It depends on "how" late, but in general the best stuff is worth waiting for.
Corebook Publication Schedule
Publish game to target date (Gencon) with flaws
4% (1 vote)
Publish game after target date with fixes
69% (18 votes)
Whatever the creator prefers
27% (7 votes)
Total votes: 26
Comments
Where's "Don't rush it for Gen Con" ? :)
On time would still be October.
Nice obsevation, @DaWaterRat. The challenge for creators is the fine line between "late" and "too late" which with Kickstarter may stretch an average of one year late in some cases (not with 7th Sea though) 
Honestly, John Wick and his crew ought to be commended simply for getting what they have given us so early, as it was completely unexpected by me, I didn't expect to see previews until August at the earliest, so personally I'm fine with them taking their time.
On time, but only if they address any flaws in the first extra book.
OK, your poll is not coming up for me. I would prefer a back to revision step to fix some things, reorganize where some rules sit, write some clarifications, etc. They can do that and still beat October. I get the need to hit GenCon. Games that do so grab a quick fanbase (beyond the 11,300+ we have). Plus it will more than pay for their booth space and expenses to go and run those "play with John" events.
@Salamanca, I fixed the mobile offset, that hid your Poll. Anyway, they could print a special GenCon edition using Print-on-Demand without having to roll out a full version for 11400+ backers. I am actually running another game "Phoenix: Dawn Command" using such a strategy.
We may need an experienced"stylist" soon. The Polls shifted off-center for mobile devices. I just fixed it now. ;-)
Still a big blank hole on my phone but you read my thoughts on the matter
Point on the idea of a special gen con edition. Nobody who backed this at a hard copy product level will be happy if the con attendees get it first. When your support was this strong, you take care of the "family" before the public.
I'll disagree on this point. If they want to release a special GenCon edition, that's fine by me. Unless the books are being printed in the US or Canada (unusual – I suspect they are being printed in China), it's going to take time for the bulk of the books to take a while to reach the warehouse for fulfillment. But if they arrange for a certain number of copies to be sent in advance for GenCon, that's cool and I would completely understand. I would wish that any special content would be made available for sale online or PDF download, but other than that.
Look, I just want a good, well thought out book that is well edited and with a solid binding. If they want to send me a PDF and I have to wait an extra month to get my hard copy because I can't make it to GenCon, there is nothing wrong with that and no one should have an issue with it.
I would be ok with a special gen con edition that still has some of rough edges. I would hate for my special pirate edition to have a need for errata or other sorts of rough edges. I want smooth edges that seamlessly integrate with the future source books.
That being said, I think they can still get a nice, smooth product by October. And maybe in our hands in November at the latest (maybe much later for some backers that live in countries with awful mail systems).
So far everything has been done in a really nice and organized way. Rushing and publishing a flawed book will hurt the product (Anima: Beyond Fantasy anyone?), even if it looks beautiful.
I would wait, without any problems. Is it possible to correct all the errata if we all band together and look at the book in a week? Who knows, there's power in numbers!
Some insight for you. We've been done the major writing on the corebook for over two months now. It's been in the hands of our development editors, text editors, proof-readers, layout designers, etc for that time. We are not, in anyway, rushing to meet our GenCon deadline. Did we have an ambitious schedule? Yes. Absolutely. But we're not cutting corners to get there.
There is an old assumption that if you just take enough time you will be able to release a product that is completely error free. This kind of assumption results in games that take years to get published. Does this mean that JWP is not taking the time and care necessary to release quality products? Not at all. But we know that the day after the book goes to the printer we'll find something that we want to fix. It doesn't matter if we take two months or two years to edit it.
Bottom-line: Everyone at JWP thinks it's possible to deliver a high-quality product on the schedule we've set out. We're going to do everything in our power to meet our commitments and make sure what we deliver is excellent. After all, isn't that the option everyone wants?
In that case, hope the 11k backers can really help proof read and suggest layouts that help the product be as close to perfect as it can be for gen con.
Gen con makes me want some gin. Specifically gin and sprite.
"But we know that the day after the book goes to the printer we'll find something that we want to fix. It doesn't matter if we take two months or two years to edit it." - Rob
Aka
Gremlin's Law
I had an amazing editor for World of Dew and the book was crazy low on the error count.
Found two the day after I sent off the final print run order.
It was actually kind of John Wick to release a public preview to all backers. And now we have all heard from Rob, that John Wick will publish a high quality product for Gen Con (maybe not flawless, but still high quality, since as Rob pointed out, flaws may still creep in even if the book is delayed).
Ha ha ha, hearing from the insides has helped change some minds. Thanks, Rob Justice. Always good to hear from those in the know.
I think, really, it should just be 'publish when it's passed QA', whatever that standard happens to be, at whatever schedule that happens to be. If we get it early, great. If we get it on time (Oct) that's great too. Just so long as the quality isn't being rushed for an early date (Based on the above, though, that doesn't seem to be the case).
I'm fine with the original October release date, although I can understand the rush for Gen Con. Having the book there could be a big boost for JWP.
I'm pretty glad I have at least the perview out already, and I certainly wouldn't mind it coming out earlier (especially if this might bump up the production schedules for some of the other books as well.)
Granted this is mostly because I was looking forward to starting this game during the fall semester for my RPG club, so the sooner the better is part of my feeling.
I'm torn between both reasonings. Personally, I don't mind the original October deadline, if this could potentially mean a more smooth product, but understand the opportunity that a huge con can provide. Nonetheless, I am happy overall with the preview, already identified the things that I don't like and will not change, and really eager to put this baby to the fire test.
Personally, I'd rather see them use GenCon as a really good chance to run the game, essentially giving it one last go for playtesting. Rather than selling the book there, give folks the option to "pre-order" with immediate access to the Preview. Folks walk away from GenCon with something they can read and a book for the near future, while JWP gets feedback in a larger and more diverse setting.
They are not getting a larger or more diverse base running it there. They are getting a handful of us playing all weekend. On top of that there would be the quality control of who was serving as GM for those events. AEG used to suffer from that as did Pinnacle. And training up a crew for a new system is even harder. Even Wizards dropped the ball on that. They sent people who had never gamed to demo 3.0, I was seated with an intern from the accounting Dept. This game is ready.
Print proofs, so I guess, the game is ready for publication. Hopefully, the army of volunteer proof-readers have nailed it all down. ;-)
Well, you get what you pay for. Rely on volunteers, get volunteer results. And it should have been nailed down before that. To be honest, the volume of folks just here that are not wrapping their heads around how things like the sequences work should be a sign to back off and rewrite with better descriptions and examples.
Thanks, Salamanca. With regards to examples, I hinted John Wick's crew that more practical examples are worth much more than pages of exquisite rules. ;-)
