I don't think so, Pogue.
A record file does not allow the viewer to play in a game : it only grants him the possibility to view a replay from any angle.
I believe we would experience the very same type of problem with an autosave than with the newbie3 save :
If you (or Joe) send me your autosave, I could not join, because it would be the autosave from your position in the game, not from Neologic's -- that one was destroyed forever. Neologic's position is not available anymore.
My hypothesis goes like this :
1. The HOST's Sins program proceeds into an autosave (or a newbie3 save)
2. The other human players'Sins program receive from the Host the instruction to proceed into their own autosaving (or newbie3 saving)
3. When reloading a saved game, each participant must bring to the table his own version of the save, which exclusively corresponds to his position in the game.
Consequently, sending me a Pogue or a Joe newbie3 or autosave cannot work if I try to join a game where the Pogue and Joe files are already in use.
Perhaps, what could have worked, yesterday, is if I had received Joe's newbie3 files and if I had tried to join as a pseudo-Joe -- if, and only if, Joe had not already been there.
Many games do not proceed like that in the MP saving process, but I suspect that Sins has a more restrictive game-reload procedure.
Thanks for caring, but I don't mind if Joe and you continue without me : I was not contributing much to your warfare and welfare, anyway.