Do reviews matter?

[Graybeard]

I read the information on the content of books and PDFs that sound interesting. I will usually wait to read one or more reviews of a product before I purchase it. In the past I have purchased items based on if the product sounds interesting. On more than a few occassions I have been disappointed. Instead of wasting money I will wait to read at least three different reviews before I buy something.

 

[Wombat]

I voted "Yes", but really it is "Sometimes". It depends on how the product is reviewed, not in number of stars or whatever, but in terms of comprehensibility of the review itself. If the review is badly written, I ignore it. If the review praises a product and compares it to a product I dislike, I know that I assume I will dislike the product.

Scrutiny of reviews, in terms of style and content, is important, not merely vague "buzz" around a product.

 

[Stormborn]

Yes Reviews, whether formal ones in the review section or informal ones in the threads, matter. Especially when I am thinking about picking up something I wouldn't normally buy on sight or when it is a subject that might have several competing products available.

As a writer reviews, good and bad, are important because it helps me analyze my work better. If its bad (and legitimate, I see reviews all the time for my work and that of others that were written by someone who obviously missed the point) I can look at it and try and improve the next product (or if its a PDF even try and get the publisher to do a fix if its warrented).

 

[Ceresco]

Caveat Emptor!

I look at reviews & previews. Monte Cook is the rpg guru at working up the fan base into a feverish pitch with previews of his products, especially his Magnum Opus, Ptolus.

I tend to look at reviews of all products I'm about to purchase. I find a few reviewers that consistantly seem to like the same kinds of things I like, and give their reviews more weight in my decision to purchase or not.

I recommend the featured reviewers here on EN World. I have found John Cooper, in particular, to be the most helpful and insightful. I can't imagine why WotC hasn't either

a) hired him to edit all their product before it goes to the printer
b) paid him off to never review another of their products
or
c) had him quietly removed!

I bought Eberron because of the chatter here on EN World.
I bought Ptolus because of the prerelease chatter.
I bought I bought my first XRP product becuase of a review.

 

[Greg K]

I read reviews and look at previews. However, my final judgement is based upon spending an hour or so actually looking through a book at the bookstore or, on less frequent occasions, driving out to the gamestore and thumbing through it there..

Actually, spending time actually examining books myself has saved me from buyer's regret on multiple occassions-most often with WOTC products.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Reviews matter more for me than any other factor outside of the item's content. Even price is a secondary consideration. Reading reviews on ENWorld, RPGnet and even buyer comments on RPGNow are a must.

I really wish the review output on ENWorld was greater than it is. Does anyone know why it's slowed down? Was it the server crash from a few months ago making others gun-shy of putting the work into writing a review?

For me personally...

I'm a little burned out after the Ennies but I intent to 'warm' up again soon.

Then of course my mother went and broke her arm so that takes up all sorts of time.

 

[Alzrius]

I think reviews matter, but considering that link in my sig, I think I'm a bit biased.

 

[BLACKDIRGE]

I voted "Yes", but really it is "Sometimes". It depends on how the product is reviewed, not in number of stars or whatever, but in terms of comprehensibility of the review itself. If the review is badly written, I ignore it. If the review praises a product and compares it to a product I dislike, I know that I assume I will dislike the product.

Scrutiny of reviews, in terms of style and content, is important, not merely vague "buzz" around a product.

I agree with you completely. I can tell you, as a publisher, there's nothing more irritating than a poorly written review, even if it gives your product a 4 or 5 star rating. Now, I'm not talking about fan reviews, but reviews written by staff reviewers who have received a copy of the product for just that purpose. Badly written reviews can confuse the buyer or even misrepresent your product completely.

BD

 

[BLACKDIRGE]

recommend the featured reviewers here on EN World. I have found John Cooper, in particular, to be the most helpful and insightful. I can't imagine why WotC hasn't either

a) hired him to edit all their product before it goes to the printer
b) paid him off to never review another of their products
or
c) had him quietly removed!

Agreed. John Cooper, in my opinion, is the best RPG reviewer in the business. His reviews are insightful, incredibly detailed, and very well written. I also love the fact that he holds publishers accountable for things like stat blocks and poor editing.

BD

 

[jdrakeh]

For me, it largely depends on the established reputation of the reviewer (as a reviewer, mind you). For instance, I know from experience that Crothian (Chris Gath), Dan Davenport, and Justin Bacon maintain a consistently professional output where revies are concerned and, what few small biases do creep through, are easily identified after you examine all of their reviews (each of these guys has written a lot of reviews).

Average Joe or Jane, though, tends to review things based largely (if not entirely) on personal biases -- and if he or she has only written two or three reviews, it's hard for me to tell what his or her personal biases are and, thus, all of his or her reviews are of questionable value (insofar as being impartial and fac5tually accurate).