Campaign/Player Surveys

[mac1504]

I'm running a campaign right now, and I think I'm at the point where I would like to get some feedback from my players. I'd rather it be anonymous type feedback (so that they can be honest and forthright about any opinions on the progress so far) so I'd like to give them a survey by email to fill out and have one of the members compile it.

Does anyone have a sample of a survey they have used I could use as a guidleine, and how did it go over in your group if you've ever used one?

Thanks!

 

[fusangite]

It might be worth rethinking this. Unless you want the feedback in the form of multiple choice tests, any honestly answered question is likely to betray who the player is one way or another.

Perhaps a better starting point is to figure out what kind of feedback you need. Once you have established that, then you can sort out the best way to obtain it.

 

[Haltherrion]

I think a survey can be very useful. Of course, you as the ref are looking for insights into what your players are looking for. But just as importantly, it gets the players to think about the campaign in terms of style tradeoffs and makes them feel responsible for some of the meta-paths a game may take.

My last game I used the survey below. It was my first attempt to do a survey but I found it very useful. I collected the information and it didn't seem to cause any issues but you could have another player do it.

Survey.

Based on the survey results, I wrote up a proposed setting which included game mechanic issues like levels, rate of advance, etc.

Proposal.

I had the luxury of spending 4 months preparing this campaign while another ref finished out the last one.

I have the survey in as an Excel spreadsheet and can post it to my site if there is interest.

 

[Scribble]

While I regularly ask my players what they think of the campaign so far, I don't think I'd ever give them a survey... That just seems too much like an employee satisfaction report or something...

But maybe because my group is pretty much made up of my normal friends we never seem to have a problem telling eachother if soemthing just sin't working...

 

[Piratecat]

I've found surveys to be incredibly useful. Here's a link to one I've used in the past:

http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=41813

 

[Haltherrion]

But maybe because my group is pretty much made up of my normal friends we never seem to have a problem telling eachother if soemthing just sin't working...

My current group has been together 10 years and the survey was still quite useful. In addition to just some insights into what they were looking for, it also helped the players to think in game mechanic terms: "where do I really like to spend my game time?"

I'd recommend it even for groups that have been together a long time.

 

[mac1504]

Thanks everyone- good advice all around.

Thanks a ton to Piratecat- I'm yoinking your survey since it incorporates nearly everything I wanted to find out from my players. And the rest of that thread reminded me of some other questions I wanted to ask as well.

 

[spyscribe]

Thanks a ton to Piratecat- I'm yoinking your survey since it incorporates nearly everything I wanted to find out from my players. And the rest of that thread reminded me of some other questions I wanted to ask as well.

As a player whose DM uses a Piratecat inspired "How's My Driving?" questionaire, let me say first that filling it out was a great way to really sit down and think about what I was enjoying in the campaign, what I didn't like so much, and everything in between.

My one word of warning however, is to avoid the temptation to make this one survey exhaustive. If it gets too long, players can't find time to answer it, and that doesn't get you any feedback at all.