[request/rant] To all reviewers, amateur and pro...

[Vurt]

There is, of course, a comments section under each review, so Joe User can ask further questions if he's unsure about the content of a review, or post about the product on the main forums. I agree, readers should take some responsibility, by making sure what they read is correct if for some reason they don't trust a reviewer. I'm sure most reviewers would appreciate honest comments and critique on their reviews.

I for one would welcome even partisan comments and highly critical critique. Actually, any kind of feedback would be nice. At least it would imply somebody read the review. As it stands, it currently feels like we're writing into the void, it's hard to tell if there's anyone out there reading them. And for folks who enjoy writing, there's got to be some special layer of the Abyss that does something similar.

Cheers,
Vurt

 

[Psion]

I don't see how you can possibly equate it to "payola" since the time spent writing a review is generally worth far more than the product's price even at a minimum wage job.

Quoted for truth.

Writing a good review is not easy. And a good review speaks for itself. It cites actual content of the product and demonstrates by those citations potential strengths and weaknesses of the product.

You can send people products and hope they rave about them. But simple raves are pretty transparent.

I am not going to rave about a product just because someone sent it to me. I make more in an hour than what I would pay for most products. Writing a review of a product I do not like is NOT enjoyable. Some people seem to enjoy bashing products they like; I don't. However, like Crothian, I do feel a sense of responsibility to review what I am sent. IF someone is sending me product I don't like, I have no motivation to rave about it. That would just make me spend more of my time doing painful reviews.

So those second guessing the motivations of reviewers and guessing that complimentary product equals a free bump in your score, I think your speculation about the motives of reviewers is misguided.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Some interesting points being made.

We're looking into a bios sheet now for the reviews. That's a pretty good idea.

The rest of it seems to be circling around though with a handful of people posting. Not that their opinions aren't important, but if the 10K people find things okay and the six who post here don't, I know who I'm "listening" to so to speak.

 

[pogre]

I never do because that doesn't matter in my reviews.

I thought the ENWorld review guides specifically mentions that reviewers should identify items they received for free? Maybe I'm getting it mixed up with the guide over at RPGnet?

In any case, I do think it is a good idea. A reviewer that paid for an item is going to be more critical of the item's value for his gaming dollar. This is the reason publishers value customer comments at RPGNow and other places more than reviews.

Finally, I think reviewers should make more efforts to playtest the products in some way. It does take more time, but sometimes it can really change your mind about a product. ENWorld Publishing's City Council was an excellent example of this for me. Playtest turned it from a four star to a five star review.

 

[JoeGKushner]

At RPG.net, there's a button you click to indicate if it was a comp copy or not.

Plus another for association with publisher.

The data entry systems are a bit different between RPG.net and En World.

 

[Vurt]

I seem to recall there have been cases of companies hiring people to write good reviews of their products so as to sell more. (Not in the RPG industry that I'm aware of, but consider the exposure that Amazon or eBay can get a company.) Places where reviews get posted have a difficult time checking, and in any case, it's hard to police the internet. But in a medium where anyone can post their view on anything, it's often helpful to have an idea of what biases the writer may or may not have.

And in that light, I think disclosing potential biases at the start of a review is a good thing. It doesn't have to be long, it doesn't have to be entertaining to read. If you have a review "style", it could simply be part of that style. But it's there for those readers who care about such things, and helps assuage them that you're not trying to jerk them around by writing from the perspective as something you're not.

Cheers,
Vurt

 

[Shadowslayer]

Some interesting points being made.

We're looking into a bios sheet now for the reviews. That's a pretty good idea.

Well, that just warms my "not too familiar with ENWorld-not really one of the gang" heart, Joe.

I think its a fabulous idea.

Note to DER KLUGE: If it makes you feel any better, I liked your review of the Wilderlands. You were the one who sold me on it, and my players thank you.

 

[Psychic Warrior]

Some interesting points being made.

We're looking into a bios sheet now for the reviews. That's a pretty good idea.

That is an excellent idea Joe. i hope the gurus at ENWorld go ahead with it. I myself, dispite reading a lot of reviews on ENWorld, rarely respond. I am going to try and remedy that situation (and who knows maybe it'll inspire me to actually write a review or three) I would hate for reviewers to think, even for a moment, that their efforts aren't appreciated and how else can a reviewer improve without some constructive criticism?

 

[MonsterMash]

I agree that one of the problems of being a reviewer is lack of feedback most of the time, personally I do always mention if complimentary copies are recieved - otherwise I hope readers will assume I've paid for it. I try to be upfront about biases, e.g. Wilderlands stuff will tend to have notes about how I am a fan of the setting.

Diaglo's point about other editions/systems does make me think of it as an item to mention now, but my experience of D&D is largely with OD&D or 3e so it makes it harder to comment on conversion except between these two very different editions.

 

[JoeGKushner]

As far as commenting on other versions of the game.

1. Don't play those games anymore. Would any knowledge I have of them still be accurate or valid?

2. Where do you stop? I know many people that play GURPS (Banestorm usually), as well as Fantasy Hero, or Grim Tales, Arcana Evolved, etc... Start talking about how a book's useful for X, the people will want Y, and Z.