(Mongoose) Reformations, Corrections and Apologies

Hi guys,

We have to face up to things - we have recently released a couple of books with mistakes that I find, frankly, embaressing. People expect much better from Mongoose Publishing and, to be honest, they are right. I have never bought into the idea that just because a book comes from an RPG company it should be second rate in any shape or form, nor should this be used as any sort of excuse.

So, we have had some massive changes instigated in the way the editing and layout of books are handled, all designed to ensure those 'silly' mistakes never, ever happen again. We are now, for example;

1. Double proofreading. Two eyes are better than one, and every major release will now be proofread independantly by two professional proofreaders.

2. A common filing system has been set up so editors can work much more closely with the writers, despite them being continents apart. We have the technology, we are now using it.

3. A Statistical Analyst has been brought on board. Every stat, no matter how minor, will now be checked, double-checked and then run past this guy.

4. The number of playtesting groups has been doubled and we are still recruiting more.

5. A database of high quality artists has been established, allowing us to filter out lower quality artwork.

6. Department 'heads' have now been officially made for every game line, thus allowing the buck to actually stop.

7. The production schedule among the editorial staff has been changed to a 'rolling system', giving a greater time allowance for each individual project.

8. A new full-time editor has recently joined us, thus dividing the work load.

9. A new expanded management structure is now in place, smoothing out the internal organisation of the editorial team and Design Studio.

10. I have now witnessed one (!) Mongoose book whose binding was not all it could be. On the strength of a few reports on various forums, we are now in the midst of changing the process used in printing and binding our books. If you have noted these problems with our books in the past, I am hoping this will resolve things for you.

Most of these changes have been implemented fairly transparently, but there will be a small number of casulaties in delayed books as they move through the new systems. In particular, the long-awaited Lone Wolf RPG looks like it will now be released at the beginning of May, rather than the end of April, as we had hoped. There are one or two other titles that may be affected but everything should be back in order within a month or two.

It is our hope that these changes will allow Mongoose to stay ahead as the top d20 publisher and, of course, retain your good custom.

Matthew Sprange
Mongoose Publishing

Good call. It is always better to choose quality over speed, within reason.

Glad to hear it, Matt. It is also exceptionally professional of you to come out and make this statement. A standard of professionalism rarely seen in any industry (one I don't remember seeing anywhere else).

Just one question, since I do not frequent your boards.

Conan. When will the "fixed" printing be done, if at all? FYI, I am not buying this book until the "fixed" version comes out, so I would like to know if/when and how to identify it.

Are you just going to do downloadable corrections? I would like to know that too, so I can decide if I will ever buy this book.

Most excellent Matt! I just received (yesterday) The Quintessential Fighter II (and a couple of other books), and compared to The Quintessential Fighter I there's a world of difference, especially art wise. I've only leafed through the book, so i can't comment on editing or rule breakers. I'm even happier to hear that you'll be putting even more effort in quality!

Very good to hear.

I was quite disappointed with the proofing and incorrect stat blocks in the Slayer's Guide to Demons and it is good to hear that the issue is being addressed.

Now if only each of the new creatures was illustrated that would make it even better.

Thanks it sounds like you guys have been listening to your customers.

From a loyal B5 fan...

Not that we (your customers) should be privy to your business operations, I'm glad you're being upfront witht us, which is a first that I know of in the RPG industry.

Of course, with my being curious with the industry at large, this business strategy of yours, has it been done before by other industries, perhaps outside of this one?

I think this is a great thing for you guys to do. In 2003 I called Mongoose the most substantially improved gaming publisher. You now offer several titles and product lines that hold my interest, not the least of which is Babylon 5, and I've been happier with the Mongoose purchases I made last year in general. It looks like this trend of improvement is continuing into 2004, and with the diverse product line you are offering, I'll be watching your release schedule with interest.

One thing I would like to point out is that in 2003 most of the Mongoose products I was exposed to were of roughly the same quality as those of most other major publishers. The errors Matt is talking about - spotty editing, incorrect stats, and bad bindings, are exactly the same flaws you see in products by most other publishers. In many ways these types of things are unavoidable, but you can reduce them by taking the types of steps described above.

The inclusion of color in many products, the new quality measures, and the diversity of the upcoming product lines really should confirm Mongoose as one of the leaders in the industry. I'm very much looking forward to several titles on the current release schedule, and I'm happy to see that Mongoose is taking steps to make their products even better.

Ranger REG said:

Of course, with my being curious with the industry at large, this business strategy of yours, has it been done before by other industries, perhaps outside of this one?

Click to expand...

Attention to quality?

Naw, never been tried before. It's an amazing Mongoose innovation.

Seriously though, this is great news for gamers!


Wulf

Thank you MongooseMatt.