Re: CHARGING FOR PLAYTESTS

From: Andy Gaw <andy.gaw@zetnet.co.uk>

Date: Thu, 05 Nov 1998 00:00:00 +0000

The message <rc602.17571$357.364@news-reader.bt.net>
  from  "Warrior Games - News" <warrior@zen.co.uk> contains these words:

> My own opinion (being a moderator) is that playtest games should not be
> charged for. Would you go to a shop and buy a 3 leg table? Or a car that is
> going through its crash test dummy stage?

Or Windows '95 :)

> I think not. If a moderator is going to charge for a "playtest"
> then the product should not be called a playtest.

It depends on the stage of development, which I think has been pretty
well covered here already, but here's another way of looking at it.
How mad are you going to get when a bug occurs which wipes out your
character(s), position(s) in the game and forces a restart, or when
you come up with a mind-bogglingly clever idea which the GM
immediately outlaws?  And how likely is such an occurance?  The cost
and risk should be inversely related. Whilst this kind of thing is
more likely in a playtest than a fully tested game, it should still
be unlikely.  If the most probable result is a fairly smmoth run, I
don't mind paying.  Depending on the expected state, a discount might
be appropriate.

Contrast this with a beta test, where crashes, odd results, restarts,
large scale changes etc. are more likely, and which I would not
expect to have to pay for, except by way of feedback to the GM, and a
degree of patience.  The rewards are a chance to get in on the ground
floor, and to contribute to the creative process, albeit in a minor
way.  Oh, and most of all, the designer should encourage devious
abuses, and unexpected applications of his rules, so if you like that
sort of thing...

I expect (fool that I am) that commercial games will be almost
totally free of the above kinds of failures, and that should one
occur, the GM will have some sort of recovery system in place.  I've
seen one such failure in about 12 years. It resulted in my getting a
re-run turn a few days after the first with a a note explaining why
(computer failure, turns processed since the last backup were lost
and had to be rerun).

Summary of thoughts:

Beta test: free of charge, players provide feedback to GM, but expect
some problems

Playtest: pay-to-play, maybe at a discount, some bugs, usually minor

I'd trust the GM to have a fair idea of the state of the game, and to
offer the playtest at an appropriate rate.  After all, GMs need
players!  If, after playing a while, you think you've been seriously
ripped off, tell the GM, saying why, and try a bit of real-world
negotiation for a change.

To summarise the summary: it's all down to individuals' definitions

Andy

References

CHARGING FOR PLAYTESTS
"Warrior Games - News" <warrior@zen.co.uk>
Thu, 05 Nov 1998 00:00:00 +0000

Referenced By

CHARGING FOR PLAYTESTS
"Warrior Games - News" <warrior@zen.co.uk>
Thu, 05 Nov 1998 00:00:00 +0000