How would that even work? The footnotes contain clues about how things all tie together if I recall. Ignoring the footnotes just means fewer clues. The basics of the plot are in the main text I recall (basically the first 50 pages are the ending and wouldn't change by ignoring the footnotes).
I think one major plot element contained only in the footnotes is the PGOAT's face status, that is, the status of the face is very different if you read only one and not the other. But it's been a long time since I read it, maybe 20 years, so I'm only telling you what I remember thinking.
