Do reviews matter?

[Arnwyn]

I have found John Cooper, in particular, to be the most helpful and insightful. I can't imagine why WotC hasn't either

I do not.

While I agree that he is excellent (daresay, the best I've seen) when it comes to mechanics, his reviews are nigh-useless when it comes to any non-rules heavy books.

Why WotC keep insisting on sending him FR books is beyond me, because his reviews of them generally turn out to be less than helpful (as, for non-rules material, he most often either doesn't like it, barely notes their existence, or outright ignores it).


But in any case - reviews are yet another tool I use to determine if a book is for me or not. A review has never caused me to purchase a book, but they have kept me a safe distance away from a great many.

 

[diaglo]

I rely heavily on reviews for my RPG purchases.

For the first year or so of 3e, I was buying a lot on hype, and getting books they day they were released. Song & Silence cured me of that. Now I buy almost nothing until it has been out for months and I've seen reviews and/or read a good bit on EN World.

you can always look at my stuff.

i buy it whether i use it or not. most of it... not.

 

[the Jester]

Well, I voted yes. However, I don't actively read reviews- it's the buzz that affects my buying patterns. I have ordered a number of third party products based on people talking them up, including Tournaments, Fairs & Tavers, Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe, the Monsternomicon, and some more. Haven't regretted any of 'em, I'm happy to say! Carefully listening to what others say about products- especially if they have similar likes & dislikes to mine- is a great way for me to decide whether I'll get something sight unseen.

Now, WotC books and stuff I'm more likely to look at in stores- cuz they'll be there. I think that good reviews prolly help the little publishers more than anything with me.

 

[TroyXavier]

I voted no but sometimes is more accurate. For something like a WOTC book, it won't influence me. For a smaller company I might read some reviews first.

 

[kikai]

Reviews influence me in both ways - I use them as guidelines what to buy and what to avoid, even if I was strongly interested in one product before I read the review. If the review is rating is as poor, it drops in my "what-to-buy" list. There is so many interesting stuff available that I have to priorize some products, and the reviews (and discussion here at ENWorld) guide me.

Regards,

kikai

 

[Voadam]

I'm often considering whether or not to get specific pdfs. There are often four or five books available for any topic I'm interested in (Magic, monsters, demonology, gods, campaign settings, classes, adventures for specific levels, etc.) and I often check on reviews to get more of a feel of things I am considering picking up.

Interest in topic, price, depth of coverage estimated by page length, whether it seems to match what I want based on description and reviews, format. These are generally the factors I use in making rpg purchase decisions. Reviews of the content are one factor I consider.

 

[EyeontheMountain]

Mostly yes, but a bit of no.

I read reviews, and previews of products, mostly on the WOTC pages first, and then on other sites like this one. Some things I know i will buy so there is no need to read review, but many more 70% or so, depends on the review, posts on this board, or other commentary I get via email or such.

So basically reviews account for most of my buying these days.

 

[Yair]

Yes. I read reviews before buying things, especially big things.

I've written a few, but really it takes out too much time for me to do more. Well, I did a few more but over at RPG.net (which I think better fits their crowd).

This thread asks about our personal choices, but I wonder how much influence is felt by publishers. I know Monte Cook's recommendation of one product sent sales high once upon a time, but that's different. Do good reviews increase sales? Do bad reviews increase sales? I suspect good and sometimes even bad reviews increase sales but mainly for larger products, not affecting cheap products that much, and that even a bad review can pump up sales, especially for products that have out there for a long while (so are missing the buzz).

 

[Aus_Snow]

By the gods, aye!

Arrr.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

I do not.

While I agree that he is excellent (daresay, the best I've seen) when it comes to mechanics, his reviews are nigh-useless when it comes to any non-rules heavy books.

Why WotC keep insisting on sending him FR books is beyond me, because his reviews of them generally turn out to be less than helpful (as, for non-rules material, he most often either doesn't like it, barely notes their existence, or outright ignores it).

I agree with this assessment. Like Arnwyn, I'm not disparaging him. He ferrets out rules gaffes like nobody's business. I think WotC should pay him to compile errata for their products, or help out with the editing of their game products. But he seems relatively unconcerned with anything besides crunch. That's not a knock on him, don't get me wrong, because what he does is a valuable service in and of itself. It's just not what I'm looking for in a review.

Psion and Teflon Billy have written some of the reviews I feel get right to what I'm wanting to know about a book. It's a combination of concepts, fluff, and crunch, as well as a general "feel" of the game or supplement.

I look for reviews for just about anything I want to buy.