Just wondering (since I can't remember offhand), will the beta test vouchers also be valid to redeem against the print on demand versions? Since most of us who want dead tree copies will need go go that route to purchase, that would not be disagreeable to me.
To the OP - I invite you to use your imagination. Either:
1) That you are pre-bought a copy of the books from somewhere like Amazon, and while you're waiting you're getting a preview version of the material, or
2) That you never saw anything about the beta testing process and simply wait until the books are published and buy them then.
ICE is a business, it has to make money from its products. Producing a new version of a game is an expensive business, and if you have to wait until full publication before seeing a return on investment, that kind of cashflow problem can cause a company to fold before the thing even gets started. If paying money in August rather than say, November (date selected at random, read nothing into that) helps ICE stay afloat in order to reach publication and continue to stay solvent to support the product, then this is something I am happy to do. The big boys like WotC, Paizo and Mongoose might be able to afford to give away free versions of the beta, but ICE has a more limited audience and just isn't as big (yet!). If there is a propective player base of say, 5,000, and 4,500 download a free beta and then never buy the full product, ICE would be screwed.
To me, your posts smack or someone who wants something for nothing. This is the same mentality that has caused a crisis in the music industry - so many people are getting music for free without paying for the copyright, that the industry is in danger of collapse. I always pay for original copies of games and music I like. My father made his living as a professional author, and his income came from people respecting his copyright. If no one had done that, he would have had to have stopped writing. So next time you get a bootleg copy of your favourite artist's new album, remember that every person who doesn't pay for it is contributing to that artist never publishing anything again because they can't make a living off it.
Bottom line is - if you don't want to pay for the product at beta, then guess what - you don't have to. No one is forcing you to, you are quite free to go and buy the finished glossy when it comes out. But if you want to invest in a game you enjoy, stop being such a sourpuss and put your hand in your pocket. And who knows - if you properly enter into the playtest process and find things that need tweaking, you might even be able to get your group's pet house rules into an official game.
