So, for the 30th anniversary of the creation of D&D, Wizards are putting out a special edition PHB. From what I can make out, this is a low-volume item with fancy covers, durable materials, and so on. However, the contents will exactly match the current PHB.
Now, this is not the sort of thing I have any interest in. I might be interested if it was released in advance of the new edition (for instance, if this had been published a year before 3.5 edition, for instance). However, as it is, I'll pass. On the other hand, I don't begrudge Wizards the right to produce the book; I don't carry any silly notions that every book they produce should entice me to buy. So, no big deal.
One thing that irks me, however, is that this book probably will not include the known errata for the PHB. Meaning that they are knowingly publishing a book containing incorrect information. Give that they're planning to charge people $75 for the priviledge of owning this monstrosity, don't they then have the responsibility to make it the best product they possibly can?
(Actually, that pisses me off more than just as regards this book. The people who work at Wizards of the Coast are professionals. Wherever possible, they have a responsibility to produce the best product they can, and while mistakes are inevitable, they do have a resposibility to ensure that they are not propogated further than necessary. What this means is that unless it is absolutely impossible, they should ensure that the errata are incorporated, not only into new versions of the books, but also into second and subsequent printings. And the same goes for all other companies who produce second printings of their works - if there are known errors, and there are known fixes for these errors, the fixes should be present in new printings unless it is impossible to do so. Otherwise, you are knowingly selling defective goods.)
I'm going to take a break from ranting now...
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