Messaging policy
SMS Terms of Service
Last updated September 24, 2026
These terms cover the Chain of Custody gameplay text program. Chain of Custody is an investigation game by Scott Smith Newtro Studios. During play, fictional characters in the game can text you, and you can text them back. Texts are optional: you can play with calls and email only.
The program
Program name: Chain of Custody. What it sends: conversational gameplay text messages from fictional characters in the case you are playing — replies to what you text them, and messages a character starts because of something you did in the investigation. No marketing, promotions, advertising, or messages on behalf of anyone else are ever sent.
Messages are sent by Scott Smith Newtro Studios of Jeffersonville, Indiana, United States. Reach us any time at playtest@chainofcustody.party.
Each character texts from their own phone number, so a case may reach you from several different numbers. Every one of those numbers belongs to Chain of Custody. The people are fictional; the numbers are ours.
How you opt in
You opt in yourself, on a public form, and texting is a separate choice from taking part:
- You fill in the request form at play.chainofcustody.party/join, linked from the playtest page. It asks for your name, email, and mobile number.
- To send the form you must tick one required box, which covers gameplay calls, call recording, and email. Its disclosure is quoted below.
- SMS consent is a separate, optional checkbox directly beneath it. It is not pre-ticked, and it is not required to play: you can send the form, take part, and finish the case with it left unticked, and then no character will ever text you. Links labelled “Terms of Service” (this page) and “Privacy Policy” sit directly beneath both boxes.
- Submitting the form sends you nothing. A person reviews every request. If there is a seat, we email you a single-use invitation link; the setup screen it opens shows the same two boxes, so you can confirm or change your choice about texts before anything reaches your phone. A player who already took part and is asked to agree to updated wording sees the same two boxes again.
The optional SMS checkbox, word for word
“Text messages (optional): I agree to receive gameplay text messages from Chain of Custody, a game by Scott Smith Newtro Studios, at the mobile number above. Characters in the game text you during play. Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help. Reply STOP to opt out. Consent is not required to play.”
The required disclosure, word for word
“This sitting records telephone calls and stores transcripts and mail for the case file. Your number is how the case calls you, and your email is how case mail reaches you. Continuing means you agree to receive gameplay calls and email from Chain of Custody, a game by Scott Smith Newtro Studios, and you accept recording and storage for this playthrough. The number itself is not silent consent — this screen is.”
The confirmation text
When you opt in to texts and finish setup, we send one confirmation:
“Chain of Custody (Scott Smith Newtro Studios): you're signed up for gameplay texts. Msg frequency varies. Msg & data rates may apply. Help: playtest@chainofcustody.party. Reply STOP to opt out.”
Providing your phone number is not by itself consent to texts. Consent is the optional SMS checkbox, and we record the date, the version of this disclosure, and a fingerprint of the exact wording you were shown.
What the messages look like
The first text each character sends you starts with “Chain of Custody:” so you know which program it is from. After that, the character writes in their own voice.
Sample messages
How often messages arrive
Message frequency varies and is mostly driven by you: characters reply when you text them, and a few reach out on their own as the case develops. A typical playtest runs five to six hours spread across several sittings.
Characters only ever contact you during the weekly hours you chose on the setup screen, and you can change those hours or ask us to change them at any time.
How to stop messages, and how to get help
- STOP
- Reply STOP to any message to stop all text messages from Chain of Custody. It does not matter which character’s number you reply to: your text-message consent is withdrawn for the whole program, and no character texts you again. You will receive one confirmation that you have been unsubscribed. Calls and email for the game continue unless you ask us to end your participation.
- HELP
- Reply HELP to any message for contact information and a reminder of how to unsubscribe. You can also email playtest@chainofcustody.party.
- START
- Replying START lifts the carrier block on that number, but Chain of Custody will not text you again during this playtest.
To leave the playtest entirely, email us and we will end your participation and delete your data — see the Privacy Policy.
Cost
We never charge you for messages. Message and data rates may apply from your own mobile carrier, depending on your plan.
Carriers are not liable for any delayed or undelivered messages.
Eligibility
The playtest is open to participants aged 18 or older with a mobile number in the United States. Case 001 deals with a fictional homicide and its investigation.
Privacy
We do not sell or share your SMS opt-in data or personal information with third parties for marketing purposes.
Consent is given directly to Scott Smith Newtro Studios for this messaging program alone; it is not collected on anyone else’s behalf and is not bundled into unrelated terms. What we collect and how long we keep it is set out in full in the Privacy Policy. Taking part in the playtest is also governed by our general Terms.