You've got to be kidding me...

[Lonely Tylenol]

As was said in the other thread about this...at least they RELEASE errata. And as was also said, the editors do NOT edit stat blocks. The actual designers do that part. It seems that no matter what, WotC will always get held to an unachievable high standard and then complained at for never reaching it.

I'll hold Wizards to the same standard I hold any product I pay money for: it should work without repair from the moment I bring it home.

Of course, stat blocks are something I can't really complain about. There's so much junk to keep track of, I can't blame them for letting stuff slip through. Would be nice if they'd make the effort to edit before press so that random people don't have to do their job for them, though. However, most of WotC's major tauntable editing blunders aren't stat-block related. Summon Undead lately?

 

[Mythtify]

With all due respect, the issue isn't whether or not my games are "robotic", it's whether or not I can expect to get a monster book with less than 50 of the monsters having stat errors when I shell out $35.

Then vote with your wallet! Man, You are the person that paid the cash. If numbers being off by one point is such a concern for you, I suggest you go shopping with calculator in hand, and check the blocks out for yourself. If you find to many errors, don't buy the book.

Oh, and as Whisperfoot as said many times.....checking game mechanics is not something that editors do, it is what developers are supposed to do. If your going to place blame, blame the right people.

I don't understand how you could of given a book that is so damaged, in your view, a good review.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

I'll hold Wizards to the same standard I hold any product I pay money for: it should work without repair from the moment I bring it home.

Of course, stat blocks are something I can't really complain about. There's so much junk to keep track of, I can't blame them for letting stuff slip through. Would be nice if they'd make the effort to edit before press so that random people don't have to do their job for them, though. However, most of WotC's major tauntable editing blunders aren't stat-block related. Summon Undead lately?

Exactly. The thing I've noticed about the stat block mistakes are that they have not significantly effected my gameplay(and I've already used about ten different MM3 monsters in my games thus far). They aren't 'broken' because they still do work, even if numbers are off slightly here or there.

But if it bothers you, do what Mythify said! Vote with your wallet! But do keep in mind that after CD(which was an editing nightmare) WotC made a comment that there have been additions to the editing staff. Now, whether this means that we'll have people specifically working to help 'edit' stat blocks, who knows. It could help, but we still aren't going to see the results of it for at least a couple of books.

 

[jester47]

With all due respect, the issue isn't whether or not my games are "robotic", it's whether or not I can expect to get a monster book with less than 50 of the monsters having stat errors when I shell out $35.

Most software has more errors in it than most people know or most companies are willing to admit. This goes for all software. MS lately has been cleaner than most. But people still pay ten times the price of a gaming book for software that works fine but where the license agreement states that it is not for mission critical use because its not military/aerospace grade code.

The thing about skill points being off is that you almost never use a skill bonus as is out of the book. Somthing almost always modifies it, be it a spell effect, armor use, or whatnot. This is the reason I wish the monster books actually listed the ranks rather than the calculated bonus. That way we could calculate the skill bonuses ourselves based on the conditions of the game as we are playing it more easily. But in fact I don't use skills anymore so for me its a moot point.

Aaron.

 

[Belen]

Of course, stat blocks are something I can't really complain about. There's so much junk to keep track of, I can't blame them for letting stuff slip through. Would be nice if they'd make the effort to edit before press so that random people don't have to do their job for them, though. However, most of WotC's major tauntable editing blunders aren't stat-block related. Summon Undead lately?

I never really pay attention to errata. What is written in the books is what I use. WOTC would have an easier time if they simplified things. The high number of mistakes comes from too many frickin rules.

 

[thalmin]

I'll hold Wizards to the same standard I hold any product I pay money for: it should work without repair from the moment I bring it home.

You don't buy much software, eh?
Most of the mistakes are not that important. When the DM chooses the monster, he sees the stats, attack numbers, damage, etc. That's what he throws at the PCs. That they don't correctly follow a formula might be annoying to some, but it shouldn't ruin anyone's game. After all, until 3E, we never had a formula.

 

[Psychic Warrior]

Oh, I definitely enjoyed the book. I read it from cover to cover, and am using the monsters in it.

But, I did not enjoy the book as much as I would have if I didn't have to worry about the errors. And the fact that these errors seem to be getting more common instead of less (hopefully the new developer will help with that) is exasperating. I am much less likely to buy the next book when the current book exasperates me.

MM3 is an example of the best of WotC and the worst of WotC. It is beautifully illustrated and solidly built. The monsters in it are fantastically imaginitive and fun to play with. But if a PC gets killed by one of them, I'd like to be able to say hey, those are the rules, with some confidence that the monsters really were written according to the rules.

That's what I want for my $35, and it's not too much to ask for.

Let me ask you this - if WotC hadn't released the errata (as many have noted they are one of the only companies who do) would you have ever noticed the mistakes? Maybe they shouldn't do errata anymore - it certainly will be affecting the sales in your case it seems.

 

[Desdichado]

I'll hold Wizards to the same standard I hold any product I pay money for: it should work without repair from the moment I bring it home.

And yet, even without errata, it does work from the moment you bring it home, I think.

I'm with BelenUmeria; I completely ignore errata unless there's some truly egregious mistake. Other than the Sword & Fist halfling outrider not having a BAB progression, I can't think of one.

 

[Wolf72]

Right. Let he or she who is without sin throw the first stone. That particular type of error is common during every January. Anyone who has ever misdated a check during the first month of the year has no grounds for griping.

that's me! I'm retarted like that too!

*wolf hopes umbran was using himself as an example too ...*

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

I can't imagine getting so worked up over most of these stat block errors. Heck, I still use S&S studio's original Creature Collection and that had some serious problems. The funny thing is that I don't stress over it and I have never had players who have suddenly complained, "Hey, that creature has too many skill points!" Maybe that makes things "unfair" or "unbalanced" but fairness and balance are something the DM often tweaks in the course of a game to make it more fun.

I suppose if you are playing in official RPGA games where the preciseness of the rules really matters, then it is something to worry about, but in my home game, I cannot be bothered.