The PDF Review Project

[catsclaw227]

If you can review some of the PDFs you have bought. And really that goes for everyone, don't just be waiting on something from me take inaitive and review somethiong of your owning gaming self. Reviews of books you've had and read and even used are usually better and are more insightful then what we are doing here.

Last night I posted a review for 101 Arcane Spell Components, a PDF I bought and used regularly. This what I will do from now on. I won't ask or review copies, heck, I can just review the ones I have. (which are many... I am an RPG buying freak.) I prefer to review PDFs, but I might review a few books.

Unfortunately, all this talk makes me nervous to post a review about a product I didn't particularly care for. Reviews should be honest and learned opinions about the quality of a book, regardless of whether it fits into your campaign or not. But how it fit will likely bias your opinion of it. So it's sort of the chicken or the egg conundrum.

not quoting phil exactly, but he said something about the one reviewer who would complain that it would not fit into his campaign or on the other hand someone finds a error in your book, or a misprint of a table and they just trash it all to hell, this is like a chain reaction and the next person trashes it without even giving the pdf book along. Then its not hard to get 3 or 4 of your buddies to trash it along, so what is could be a good product is gone. I'm not going off on catsclaws here, but he is at least honest about bad reviews.

When I let bad reviews bias my purchasing decisions, I make sure I read the good reviews too. I also (mostly) put more weight into the reviews that back their opinions with examples, or are from people firmly established as reviewers. The times I have bought a book or PDF that have gotten bad reviews across the board, I have found that the book really is bad.

I can afford to take a few chances with my purchases, since I have a comfortable wage, but not everyone is like this. But, things were lean for me as recently as last December, so I was VERY particular about my PDF purchases. But I could always count on some publishers to produce useable quality every time.

Catsclaw

 

[catsclaw227]

I'm looking for someone to review Mechamancy. People are wondering how similar it is to Steam & Steel, and it honestly isn't that similar in mechanics. I think a review might show people what is good about it, instead of them focusing on, "Oh, it's not a sequel to Steam & Steel."

Did you get a chance to see my Mechamancy review? I am curious what you thought of it. If you wish, you can send an email to molivia [at] sbcglobal [dot] net

 

[Crothian]

Unfortunately, all this talk makes me nervous to post a review about a product I didn't particularly care for. Reviews should be honest and learned opinions about the quality of a book, regardless of whether it fits into your campaign or not. But how it fit will likely bias your opinion of it. So it's sort of the chicken or the egg conundrum.

In the review then talk about why it didn't work for you. What about your camapign made this book not work. A lot of people unknowlingly run similar campaigns. We all base it off the same starting ground (D&D) so some people might read it and see why it didn't work for you and then know if that would work in their own game based off if the problems you ran into are similar to their own.

One thing I do like to do though I never seem to have the time is review those books I always geta lot of use out of. I have a lot of books, but in the end it seems there area good dozen that I use campaign after campaign after campaign. THose type of books are really useful to let people kjnow about since those are the ones I am really getting use out of.

 

[Crothian]

THis weekend, I'm asking a lot of people to review things on their on gamign shelves. Hopefully, it can generate some reviews of things people have and use and offer a bit of a different ki8nd of review then just getting and reading a book like the past two weeks.

So, I encourage everyone to grab a book and review it!!

 

[Crothian]

And the publishers want to know about you! So, new reviewers if you want to please tell us a little bit about yourself, your gaming experience, your gaming likes and dislikes, and other relavent things.

 

[Vigilance]

Crothian, I have some books from RPGO I am looking to get reviewed.

If you have any reviewers willing and familiar with d20 Modern, Id be happy to provide some links.

Chuck

 

[MavrickWeirdo]

And the publishers want to know about you! So, new reviewers if you want to please tell us a little bit about yourself, your gaming experience, your gaming likes and dislikes, and other relavent things.

I guess I count as a new reviewer. It is because of this Project that I decided to finally write my frst review (I had been on the fence for a while).

So I am 36 years old, male, married, no kids (yet). I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Painting) from Massachusettes College of Art (which helped teach me the difference between taste and quality).

In my opinion the best way to distinguish between taste and quality is to pratice identifing things which you feel are of great quality, which you do not like.

I have been gaming on and off for 20 years (mostly off). I have played AD&D, D&D 3E, D&D 3.5, Earthdawn, Fudge, Gurps, Paranoid, & Shadowrun. I have read a great number of Fantasy and Science Fiction novels (which was much cheaper when I worked for a bookstore.)

My personal preference is heroic fantasy.

 

[Crothian]

Thanks fior doing that, much appriciated.

So, anyone out there want to do some d20 Modern reviews? If you haven't writen a review I'll ask you to post one on something you have, but d20 modern items area little harder to find people for so I'm looking.....

 

[catsclaw227]

And the publishers want to know about you! So, new reviewers if you want to please tell us a little bit about yourself, your gaming experience, your gaming likes and dislikes, and other relavent things.

OK.. here we go. I'm 38yrs old, married, no kids (yet, like MavrickWeirdo). I live in Southern California, college drop-out, but with enormous experience in web application, software and database design. I currently work for a development company in the real estate web app business. I'm an avid fan of fantasy literature, play a guitar and have two cats.

My current game group and I met from these boards, and we've been playing together for about 8 months. I prefer to GM -- been doing that for about 25 years, but I'm also playing in a game GMed by one of the guys in my game.

I've been a lurker here for about 3 years, but since I don't really play any PbP games, my post count is low.

I'm gonna post more reviews of the books and PDFs I already own, to give them some publicity.

I prefer mid-magic fantasy GMing my homebrew, Scarred Lands, FR, Greyhawk, Freeport, and Bluffside, though I've DMed Midnight before and loved it. FR and Eberron are a bit over the top for me, but they are fun to read about and I regularly steal ideas from them (and all campaign worlds, really -- Valus is particularly good.)

Anything else you want to know?

Catsclaw

 

[Greatwyrm]

I've been around here for quite a while, but just put up my first review and I'm working on another now. I'm 28 and I've been gaming for about 15 years. I've been GMing off and on during that time for about 13 years.

At one time or another, I've GMed for: D&D 2e, D&D 3/3.5e, CyberPunk 2.0.2.0., Shadowrun, Dark Conspiracy, Twilight 2000, Mage: The Awakening, a vaguely WoD LARP, Alternity, Paranoia, Spycraft, Talislanta 3e, Warhammer FRP 1e, and a short HERO system PBEM.

I've refereed for tacticians, rules-lawyers (two of which are in or on their way to law school), roleplayers, blatant cheaters, and one guy so cheesey he could fit a whole cup of milk in every character.

I had one gaming article published in Steve Jackson's short-lived online d20 magazine. Nothing earth shattering, but you gotta start somewhere.

I was an official playtester, and ENworld Ambassador, for the somewhat released and soon to be available WWE roleplaying game Know Your Role.

I grew up with an English teacher for a mother, so I'm pretty well versed in good grammar. Unfortunately, I don't always exhibit this knowledge in my own speaking or writing. Maybe it's kinda like how preachers' kids are always getting into trouble.