Awesome, this fills in some of the perspective gaps I was struggling with. I can run with this from here, happily, but I'd like to point out a couple things which made it hard for us to arrive at these conclusions based on the PDF text alone.

Re: Persistent Blocks. For this, it probably doesn't help that the leather duster example specifically mentions an always available block as an alternative implementation (YS303). This should probably be removed, or receive some kind of notation (tho that page is ALREADY absurdly busy), if it's contrary to the intent.

Re: Armor and context. The (short) section on armor in the book (YS202) doesn't... really give any indication it's supposed to be situational, nor does it encourage one to try to have a 'it has a Catch' mindset like the game does for Toughness powers. This probably also warrants an aside somewhere, or possibly a direct alteration of the body text. I think that would resolve a lot of the confusion about the intent there.

Again, your perspective here is perfectly sensible, and I'm more than happy to run with it, I just don't think that what you intended to convey was there in what we got.

It would also be nice if such a file was posted somewhere one could get it without being part of the yahoo group.

Regarding hydromancers, one of my players (the one over whose shoulder I'm looking to read the books) just went, "Well, really, the water a hydromancer is working with is inside the spell, any other moving water is outside the spell. It's a magical construct with a barrier, just like any other. It's a matter of what you can contain and direct with the energy and time you have."

A thamaturgy focus is specified by any of the thaumaturgic types listed in this section, whether by function or theme
implies possible.
For thaumaturgy focuses, this bonus may be applied to the wizard’s upper bound on “no-prep” complexity (Lore) for thaumaturgy or to the wizard’s control (Discipline) rolls for casting.
implies not possible.

Actually, there's no contradiction there. Just as evocation specialties and foci are two parts, so are thaumaturgical specialties and foci. So in this case, we'd have +1 Divination Complexity, or +1 Warding Control.

Since crafting has neither complexity nor control...

You are substantially correct, but Armor is only equal to half your shifts, so it'd only be Armor Value 2. Aside from that you're good to go.

I meant to mention that, thanks.

Korwin, presuming the thaumaturgical focus was allowed, you'd have 4 shifts to work with for your persistent equipment, and it could still be considered 'armor', it just doesn't use the Armor mechanic unless you halve it again.

This is covered on YS252.

Right, but no solid way for non-magical types to do it. Which is the problem I'm trying to fix.

I feel compelled to note that YS325, on environmental effects, explicitly mentions a flamethrower.

Honestly, my love for the series wouldn't have been enough to pressure my loved ones into pre-ordering so that I can look over their shoulders at their copies of the PDF...

... it took realizing exactly how connected you (evil) folks are with the fans, how much this clearly meant to you to have this mean so much to us, to get me to work up the enthusiasm to go "WE HAVE TO HAVE THIS!!!!" to the others.

It wasn't Jim's writing and awesome setting that sold this game to me. It wasn't your previous work. It wasn't even your previews.

It was you, the people behind the game, being people, with people. That is why.

Headless chicken on LSD.

I can't stop giggling.

Is there any possibility of a 'PDF only' preorder? In general the members of my play group will be (pre- for some of them)ordering your (clearly sexily wonderful) books with an eye to, you know, the books themselves, but I personally have a much easier time working with digital information. In my case the physical books would be only sitting on a shelf utterly neglected, and that seems a sad state of affairs for tomes that could easily find home with another fan.

You might also consider this another vote for a 'printer friendly' version of the document someday (although it'd still be on my screen; paper is just harder for me to read comfortably than LCDs).