Do you like it when an writer tells you in their book their ideas are cool?

[John Cooper]

Mongoose's Encyclopaedia Arcane line always devoted the last page to a "behind the scenes" section by the author, explaining why he chose the topic or worked out the spell system like he did or whatever. E.N. Publishing's Critters series also has a section after each monster's writeup explaining the reasoning behind designing the monster like they did, and Behemoth3's monster books do likewise. While they're not often of the "this is so cool!" style, they do offer a glimpse of why the choices made were made that way, and I always enjoy reading about the thoughts behind the design process.

So yeah, I guess I kind of like it, although for me the "this is so cool!" style isn't the exciting bit.

 

[Crothian]

Mongoose's Encyclopaedia Arcane line always devoted the last page to a "behind the scenes" section by the author, explaining why he chose the topic or worked out the spell system like he did or whatever. E.N. Publishing's Critters series also has a section after each monster's writeup explaining the reasoning behind designing the monster like they did, and Behemoth3's monster books do likewise. While they're not often of the "this is so cool!" style, they do offer a glimpse of why the choices made were made that way, and I always enjoy reading about the thoughts behind the design process.

So yeah, I guess I kind of like it, although for me the "this is so cool!" style isn't the exciting bit.

I agree. I really like the behind the scenes part of books, but in one I just read there is a blantant "I wrote this becasue it was so cool when I wrote a little about it in a different book". It makes me roll my eyes and groan when I'm being told what is cool. Something that is cool, doesn't need to be labeled as such.

 

[d20Dwarf]

Screw you, Crothian! Midnight *is* cool and the instant messages aren't going to stop until you admit it!!!!!

 

[Arbiter of Wyrms]

Author X,
I don't care why YOU think it's cool (or coll, for that matter ).

I want to know what makes you think that I'LL think it's cool.


More often than not, this is what I find, and some books need it more than others:
Monsters: The Bestiary can probably get by without any intro at all. I know what it's for. It has monsters that the author thought would work in my game, though he or she has never played in my game. I run the monsters. Players play PC. PC's are narrowly victorious and nobody guffaws at the dumb monsters. I'm happy.

Dampwood!: The d20 Guide to Non-monstrous Wood-Destroying Organisms and their Effects on the Souviner/Toursims Industries of Halfings, Gnomes and Elves of the Lower Flaness had better have one heck of an introduction (and nice cover art to boot) before I'll even consider thumbing through it.

 

[Crothian]

Screw you, Crothian! Midnight *is* cool and the instant messages aren't going to stop until you admit it!!!!!

Funny Wil. Actually I haven't read through Midnight Second Ed or Fury of Shadow yet.

 

[haiiro]

Sure, I don't mind it -- and sometimes it can be fun. I do like knowing what the author was thinking when they wrote the book, so I always read introductions, forewords and afterwords.

That said, if the book is full of typos and it's poorly-executed overall, saying how cool the ideas are in the intro really ticks me off. If it's so darned cool, why didn't you write a better book?

 

[trancejeremy]

What's even worse is when the designer's mother says it's cool...

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Mongoose's Encyclopaedia Arcane line always devoted the last page to a "behind the scenes" section by the author, explaining why he chose the topic or worked out the spell system like he did or whatever. E.N. Publishing's Critters series also has a section after each monster's writeup explaining the reasoning behind designing the monster like they did, and Behemoth3's monster books do likewise. While they're not often of the "this is so cool!" style, they do offer a glimpse of why the choices made were made that way, and I always enjoy reading about the thoughts behind the design process.

So yeah, I guess I kind of like it, although for me the "this is so cool!" style isn't the exciting bit.

Agreed, and somehow it bothers me less when it is at the end of a book rather than the beginning. Possibly because he is explaining why he wrote it rather than trying to get you to buy it.

Though I seem to recall a Paranoia adventure that mocked both...

The Auld Grump

 

[Goblyn]

I just about voted "Could not cae less" but after considering it, I like it. Not because of anything that has to do with the author so much, but because of what my thoughts do in reacion to the sentence "I devoted a whole book to this topic because it's just so cool".

Usually I'va a vague idea of what a book is about, and it is an idea that appeals to me otherwise I wouldn't have the book let alone bother reading the introduction. Since the author says it's cool enough to explore in detail, I automatically start to imagine all the different possible permutations and implications of the original idea and that's exciting to me; or, at the very least, interesting. Granted, I'll do that anyway with any RPG book with a cool idea but with such a sentiment, I can also expect a passionate presentation.

That's why I like it, but am not too concerned about it.

 

[VirgilCaine]

If the book is good, that's great! If it's not good, that's bad.