So why don't reviews work? (as a marketing tool)

[C.W.Richeson]

On the other hand, the only companies I can recall offhand that didn't regularly provide us with material were WotC, White Wolf

Interestingly, I know for a certainty that both of those companies provide review copies.

 

[C.W.Richeson]

First of all it's fairly ridiculous to complain about companies blowing out dead stock in relation to review copies. What you're seeing now is a once in a decade event because a whole lot of back stock is going to be unsellable a year from now. That is not business as usual and it really has nothing to do with whether a company is willing to provide review copies or not.

I think a lot of folk also don't realize that unsold product sitting around in a warehouse or wherever can eat money through taxes, too.

And because they were reading so many books, some of them got overly jaded and their reviews lessened in value.

Thanks for weighing in, Chris! I find your feedback to be particularly valuable. Would you mind taking a moment to say what your company values most in reviews? Is it a positive 'score', a fair but neutral perspective, timliness, or what?

 

[jaerdaph]

Reviews by people I know and trust (not just staff reviewers) have swayed me to purchase products that I was on the fence over. General EN World, RPGNet etc. buzz about a publisher and a product has probably swayed me more though.

Unfortunately, more and more "reviews" today, most notably at RPGNow, are not very helpful and some are even of questionable validity.

 

[RangerWickett]

I would love to get more reviews of the War of the Burning Sky adventures. Particularly because with the drop-off in sales since the 4e announcement, every little bit helps. I want people to know how good these adventures we've put out are.

So hell, would anyone like review copies of the adventures?

 

[Treebore]

One complaint I remember about reviews is that they didn't trust reviewers who never did "bad reviews".

My response to that, since I have done a hand full of reviews as Treebore and Grimaryl Atyar, is that since I was doing it for free, I wasn't going to waste my time talking about something I didn't like. So if I wasn't going to give it 3 stars or better, I sure wasn't going to spend a few hours writing a review about it.

I have also done compensated reviews (2 or 3), and I told them up front I wouldn't write one if I couldn't give them at least a 3 star, and since they were fine with that I also felt comfortable doing it for them because they wanted my honest opinion. Fortunately they ended up being darn good products, so that was good too.


RangerWickett,

I would love to review the series, but I am working on Castle Whiterock right now, and I'll be spending at least another week, likely two, putting that one together.

I got the free copy from the free give away, and if thats a good example, I agree you guys are doing a good job with it. I have also kept up with the map downloads, and those are definitely very good too, so that all means to me, it is a great product like you say.

Like I was hesitant to buy/get Whiterock until Goodman gave away the map booklet and hand out booklet as freebies. That combined with the 25 page preview and comments of various posters, finally gave me the confidence to tell my daughter to go ahead and get it as a Anniversary/Christmas gift for me. Considering she is 16 and buying it with money she earned, I didn't want her "wasting" it on something like that. Fortunately I am very glad to have it, it is indeed standard DCC Goodman goodness. Hopefully I'll feel its superior DCC material once I read through it all.

 

[scourger]

Reviews are very helpful, but the product has to be out for a while to get a few; especially play reviews. I've probably bought more products based on a publisher releasing free content, so I would judge that to be a better marketing tool than review copies. If I were a publisher, I would send review copies to a publication, like Knights of the Dinner Table, or to a web site like this one or GamingReport or RPG.net.

 

[C.W.Richeson]

or GamingReport or RPG.net.

It may be worth considering that GamingReport isn't the wonderful site it once was. I get about 10% or less of the impressions there that I do at RPG.net.

 

[Dragon-Slayer]

While I have read a few reviews, and I don't have anything against those who do review products, I never really find a review to be of particular help or interest to me. Maybe this stems from movie reviews and the disparity between many reviewers and what kinds of movies I like to see, and this carries over into other areas. I would much rather watch the buzz that an rpg product generates from the first wave of consumers and try to thumb through the item myself rather than rely on a review.

That said, if I ever get around to putting out my own rpg, I would hand out review copies, and they would go to the reviewers here over rpg.net because I would want to know what the strengths and weaknesses of my product are to improve it in the future.

 

[Crothian]

Interestingly, I know for a certainty that both of those companies provide review copies.

I always found it odd that while I've gotten items to review from White Wolf I never got anything from Wizards. But then I was never light on things to review that I ever went asking them.

 

[Varianor Abroad]

What you're seeing now is a once in a decade event because a whole lot of back stock is going to be unsellable a year from now. That is not business as usual and it really has nothing to do with whether a company is willing to provide review copies or not.

As opposed to moldering at full price on gamestore shelves, which was the old model. I agree. It's good that they are selling off.

Reviews are very useful to me. Many companies do review copies. Few accept unsolicited reviewers. Some recruit reviewers. Strangely, after doing favorable reviews of a product, I would get other products to review, even if the next review wasn't so favorable.