Yoper:
“But spelling mistakes are different from people actually having troubles understanding certain ideas or concepts in the rules.”
Yes, they are different, but both fall under the jurisdiction of the editor(s). That being said, I agree that “Trying to put forth a rule (like the political rules in AAP 40) in a way that is clear to all is a tough task.”
From what I’ve read, it seems that people should also apply some common sense - especially those who’ve been playing A&A games for many years. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve read of someone wanting a clarification - only to wonder why it needed to be clarified in the first place.
As to the spelling mistakes… well that’s just plain shoddy workmanship. No, it doesn’t effect gameplay, and I’m still going to have fun playing the game. But if people are shelling out a fair amount of money for a game - they expect a higher quality product, one that doesn’t have spelling errors (which is something that might be expected from a garage based game publisher - not a major manufacturer). And there is the element of presentation as well, in this kind of medium, it’s important. And c’mon, consider the demographic of your buyers… we’re talking about guys (mainly) that go through great lengths such as painting the pieces, inventing pages of optional rules, making new maps etc. Of course spelling mistakes are going to leap out at the average A&A enthusiast!
You stated, “I would like you (or anyone else) to give me a list of all the spelling mistakes in the rulebook.” I’m not about to be an unpaid editor/proofer, but the point is that if there is one… that’s one too many. It’s not that difficult to publish something without spelling mistakes - its done everyday. And a lot of these publications don’t even have the benefit of more than one editor. Perhaps I’m a bit retentive in regard to the spelling issue, but I am obviously not alone in this stance.
BTW - I too don’t think anyone should be pointing fingers at the wardog or Larry Harris, it’s not like they design and produce the whole game themselves…
