D&D 5E What do you specifically want out of reviewers?

Dualazi said:

This is only really a valid strategy if you are looking to curate a long-term reviewer that will recommend future products to you, which is valid of course, but it's not nearly as applicable in the broad sense. You say you'll check out what they're reviewing, but that basically means buying or consuming that piece of media, yes?

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Sure. And I feel I'm pretty good at reviewing reviewers!

Gardens & Goblins said:

Sure. And I feel I'm pretty good at reviewing reviewers!

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As a reviewer of reviewer reviewers, I give you four stars.

I pretty much only read reviews for video games and RPGs. Can't stand the movie theatre, so I'll just watch the movie for free when it hits Netflix. If it's a bad one, meh - nothing but an hour or two lost, but a lot of the times, reviewers have nowhere near my tastes for movies.

As for Video Games, I don't care much about the particular reviewer - I look for keywords that are somewhat universal and compare them to multiple reviewers to see how many times those keywords appear, for a sort of consensus. I don't play 'visual novels' or other 'slow-moving' games (though my wife does, so I keep an eye out on those for her), so that's one of the first keywords I look for. Additionally, I look for mechanics references - "This game plays a lot like GameX." Well, I didn't like game X. That reference has come up a bunch of times, no point in wasting money on this game. It's very scientific in that it's not, but it is functional to my wallet and my tastes. Never been wrong about this (cause eventually I'll get a game 3 or 4 years later when it's like 3 bucks on Steam just to prove I was right).

And then, there's RPGs. How to quantify what I look for in an RPG review?

I want it all!
I want some analytical information (the mechanic is d20 + numbers vs. target), or, if dealing with a campaign, I want someone's expectations of time spent reading through it, preparing the material, and how long they expect players to take in -their- group. I don't like generalized guesses like some people write on their adventures - that is never accurate for my home group (they're long-winded, go off trail a lot, and tend to take their time with every detail that interests them). So I would have the reviewer write their group's general approach to games, and thus the expectation for 'that type' of group.

I want some bias information - their opinions of the art (without silly labels and classifications), the writing (again without labels or classifications), the layout, and perhaps the durability. They are opinions, and this department isn't going to sell me on a book or send me away from it, I just like seeing it. It adds spirit and voice to the review, so the reviewer becomes human and it doesn't feel like a machine with the previously mentioned analytical information.

I want some experience, or anecdotes. "This adventure reminds me of when my first DM took me to [insert something relative here]." Again, this won't sell me on the book, or shove me away, but it adds an element that I can appreciate from a human being writing something that is already going to take a while to read, if done correctly.

I want their information in the hobby; how long they've played, the types of games they play the most, and anything else that could help me get a clear understanding of how they approach gaming, and thus whether or not my players and I will relate to it. I'm a bit of a grognard; started playing during the original release of AD&D 2E, and I remember the DM vs. Player mentality that comes from that era. Knowing whether someone has overcome this, or still adheres to it, is very important for me to respect their opinion.

So what is it that tells me not to buy an RPG product I'm considering buying? I just avoid the consensus keywords clunky, gimmicky, all over the place, and a few others my brain isn't wanting to put forth to writing this sickly morning.

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lowkey13 said:

1. To confirm a purchase. This happens most often with movies, but would be applicable with something like Xanthar's (which I have already pre-purchased). I have already decided to purchase something, but I look at a few reviews to make sure that there isn't something terrible about it, or that reviewers don't hate it. For movies, this is often the difference (for me) between seeing something in a theater (good reviews) and waiting for it (mediocre to bad reviews).

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I think one aspect of this is the human need to talk about something after seeing it. Say you walk out of a movie -- on the way home, you and your friends/family will likely talk about the movie. When you meet a friend a few days later who has also seen it, you are likely to discuss it again then.

Reading reviews (or listening to podcasts about them, or whatever) of stuff *after* you've seen/read it is a solitary form of doing that. You're not so much looking for information as wanting to engage further with the product.

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I tend to like the reviews by [MENTION=3586]MerricB[/MENTION] because they tell me more about the quality and functionality of modules, which can be more objectively assessed.

#1 The reviewer MUST have actually experienced playing whatever it is they are reviewing. I've read a lot of pretty bad reviews, where the writer slates something based on skim reading it. They often base their opinions on things they have misread and misunderstood, which effectively invalidates everything they have to say on it!!

#2 see #1

edit - I agree that MerricB is one of the most sensible and thorough reviewers.

As for the worst, well a youtube video made by DawnForgedCast about 1E AD&D must rank among them....

lowkey13 said:

The other, more prominent use or "reviews" today can be easily seen in the spread of "recaps" of series that people like. No one reads those recaps (at least, I don't think they do?) without watching those shows. They read them to continue the conversation with other fans, starting with the person doing the recap and continuing in the comments. This also happens with movies and books; you have your own thoughts, and want to see what other people are thinking. As you wrote, this is way of further engaging with the product.

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I've read recaps in the past of shows I'm not actually watching, but are prevalent enough in the culture that I'd like to at least have some idea of what's going on. Like Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead.

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