Post originally by Ezekiel Black at 2004-06-13 07:05:19
Converted from Phorums BB System

Thank you for your insight Matthew, and I'm really glad someone in a position to change something does read these boards.

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Ezekiel, if you are willing to write up a complete review, drop me a line mentioning one of the new books above. I'll get a review copy off to you so you can see (and hopefully tell others) the changes we have made.
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I thank you for your generosity, but I must decline on the grounds that I do not take "comped" works. In order for me to write a truly fair review, I must pay for what I review. It wouldn't be useful to get a review that isn't from the perspective of the consumer, and I won't be one (and it is impossible to get in the right mindset) without buying the work I review. If you don't believe me, read a movie review sometime after seeing the movie. I will, however, take a look at the newest Mongoose work in my gaming store, or look at one of the mentioned "changed policy" books (Lone Wolf RPG, the Book of the Planes, the Road of Kings), and e-mail you what I think, because you took the time to come on this board and address the issue I presented. If I like it there, I will buy it at the listed cover price, and review it here.

This also happens to be a "CMA" policy just in case I happen to not like a book and decide to review it. Which could happen in this case, because you asked me to check it out. I make no promises that I won't do just that, but my review will be as unbiased as possible, except for the fact I'm (roughly) $40 poorer because of the book, and I want that money back in quality.

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I am not going to tell you that you will never find a mistake in any Mongoose book - if the big boys with hundreds or thousands of employees, such as WotC or GW, do not manage it, then it may not be possible for us to consistently produce 100% error-free books. However, that does not mean we will not give it our very best shot.
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I would never ask any work by man to be perfect, and I praised Fates Worse Than Death even though it has many typos, because it has a lot of heart in it as well. That's what I check for, a game with a heart and soul. It's hard to find that sort of thing. I also have a little secret I've found out: The more people working on a book, the worse it becomes in quality. Too many cooks spoil the broth. Or, the more people's voices enter a work, the more the writer's soul fades from that work.

In the end, I thank you for your words, especially since you replied professionally and seriously to what was essentially a slam by me. Then again, I didn't think anybody at Mongoose would have seen the post, and that was the entire point of the post.

I stand corrected.