Encouraging folks to do more reviews

[Master of the Game]

It's kind of funny... I've been a member here for well over two years, and have written roughly half of my threads in the last month I'm a lurker tried and true.

But I have resolved to give back, and one of the first things that popped into my mind was to start reviewing.

I'm glad this thread came up, as it has firmed my resolve. If anyone has something they want to be reviewed, send me an email, and if I have the product I'll be glad to review it here.

Unfortunately I don't own either Chainmail Biknis or Lyceian Arcana, but I will be sure to look for them the next time I go PDF crazy

Edit: Late night and no spellchecker is a bad combo

 

[Li Shenron]

Do you have any suggestions? Does anyone feel a hankering to go out and do some reviews?

I really enjoy writing reviews, it is for me both a way to share what I like with the others and a way to think & ponder about why I like/dislike that myself. I've written a few reviews about music records and movies on friends' websites, but to write a review about a RPG book is 10 times as difficult for me...

First of all I only want to review a book which I know well. I have strong opinions also on books which I don't own myself, books we have used in games or I have anyway read, but I know I wouldn't be completely qualified to review a book I haven't at least _read_ from first to last page. And still I tend to want to review first those books of mine which I have read over and over. It's very different with e.g. a movie, which you can just watch once and you already have an opinion... with a RPG book you can't have a meaningful opinion unless you focus a while on what you have read; not to mention that it would be absolutely great to review books that you have actually _played_ and not just read.

I suppose other people have the same problems and that is perhaps one reason why there "not enough" reviews... but I have no suggestion about how to improve that.

If it was possible (but it is not) it could be interesting if reviews were written by randomly chosen reviewers. The could be a mechanism where e.g. 10 randomly-selected ENWorlders were given the "rights" to write a review about a certain book: obviously they should know the book, so eventually there should be a phase when ENWers "apply" for the rights to write a review, and as soon as there are many applications, 10 are randomly selected. This way, there would also be a more balanced set of reviews of a product (some good, some bad).

 

[S'mon]

part of it i believe stems from a tiff over biased reviews for freebies received.

I'm generally against the sending of complimentary copies to reviewers, unless they're professional magazine reviewers paid to do it. I want to read reviews by people who paid their own hard-owned money to get the product and are reviewing it in that light. I value those 'fan reviews' more than comp-copy reviews. I also think such reviews should not be deleted just because they're judged not to come up to some standard re length, (un)bias or literary merit.

 

[diaglo]

So, becauise you are unhappy with two reviewers you don't want to do more reviews? I can't help you with that.

no. i don't want to put that much time and effort into a review, if they (not you) are going to remove it.

i understand you can't help me with that.

the only thing i can do is have patience and wait for those 2 to eventually not have a hand in moderating the reviews.

 

[Master of the Game]

I personally don't think that there is anything wrong with comp copies, but at the same time, I do believe a reviewer should meantion that he recieved the copies from the publishers. This way, those who don't lend as much weight to reviews of free copies can take it with a grain of salt.

 

[Jupp]

Question: Why doesnt ENWorld set up something like a reviewers database? People that would be willing to do reviews can fill out a little questionaire like:

I would like to review the following system:

( )D20M
( )D20
( )OGL
( )D&D 3E
( )Older D&D systems
( )Systems outside of D20/OGL

I would like to review:

( )Adventure modules
( )Setting sourcebooks
( )Accessories
( )Class specific books

I would like to review the following styles:

( ) High fantasy
( ) Sci-Fi
( ) Horror
( ) Low/No Magic
( ) Present Day systems

Their answers then are put into their profiles in the reviewers database and are visible to everyone that would like to have its product reviewed. The profile would also contain all the reviews someone has done so far so one can see the "history" of that reviewer.

Likewise the publishers could have a similar profile where they can enter products that would be up for a review. Like that the system would work two-ways. The reviewer could pick a publishers product and vice versa.

Should I be totally off the path with all this please ignore me and move on

 

[Steverooo]

encourage sites to maintain the reviews. i know the ones i wrote were removed.

don't give freebies to reviewers. it adds the element of bias.

...OR, on the gripping hand, give free copies of what you want reviewed to people, with no strings attached, EXCEPT that they review it... Methinks that THAT will get you more reviews than anything... and as for bias, don't game companies do it, all the time? (I surely thought that they did!)

Even if you can't afford to give away copies, you can probably get the publisher to do that. Start a "Free Products for Your Reviews!" Network. If you build it, they will come...

 

[Umbran]

As a couple of others have noted, time is a really big issue here. A good review takes time and effort, and it is hard to fit that into a modern schedule. I personally wouldn't like to to a review without a playtest, and it is hard enough to get my group together for normal games that putting together extra playtest sessions often isn't feasible.

For myself, on top of that, there's the simple fact that I don't buy many new products these days, because I simply don't have the budget. And I already feel darn guilty about the one comp product I was given to review - it took so long for me to playtest and then write, that it seemed pretty much pointless to post the darned thing.

Given those constraints, I'd expect anyone who doesn't make a regular habit of writing reviews to need to have a passion for a particular product (either positive or negative) before they'd write. And I don't know if that's the basis for a well-considered review...

 

[woodelf]

Yeah, there are lots of mini-reviews at RPGNow, but few are in depth to the level we like at EN World.

As for me writing reviews, I thought it was not professionally appropriate for a publisher to review a competitor's product.

Yeah, but you can constrain "competitor" somewhat narrowly, and still be ethical. So, if you wrote Elements of Magic [i can't keep screen names and real names straight, and don't feel like looking up to confirm right now], don't write a review of someone else's new magic system--maybe even steer clear of things like new spell compilations. But a review of, say, Unorthodox Bards, would be just fine. Unless you're about to write a now bards book. Etc.

And i don't think it's necessary to avoid every topic you might, someday write about--just ones you've written, are working on, or know you're about to work on.

 

[Arnwyn]

So, becauise you are unhappy with two reviewers you don't want to do more reviews? I can't help you with that.

To be perfectly honest, Crothian, I don't think you can help with any of the reasons given in this thread...