D&D 4E Waiting to get 4e because of typos/errors

[Zzyzx]

Is there anyone else here that is planning on waiting to get the 4e books until after a second printing where they get around to fixing typos and misprints?

This was one of my pet peeves about the 3.x books, that the first printings seemed riddled with rules errors, misspellings, and inconsistencies that were (mostly) cleaned up in a later printing.

 

[Elephant]

I think you'll be disappointed if you expect WOTC (or other publishers, for that matter) to start publishing "clean" books. Editing is sadly not a high enough priority these days.

 

[EricNoah]

Typos are one thing; typo-induced rules errors (particularly when a chart/table doesn't match text, or numerical errors resulting from inaccurate application of the rules -- generating AC or skill points or whathaveyou) are something else. I don't care much about the former, but the latter are indeed bothersome.

Editing has got to be one of those thankless jobs -- you can fix a thousand errors, but the one you miss is the one people see...

 

[Joshua Randall]

I thought about waiting with 3rd edition for the same reasons, but I just couldn't wait to get my hands on the books. Do you want to be the only kid on your block without the new toy? I didn't, and I won't with 4e, either.

 

[EricNoah]

I wonder how quickly/regularly such corrections will be made to the online versions?

 

[Ilium]

Well that is one of the joys of electronic publishing. Not only can you make corrections more easily, you can actually get corrected text into your existing customers' hands instead of just providing it to new customers.

Unless they're silly enough to print the book, of course.

 

[delericho]

If I buy into 4e at all, it will be on day one, or as soon after as my FLGS stocks it. I may pick up a second-printing PHB at some later time to get a 'clean' copy.

Typos and errata don't hugely bother me, as long as they don't become more prevalent than that have been in recent WotC offerings (Scourge of the Howling Horde excepted).

 

[Dice4Hire]

Simple typos do not bother me.

Poorly written feats, and abilities do. inconsistent descriptions of identical abilities bother me.

But I will be getting the 4E PHB in just about any case. I know I will.

 

[Horacio]

Oh, I know I'm weak. I will buy first printing, and then I will buy second printing too...

 

[Driddle]

Editing has got to be one of those thankless jobs -- you can fix a thousand errors, but the one you miss is the one people see...

It's even worse for people who daily deal with text detail in their professional lives. The errors might as well be printed in bold red type. ... Hello, journalist here. And, Eric, don't you handle a lot of books yourself? ... When we ignore the rules and get sloppy on message boards like this, it's usually a conscious break or vacation, not SOP.