EA Book layout |
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CyberShadow
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Post subject: EA Book layout  Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2006 10:07 pm |
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| Swarm Tyrant |
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Joined: Thu Jan 02, 2003 6:22 pm
Posts: 9350
Location: Singapore
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Tactica:
Just a general complaint about E:A.
Special rules preceding army, special rules preceding army list, special rules in notes sections of data sheets, and special rules in the army list itself.
We all like to say 'a army' doesn't have that many officially declared 'special rules' but when we hide 'main rule breaking text' all over the place - it gets annoying when you are looking for the special rules for the: "Wraithgate!" |
This was posted in the EA Eldar Development board. One thing that has constantly irritated me more than anything else is the layout of the EA books. I just wanted to know - am I the only person who finds this intensly frustrating and irritating? I spend too long searching for liitle text boxes (my worst are the rules for blast marker management!).
Why is EA the worst laid-out book so far (or am I wrong about this)?
_________________ https://www.cybershadow.ninja - A brief look into my twisted world, including wargames and beyond. https://www.net-armageddon.org - The official NetEA (Epic Armageddon) site and resource.
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Dwarf Supreme
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Post subject: EA Book layout Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2006 10:21 pm |
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| Brood Brother |
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Joined: Fri May 20, 2005 8:45 pm
Posts: 11149
Location: Canton, CT, USA
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I think you, and others, do have a legitimate gripe. I don't find the book all that user friendly. It almost seems that GW was more concerned with producing a snazzy rulebook, rather that one that is easy to use. Say what you will about them, but the rulebooks for SM/TL were far more user friendly. Rules exceptions were near/in the relevant section of the core rules and you didn't have to keep them propped open. This may be only my pet peeve, but I hate rulebooks that don't stay open by themselves.
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"I don't believe in destiny or the guiding hand of fate." N. Peart
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nealhunt
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Post subject: EA Book layout Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2006 10:24 pm |
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| Purestrain |
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Joined: Thu Feb 13, 2003 10:52 pm
Posts: 9617
Location: Nashville, TN, USA
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The worst laid out game books, imho, by a wide margin were from FASA.
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The split between special army rules and special rules-list rules are whether they are intended to be relevant to the army regardless of the scenario or whether they are supposed to be specific to GT armies.
I think that is less than ideal, but JJ is quite adamant about not making the GT scenario the only game in town.
Overall, I don't find the rulebook that hard to navigate, but that's probably because I understand the intended organization. An explicit description of the thoughts behind the layout would have been very useful.
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Neal
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Tactica
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Post subject: EA Book layout Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2006 11:40 pm |
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| Brood Brother |
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Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2005 12:12 am
Posts: 2241
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Ehem,
As far as the GW books go...
Tactica ?thinks CS should PREACH ON!
Seriously - there's at least 4 areas where special rules show up in different army books in my *personal* opinion - and its *SO* frustrating when looking at an army I don't normally play...
1. Special rules in the general tech before the army description
(Eldar technology section, lances, webway, holofields, etc)
2. Special rules after the description, but precede the GT army points list
(commissar)
3. Special rules found in the GT army points list itself
(wraithgate - what it is, where it goes, who can use it, what special rules it follows, what exceptions it follows - it appears nowhere else in the book for cryin out loud!)
4. Special Rules in notes section of Datasheets
(drop pods, titan stepping, tau commander)
Cheers,
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Rob
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Legion 4
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Post subject: EA Book layout Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2006 6:43 am |
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primarch
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Post subject: EA Book layout Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2006 8:15 pm |
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Joined: Fri Feb 14, 2003 12:46 am
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Location: Edmond, Oklahoma USA
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Hi!
I found the book colorful and nice to read. I dont use it much for rules, so I really dont have an appreciation in that respect.
Primarch
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Moscovian
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Post subject: EA Book layout Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 2:43 pm |
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| Brood Brother |
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Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania USA
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I got from a reliable source that there was another revision that was submitted, but never made it to the press because of deadlines.
The result was that many people's work to organize the information, make the text more readable, and fix the morass of grammatical and spelling errors fell to the way side. 
_________________ author of Syncing Forward and other stories...It's a dog-eat-dog world, and I've got my Milkbone underwear on.
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Moscovian
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Post subject: EA Book layout Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 3:51 pm |
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No, the work was discarded completely. So anything to make the next set of rules easier to read / better organized will have to be done from scratch.
_________________ author of Syncing Forward and other stories...It's a dog-eat-dog world, and I've got my Milkbone underwear on.
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Dwarf Supreme
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Post subject: EA Book layout Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 3:54 pm |
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| Brood Brother |
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Joined: Fri May 20, 2005 8:45 pm
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Location: Canton, CT, USA
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| Quote (Moscovian @ 28 Feb. 2006 (14:51)) | | No, the work was discarded completely. ?So anything to make the next set of rules easier to read / better organized will have to be done from scratch. |
Like that's going to happen.
_________________
"I don't believe in destiny or the guiding hand of fate." N. Peart
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Legion 4
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Post subject: EA Book layout Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 4:00 pm |
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| Brood Brother |
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Joined: Thu Feb 13, 2003 5:13 pm
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Dwarf Supreme
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Post subject: EA Book layout Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 4:07 pm |
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Legion 4
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Post subject: EA Book layout Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 4:43 pm |
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| Brood Brother |
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Joined: Thu Feb 13, 2003 5:13 pm
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Location: Ohio - USA
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Awaiting the "last" EPIC release of F/Orks in the US late Mar-Apr ?! And then go "full (fool?!) tilt Bozo" and buy all the DRM ! 
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Legion 4 "Cry Havoc, and let slip the Dogs of War !" ... "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
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?However, your point is valid C/S ... of course ... Epic won't see another "Hardcopy" set of rules with the release of Swordwind ! 
