Argh! Editing ... again

[Olgar Shiverstone]

[rant]

OK, I know I'm a poor editor. I'm sure my average post has more typos per line than zits on a 16-year old. I know editing stat blocks in gaming materials is a thankless task, and I frankly don't expect perfection there even though I probably should -- so I don't even bother checking stat blocks in published material any more. I figure it doesn't matter, in the end.

But is it really that hard to get the obvious stuff right? I just picked up Anauroch: The Empire of Shade. Cover: "An adventure for characters of levels 9-13". Third bloody paragraph: "Anauroch ... is designed for four 13th level characters ... [who should] ... reach 16th or 17th level by the end of the adventure". ARGH!! How hard is it to check the simple, stupid things!

Luckily, I picked up the adventure to complete the series, and wasn't actually shopping for an adventure for characters of level 9-13, or I would be sorely disappointed. It is a beautiful product, and once I'm done venting I'm sure this error will not spoil my enjoyment of the adventure ... which I haven't read past paragraph three because I exploded at this particular bit of idiocy!

The editor should be marched naked through the halls of GenCon all the while being pelted with Scrabble tiles. Someone please tell me there is an "Editing Wall of Shame" somewhere at WotC where errors like this are posted for everyone to laugh at.



[/rant]

OK, I'm done. You may now return to your regular posting schedule. This rant scores a 3.2 on the Rant-or scale.

 

[Varianor Abroad]

This sounds more like a production problem with whoever oversaw the entire product than the editor. Back cover blurbs do not necessarily arrive at the same time as the main text or even go past an editor. Someone should have caught it. However, it may not have been the editor's responsibility.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

This has happened with WotC adventures a couple of times now. I believe that Red Hand of Doom had the same mistake in regards to recommended character level.

Olaf the Stout

 

[Odhanan]

What do you think of the three volume campaign arc, incidentally? Is it worth it, compared to the gazillion adventures, sagas, adventure paths etc out there? How does it stand out in the crowd?

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

So far, I'd consider the three-volume arc good -- say B grade on average (Age of Worms or Red Hand of Doom are "A" material for reference)

As FR products, they have great production values, and the adventures themselves are well-tied to Realmslore. There is a whole slew of exciting locations to adventure, and the three adventures together provide almost a whirlwind tour of one part of the Realms. The PCs won't get overshadowed by named NPCs, which is great, and they are really the heroes of this set of stories. They clearly grow in name and reputation through the series of adventures. There is a fair mix of wilderness and dungeon adventure, and a number of interesting non-combat encounters in the series.

On the other hand, some of the hooks and events seem a bit contrived, and some of the plotlines are a bit too cliche (Oh, the Shades and Zhentarim want to conquer the world again? How droll ...

Spoiler

I'm also not a big fan of the Shadow Weave, which plays a big part in the series -- I always thought it was a stupid addition to the Realms -- but I do like the general thrust of the adventures in spite of that.

). Though there is room for the players to drive the plot, many of the events and chapters unfold in a more-or-less linear fashion (the opening on Anauroch is a bit too linear, and forced, though I haven't read very far).

As an introduction to the Realms, or adventures for Realms fans, they are great (though I'd say they are so tied to the Realms that they aren't modular). They don't grab me as as uniquely different or exciting as the Paizo adventure paths (Age of Worms, Savage Tide) have, but they are better than most of the other adventures WotC have put out lately -- on par with or better than Sinister Spire and Slaughtergarde, not as good as Red Hand of Doom, far better than Scourge of the Howling Horde or that three-adventure travesty that is the introductory Eberron adventure path.

For the combination of the production quality of the products plus the adventure quality they are worth the price if you use the Realms for your campaign -- even if some of the errors do royally peeve me.