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Path: utzoo!watmath!watnot!watcgl!electrohome
From: electrohome@watcgl.UUCP (electrohome)
Newsgroups: net.games.pbm
Subject: Re: copyright and Diplomacy by mail
Message-ID: <2258@watcgl.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 28-Jul-85 15:29:30 EDT
Article-I.D.: watcgl.2258
Posted: Sun Jul 28 15:29:30 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 29-Jul-85 05:28:06 EDT
References: <121@ecrcvax.UUCP> <590@mtuxn.UUCP> <2905@ncsu.UUCP>
Reply-To: electro!carlo@watcgl.UUCP (Carlo Sgro)
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 35
Summary:  Avalon Hill benefits from PBM 


Why does this issue keep cropping up?  It was an issue on Compuserve a few
months ago, also.  I really fail to see where the infringement on copyright
laws comes into play since:
    a) all players own the game; we all must, since it would be impossible to 
       play the game without it.  I have never seen a copy of the rules 
       posted in this newsgroup or any other.  Without the rules, how can you
       possibly hope to do anything!?!  The only way that you could play 
       without a copy of the game would be to photocopy a copy of the rules 
       and the game map from a friend who has the game.  But if you're going 
       to do that, you're going to do it whether the games in net.games.pbm are
       there or not.  Besides, I can't imagine playing Diplomacy without the
       convenience of a large mapboard and litle wooden blocks to show me 
       what my situation is.
    b) It provides an opportunity for players to actually *use* their games
       on a regular basis.  Just try to get 6 other wargaming friends together.
       That has never been a possibility for me.  My only experience has been
       playing in 2 pbem games, moderating another, and playing about 4 two-, 
       three-, and four-player games.  
    c) It gives AH exposure that is better than all of the advertising and 
       display space that they could buy!  If I had to depend on only playing 
       ftf games, I wouldn't have bought the game in the first place!
    d) AH actually sells PBM kits for many of their games.  Therefore, 
       they don't think that there is any problem with the issue of playing by
       mail.

It seems to me that AH only benefits from this.  What do you think?

---
Carlo Sgro
...![ihnp4||decvax||allegra||clyde||utzoo]!watmath!watcgl!electro!carlo

Computer Graphics Division
Electrohome Canada
Kitchener, Ontario