involved with things they don't actually care about and wouldn't put any effort into had they needed to do it personally, merely because social media allows slacktavism to be so easy.

 

[Morrus]

Why should anyone (other than the original authors) expect an "apology"? What's the point? Do any of us actually care or have been impacted by this in any way?

Because it helps build trust. Many people do make ethical decisions over who they do business with based on their conduct and, when that conduct is problematic, how they remedy the situation. An apology isn't just a feel-good thing; it's a promise to make things better.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Well, that's the cynic in me. When companies apologize I don't see it as someone within the company trying make anything better... I see it as them doing it just because they "have to" to get people off their backs, especially considering many of the people who clamor for it are not in any way connected to the situation and are just online trying to act as moral arbiters and shame people into "acting better".

 

[DEFCON 1]

And I also don't think for one single second that anyone who thinks someone in Bethesda should apologize for this will actually result in them doing anything about it if Bethesda doesn't. No one's going to *not* buy the next Elder Scrolls game if Bethesda doesn't apologize (and I wouldn't believe that person in the slightest if they came here on the boards and tried to claim that they wouldn't). And thus any apology to us randos on the internet about this thing is not going to result in anything being different that if they don't.

But again... that's the cynic in me.

 

[Morrus]

Well, that's the cynic in me. When companies apologize I don't see it as someone within the company trying make anything better... I see it as them doing it just because they "have to" to get people off their backs

Sometimes people make genuine apologies and do try to do better.

And I also don't think for one single second that anyone who thinks someone in Bethesda should apologize for this will actually result in them doing anything about it if Bethesda doesn't. No one's going to *not* buy the next Elder Scrolls game if Bethesda doesn't apologize (and I wouldn't believe that person in the slightest if they came here on the boards and tried to claim that they wouldn't).

Well, make your mind up! Either they're cynically apologising because they have to, or they don't have to because it makes no difference. It can't be both things!

(Well, in this case they're not; or at least haven't yet).

 

[DEFCON 1]

Sometimes people make genuine apologies and do try to do better.



Well, make your mind up! Either they're cynically apologising because they have to, or they don't have to because it makes no difference. It can't be both things!

(Well, in this case they're not; or at least haven't yet).

Heh heh... well, sure it can! it's that these companies usually don't feel the need to apologize for every little thing that people get up in arms over... but when something does blow up and someone in the company does say "We gotta do this!", it's not because the company on the whole is genuinely sorry, they do it just to get people off their backs.

And that's cause most people don't actually care. As soon as the company says "Oh, we're very sorry this occurred, we didn't mean to upset anyone", people go "Oh, okay, good!" and then go on with their lives as though nothing ever happened, never thinking about it ever again. Because the action and the apology has literally NO impact on them either way. They just wanted the apology so that they feel good about themselves like they're this great person who demanded accountability! LOL.

Demanding apologies on social media is just as slacktavistic as offering up "thoughts and prayers" in my opinion.

 

[Morrus]

And that's cause most people don't actually care. As soon as the company says "Oh, we're very sorry this occurred, we didn't mean to upset anyone", people go "Oh, okay, good!" and then go on with their lives as though nothing ever happened, never thinking about it ever again. Because the action and the apology has literally NO impact on them either way. They just wanted the apology so that they feel good about themselves like they're this great person who demanded accountability! LOL.

I think that might be more of an insight into your personal philosophies than it is into the people involved!

 

[DEFCON 1]

Absolutely! Guilty as charged! I'm cynical about all of this cause I'm an admittedly "old man shaking my fist at all the young people." So no one should take what I have no say as gospel by any stretch. LOL.