Is Amazon going to ship a copy with every box?  If I walk into a FLGS and say "I need ten copies of the free book to go with the ten Starter Sets I didn't buy from you guys." do they have to hand them to me?

It's not a dealbreaker for me, but I can't understand why you wouldn't put that in the box.  It's a no-brainer.  The only possible reason I can think of is that it wasn't ready when the boxes got packed.

Quote from: Benoist;751272No, the something else is not "buy it". The something else is "buy it at a specific store where D&D organized play is also taking place."

Ah, so your reply required CHANGING WHAT I WROTE? Yeah that makes sense.  I was supposed to read your mind and see you were strawmanning me?

I didn't say you can only get it where an organized play event is taking place.

I said you can get it WHEREVER THEY SELL THE STARTER SET!  I even emphasized that by talking about shelf space.

Make sense now? If you buy the starter (anywhere) you get the free book with it.  It will either be right next to it, or at the register when you buy it.

Does that scenario fix this for you?

Anyway. That's it for me I guess. The wagons are circling by now, I've already been called insane, the dismissals of not being the demographic for the product and so on have been thrown around hours ago, it's all good. I get the message, I've seen this movie unfold before with 4e.

Have fun cheerleading, guys.

Quote from: Bobloblah;751273Who said this is the case?

Nobody.  Apparently it was implied, right next to where I implied he needed to have sex with a goat to get the free book.

Quote from: Benoist;751276Anyway. That's it for me I guess. The wagons are circling by now, I've already been called insane, the dismissals of not being the demographic for the product and so on have been thrown around hours ago, it's all good. I get the message, I've seen this movie unfold before with 4e.

Have fun cheerleading, guys.

You were being a dick Benoist.  When you calm down, I hope you will apologize.  Nobody mentioned checking in to organized play, or only buying it where they have organized play events.  You inferred those things and then got all insistent that we'd said them when we hadn't.  It was not a good day for communication.

Quote from: CRKrueger;751274Is Amazon going to ship a copy with every box?  If I walk into a FLGS and say "I need ten copies of the free book to go with the ten Starter Sets I didn't buy from you guys." do they have to hand them to me?

It's not a dealbreaker for me, but I can't understand why you wouldn't put that in the box.  It's a no-brainer.  The only possible reason I can think of is that it wasn't ready when the boxes got packed.

I'm guessing that it is free in stores, but available to download as a PDF online if you buy from the internet/non-gaming store. I'm going to guess that there will also be an app (not free) to build characters and something online at the D&D site.

Quote from: Mistwell;751278You were being a dick Benoist.  When you calm down, I hope you will apologize.

Don't count on it. You've just been a colossal asshole to me. I won't apologize for your behavior. Good day.

Quote from: Mistwell;751275I said you can get it WHEREVER THEY SELL THE STARTER SET!  I even emphasized that by talking about shelf space.

Make sense now? If you buy the starter (anywhere) you get the free book with it.  It will either be right next to it, or at the register when you buy it.

When was this announced?

How can they guarantee the booklet won't end up in a box in the back of the basement storeroom where nobody can find it?

And why wouldn't they just fucking put the damned thing in the Starter Set box?

Quote from: Benoist;751281Don't count on it. You've just been a colossal asshole to me. I won't apologize for your behavior. Good day.

Yeah because I am the one that put words in your mouth, insisted you said them, and then got all irate about those words that nobody but you had said.

Oh wait...no I'm not, that was you.

Quote from: Benoist;751276Anyway. That's it for me I guess. The wagons are circling by now, I've already been called insane, the dismissals of not being the demographic for the product and so on have been thrown around hours ago, it's all good. I get the message, I've seen this movie unfold before with 4e.

Have fun cheerleading, guys.

What are you talking about? Your last few replies have inferred something that wasn't said...I'm baffled. It plays into Haffrung's incessant whinging about "the grognardy Grognards" on this site. Where does it say you will only get the book by signing up for organised play? The booklet is apparently free, which would imply you don't even have to buy anything. As for Amazon, who's to say they won't ship one with the Starter Set? Moreover, worrying about being unable to get one at your FLGS seems more than a little ridiculous; why wouldn't they have it if they sell D&D products?

So I wonder how this would work at stores that don't participate in organized play like Wal-Mart or Target or Toys-R-Us or whatever? Isn't the core target audience a lot more likely to buy an intro set in a place like that than in a specialty game store?

Also, I understand the need to support FLGSs, but I suspect that there are huge numbers of players, active, casual and potential, who don't live anywhere near one.

I must agree with Mistwell that, for purposes of a game store purchase, it's completely academic whether such a supplement was inside or outside the box. But wouldn't it be a heck of a lot easier to just put it in the box for online purchases and all of these other potential outlets?

And, I have a hard time seeing how a small packet or brochure, part of which is dedicated to advertising, can serve as the central "bridge" between the starter set and the Big 3.

Regardless, I think I'll just wait for Mearls to tweet or write something more definitive, or for RPG Pundit's head to explode, whichever comes first.

Quote from: Dodger;751282When was this announced?

How can they guarantee the booklet won't end up in a box in the back of the basement storeroom where nobody can find it?

And why wouldn't they just fucking put the damned thing in the box?

It's not announced.  We don't know this is what is going to happen.  Benoist asked if I could come up with a scenario that solved the problem of the chargen rules not being in the starter set, but also made them available, but not using a computer.  I posited the theory that the just-announced organized play event mentions (what we now know to be) a free player's guide, and that it might contain character generation rules.  So I theorized that that book will be included for free wherever they sell the Starter Set.

Benoist then claimed I'd said you need to sign in to an organized play system to get the free book (I did not say that).

Benoist then claimed I'd said you need to get the book only at a location that sponsors organized play (I did not say that).

Benoist then took his ball and went home, complaining that we were picking on him and should have let him get away with strawmanning people.

Quote from: Benoist;751272No, the something else is not "buy it". The something else is "buy it at a specific store where D&D organized play is also taking place."

How can you be so thick right now?

If I sound like a crazy person, you sound like an asshole who's not even trying to understand what I'm saying. How about that, uh?

Well it looks like Adventurer League part is free. But I do not see any mention of how you are supposed to get it?

I assume there will be an online version for players to get right into and a printed version that is handed out at stores, or you can mail in for.

Quote from: Saplatt;751287So I wonder how this would work at stores that don't participate in organized play like Wal-Mart or Target or Toys-R-Us or whatever? Isn't the core target audience a lot more likely to buy an intro set in a place like that than in a specialty game store?

They have other give-aways at those stores in those sections already.  They'd just add a display with the free book, near the D&D books.

My kid has a similar thing for squinkies (don't ask), which lists all the squinkies available in in the current set that is for sale, so you know what you can collect.  You pick up that booklet for free from the display at Wal-Mart, Target, and Toys R Us.  Granted, some little bastard has usually swiped everything from the display at Wal-Mart, but they seem to always be there at Toys R Us and Target.

Of course, I still have no idea that this is what will happen - just one way they could do it.

Quote from: Saplatt;751287So I wonder how this would work at stores that don't participate in organized play like Wal-Mart or Target or Toys-R-Us or whatever? Isn't the core target audience a lot more likely to buy an intro set in a place like that than in a specialty game store?

Also, I understand the need to support FLGSs, but I suspect that there are huge numbers of players, active, casual and potential, who don't live anywhere near one.

Good points.

Quote from: Saplatt;751287But wouldn't it be a heck of a lot easier to just put it in the box for online purchases and all of these other potential outlets?

Yup. Very interesting to see how this shakes out. We still don't even know if character generation is included in the Adventurers League booklet.