Official Answers on Errata/FAQ and 2nd Printing

Iron_Chef

Mongoose
Found these posts on RPG.Net today:

Hi guys,

A second printing of Conan is pretty well inevitable, given the way it is currently flying out of the warehouse. We are currently preparing an FAQ of errata that will appear on our web site, and this information will be used in any future reprint. On the same theme, we are also instituting a few changes in the organisation of Mongoose that will ensure that what happened to Conan will never, ever, _ever_ happen to another book. More news on that soon.

All that said, a reprint will be at least three months off.

Matthew Sprange
Mongoose Publishing

and

The FAQ will indeed by PDF, and in the same format as the main rulebook.

As for its due date, fairly soon - we have just finished the A2089 one and Conan is next up. Material is already being compiled and I cannot imagine it will take long to get it up on the site. I'll give you a more precise timeline just as soon as I know!

Matthew Sprange
Mongoose Publishing

I guess they didn't bother to post these major news items here because that would be like preaching to the converted... :wink:
 
It is nice to hear that they are working hard to fix the errata. Cool that it is selling well to, which is always good for support of the game.
 
Maybe all of our 1st-printing FUBAR'ed copies will be come priceless collector's items, eh? ;)

Still, it's great to see that they're learning from their mistakes as well as their successes. Go go gadget errata!
 
Johannixx said:
Maybe all of our 1st-printing FUBAR'ed copies will be come priceless collector's items, eh? ;)

Yeah, they will go for minimum $150 at EBay :)


The FAQ will indeed by PDF, and in the same format as the main rulebook.

While this is nice, it is a bit limiting due to my printer resources (not everyone has a good color laser at home). I had preferred a clean B/W version.
 
On the same theme, we are also instituting a few changes in the organisation of Mongoose that will ensure that what happened to Conan will never, ever, _ever_ happen to another book.

I wonder if Mongoose will do the right thing by those that bought the first edition.
 
Lion of Aquilonia said:
I wonder if Mongoose will do the right thing by those that bought the first edition.

That would probably sink the company. Even if there are errors, and a new print edition is planned, I think we will have to do with the 1st book + errata.

I got the first print edition of D&D 3rd edition rules, which was replaced by a second printing some months later, where errata and clarifications had been added. Even Wizards didn't do it right ;)
 
Matt also posted this apology for the recent FUBARs in Conan and other releases over at the ENWorld forum today:
http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=78681
 
Lion of Aquilonia wrote:
I wonder if Mongoose will do the right thing by those that bought the first edition.

That would probably sink the company. Even if there are errors, and a new print edition is planned, I think we will have to do with the 1st book + errata.

I got the first print edition of D&D 3rd edition rules, which was replaced by a second printing some months later, where errata and clarifications had been added. Even Wizards didn't do it right

Having Mongoose sink is the very last thing I want. I do however, expect to get my moneys worth when I pay $50.00 or ANY amount (which honestly I have until now, from Mongoose!) for a gaming book. And its not like I can return it to my local gaming store and wait 3 months because they have a no returm policy :!: :shock:

And the fact that Wizards didn't do it right means very little. I have always expected Wizards to blow it and have never been dissapointed :roll: (for that I refer you to the whole 3.5 and rumored 4.0 B.S.)

As to doing right by thier customers I refer you to recent events over at ICE ( http://www.ironcrown.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3535 ) and the recent release of the HARP (High Adventure Role Playing).
when the realized that there were far to many errors in the first printing they announced a revised printing and a discount to those that had purchased the first printing! Now that is doing right by thier customers!
 
I still feel that is isn't like I cannot play the game due to the errors. Sadly you cannot patch a book like computer games, but I guess the book + official errata will have to do for me.

Getting some sort of discount on a second printing for customers that bought the first one would be nice, but it might be hard to verify customers without taking off something in the book. Personally I could cut off a corner of page 351/2 and send it to Mongoose to get a rebated 2:nd printing.
 
