Does this bug anyone else?

[buzz]

i make less than $12,000 yearly. $15 is alot of money to me. i take offense to this comment. if you are poor, i guess you have no right to play huh?

Correct.

No one has the right to play D&D. D&D is a leisure activity. It costs money. If you don't have enough money to buy the elements necessary to participate in a given activity, the problem lay with you, not the activity.

I would really love to own an Apple Cinema display. I don't earn enough to justify buying one. Does that mean it's okay for me to steal one? I mean, I have a "right" to enjoy Cinema displays, don't I? Isn't Apple discriminating against me?

Of course not.

Keep in mind, I'm not saying that there's something "wrong" or "inferior" about you becasue you don't earn a lot of money. I'm saying that WotC doesn't deserve to be ripped off just because of your income level. Poverty (or lack of disposable income) in no way justifies theft. Such an attitude is incredibly lame.

(All of this, of course, ignores the fact that, seeing as you have a computer, you can d/l a copy of the SRD for free and play D&D all you want.)

 

[Janos Audron]

CT, NE = Neutral Evil. And your analysis is quite correct...unfortunately.

There should be reprecussions for that. NE isn't something people actually see others as, but taking up a mentality like that should result in something.

In what?

 

[buzz]

Might be true. I don't know the future. But do you really think that if you tell em to stop using pirated material, it is going to do stop them? I actually doubt that. Again, I think you're better off telling them that you do not want to recieve any illegal material, instead of wanting them to stop using it. You will, I think, need more than a very good argument to make them stop. If you really want them to stop, you best bet might be to threaten with legal action (in holland we have a special phone line to report people who copy CD's), but doing so will leave a lot of hard feelings...

I never said that I was going to harangue them or even that I was going to bring this issue up at all. I just wanted to see what people thought. I'd really appreciate it if you'd stop putting words in my mouth.

As for your attitude.... You're just a disembodied voice on a Web forum to me, so I can't presume to lecture you about ethics. All I can say is, I was 18 and in college once, and I had similar attitudes. Then I grew up.

 

[Creamsteak]

CT, NE = Neutral Evil. And your analysis is quite correct...unfortunately.



In what?

Everything.

 

[Janos Audron]

Does anyone else feel bothered or uncomfortable by this kind of activity? Not that I'm afraid of getting "in trouble" or anything. I am just not a big fan of piracy, particularly when were talking about items with a price point in the $10-$30 range. If we were talking about a $600 software package I might have some sympathy, but c'mon.

*snip*

Should I say anything, or is this really none of my business?

So, what then, *were* you going to say? IMO there isn't much choise except the "I want you to stop" and "I don't want to revieve it anymore". I gave my thoughts on these two options. Sorry if I misinterpreted your intend.

 

[Clefton Twain]

CT, NE = Neutral Evil. And your analysis is quite correct...unfortunately.

Oops...duh.

Buzz: I'm with you 100%. Just because people have rights does not make *everything* a right. And good point about the SRD.

People who create and sell things in an honest fashion, however, have a right not to be ripped off.

Those who buy worthwhile products eventually encourage more quality products by showing their support. Those who steal them show what they're truly made of.

It should be noted that the exception to this is the people who will buy anything and everything--like the people who see every single movie that ever comes out. They just encourage mediocrity.

To get back to your main question, it obviously bothers me. To deviate from your question slightly, I would probably voice my concern without trying to sound too preachy or "holier than thou." If I was the DM, I'd simply state "you can't use what you downloaded." If it continued, they wouldn't be playing in my campaign.

[edited for content, not suitable for those over 100 years of age.]

--CT

 

[Hopping Vampire]

Correct.

No one has the right to play D&D. D&D is a leisure activity. It costs money. If you don't have enough money to buy the elements necessary to participate in a given activity, the problem lay with you, not the activity.

I would really love to own an Apple Cinema display. I don't earn enough to justify buying one. Does that mean it's okay for me to steal one? I mean, I have a "right" to enjoy Cinema displays, don't I? Isn't Apple discriminating against me?

Of course not.

Keep in mind, I'm not saying that there's something "wrong" or "inferior" about you becasue you don't earn a lot of money. I'm saying that WotC doesn't deserve to be ripped off just because of your income level. Poverty (or lack of disposable income) in no way justifies theft. Such an attitude is incredibly lame.

(All of this, of course, ignores the fact that, seeing as you have a computer, you can d/l a copy of the SRD for free and play D&D all you want.)

poverty sure does justify theft. if it comes between you and certain death, the by all means steal away. (begging really is more demoralizing than theft, i know this from being homeless when i was 18) just because the society you were raised in doesnt care that you are poor does not mean roll over and die ( i dont mean dnd books, i'm talking about food clothing etc). as far as pirating dnd books is concerned,i could really care less if WotC sank into the swamp. i'm still alive. Dungeons and Dragons was not a good investment for them. Thats not really the problem of the "pirates", or me the player. i'm not advocating piracy, just the fact that man should be judged by his conscience.


P.S.: dont assume because i post i own a computer.

 

[Sanackranib]

photocopies

in the past I have seen the sipnes cut off of D&D books and the books photocopied and some sort of binder compiled with all the relivent info in 1 place. I don't see this as a problem - AS LONG AS YOU OWN THE BOOKS.

 

[buzz]

So, what then, *were* you going to say?

I don't know. Quitie possibly, nothing at all.

I just wanted to make it clear that I did not ask: "How should I go about badgering him/them to stop?" I asked: "What do all you ENWorlders think?"

IMO there isn't much choise except the "I want you to stop" and "I don't want to revieve it anymore". I gave my thoughts on these two options. Sorry if I misinterpreted your intend.

There's also the choice to do nothing. There's also the choice to simply lead by example, i.e., to not show up at the table with pirated books, or, when someone asks if I looked at the PDF they sent me, to answer: "Actually, I went out and bought a copy. But, thanks."

 

[Janos Audron]

There's also the choice to do nothing. There's also the choice to simply lead by example, i.e., to not show up at the table with pirated books, or, when someone asks if I looked at the PDF they sent me, to answer: "Actually, I went out and bought a copy. But, thanks."

Yep, you could've said nothing. But if you feel uncomfortable, saying nothing isn't a very good idea, IMO. That's why I silently discarded that option.

If your leading by example actually works, I will be very impressed...honestly.