Geezer said:
I still feel that is isn't like I cannot play the game due to the errors. Sadly you cannot patch a book like computer games, but I guess the book + official errata will have to do for me.

Getting some sort of discount on a second printing for customers that bought the first one would be nice, but it might be hard to verify customers without taking off something in the book. Personally I could cut off a corner of page 351/2 and send it to Mongoose to get a rebated 2:nd printing.

Aw, c'mon! I've on my fourth session now and haven't had much trouble rules-wise. Just play it, all ready! :wink:

Still all us unsung "playtesters" and "proofreaders" who shelled out $50 (or more, for two books), should be compensated somehow.
 
You were a playtester and didn't get squat for it? That's a bit unfair. When I was playtester for Quicklink's d20 Traveller, I got 2 copies of the rulebook for free, one of which was autographed by the author. Of course I had to print out tons of playtest drafts, sign a non-disclosure agreement and so forth and give regular reports, but if you did something along those lines, it seems to me you should have at least gotten a book.
 
DrSkull said:
You were a playtester and didn't get squat for it? That's a bit unfair.

To clarify, I wasn't a playtester or proofreader prior to the book's release. I, and everyone else who bought it, unwittingly ended up filling those roles to make up for the errors Mongoose didn't catch prior to the book's release. In effect, they made us into "after the fact" playtesters and proofreaders by dropping the ball so badly. Kind of like when a computer game is first released, and it's full of bugs, and everybody who bought it complains and reports the problems. :wink:

I'm really glad to hear they are apologizing and taking steps to make sure this doesn't happen again, but I'm $85 out of pocket and don't want to buy a revised edition in three months to get the book I should have got in the first place. Yes, I will get the errata for free online, so I won't be out the latest version of the game rules, but I will be out the shiny new corrected book with the improved binding. Of course, I am getting a certain dollar value of enjoyment out of the book "as is" so that mitigates things somewhat. I just don't like being penalized for putting my faith in a company and getting stuck with an substandard product, especially one that comes with a premium price tag... *grumble* Other than the fragile binding, abominable proofreading, and several irritating rules omissions, the book is great and the love for the material clearly shines through. It is really a breath of fresh air, and just what I was looking for to get away from high fantasy D&D.
 
I will hold out hope against hope that Mongoose will allow purchasers of the first printing to send in a UPC code, or something, to get a $10-15 discount on the 2nd printing. It would be the right thing to do -- but the financial aspects may prevent it.

On the other hand, all of us who took the deal would end up spending $85-90 on two copies of the book which might actually HELP Mongoose financially. :)
 
Dear Mongoose Publishing:

PLEASE make sure that your 2nd printing is free of ALL errors and that unclear rules are clarified. You have a great resource in these forums that gives you clear indicators of what's wrong or confusing about the Conan RPG. Here I've seen have dozens of gamers working for nothing, helping you make the 2nd printing perfect by compiling errata and dealing with FAQs. Don't disappoint them by having them to shell out another $50 and still have to refer to an errata PDF or FAQ.

Sincerely,
Tiberias of Aquilonia
 
Well I was considering getting the book but after Cybernet I figured it would be better to ask someone if it was error free or not. By the looks of things im gonna wait about 5 or 6 months before picking it up.

I just want it out of curiosity rather than a need to play it right away so waiting for a corrected version won't affect me one way or the other (and it helps decide the should I / shouldn't I debate I've been having with myself :p)
 
Tiberias of Aquilonia said:
PLEASE make sure that your 2nd printing is free of ALL errors and that unclear rules are clarified. ..... Don't disappoint them by having them to shell out another $50 and still have to refer to an errata PDF or FAQ.
Sincerely,
Tiberias of Aquilonia

That is wishful thinking. Even if they make a 2:nd printing, there will be new errata after that. Especially balancing can be affected, as players get higher levels and finds out more about the system.

High level D&D d20 have lots of problems, we tried playing Epic characters once, but technically it was very problematic, even if the adventure was great. With that said, Conan is easier to balance, as Sorcery is much tighter, and there are few magic items.
 
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