What about a reviewer do you want to know?

[Arnwyn]

I want to know what the reviewer's critera for giving 5 stars (or whatever the top mark might be) are.

Yeah, that is a good idea. I'd hope also for the criteria for giving 1 star.

Then again, I'd rather reviews for RPG products drop the "star" system entirely, or at the very least bury it within the text, so people have to read the whole review. Just glancing at stars can be very misleadin g.

I also agree with this, too.

I hate it when people have nothing but positive comments for a book, but still refuse to give it a top mark because it doesn't match some Platonic ideal.

But this I don't care about.

 

[Psion]

I want to know what the reviewer's critera for giving 5 stars (or whatever the top mark might be) are. I hate it when people have nothing but positive comments for a book, but still refuse to give it a top mark because it doesn't match some Platonic ideal.

Then again, I'd rather reviews for RPG products drop the "star" system entirely, or at the very least bury it within the text, so people have to read the whole review. Just glancing at stars can be very misleadin g.

I hate assigning a product scores. I can tell you a lot about whether a product will be good for a number of readers by pointing out things that might be important to them.

But boiling down a product to a single score is the most subjective measure of a review there is, because I have to boil down everything according to a uniform criteria that may or may not reflect that of the reader.

 

[jdrakeh]

What Are Your Preferred RPGs
What Are Your Disliked RPGs

Those to things are very important (to me, anyhow). Knowing what kind of products that a reviewer is attracted to and/or repelled by gives me an idea of how how worthwhile their reviews are. For example, if I see a that a reviewer likes bog-standard fantasy settings, and then read a scathing review of theirs that outright pans an otherwise well-liked, but non-standard setting (e.g., Agone), I have a pretty good idea of why that review is scathing.

That will help understand the reviewer's point of view and bias, if any.

Exactly.

 

[smilinggm]

Are you a member of the RPGA
What is your opinion of the RPGA
Are you a member of a Gaming Club
Have you DM'd or judged at a major con
What is your favorite campaing setting
What is your least favorite campaing setting
Why did you choose to become a reviewer
Are you published

 

[Teflon Billy]

Are you a member of the RPGA

Not any longer

What is your opinion of the RPGA

The majority of my experience with the RPGA has been negative. Particularly Living Force

Are you a member of a Gaming Club

Wargaming? Yes. RPG's no, not officially, but upwards of 90 people have joined and left my various gaming groups over the last 12-13 years.

Have you DM'd or judged at a major con

Yes

What is your favorite campaing setting

Freedom City/ Hyborian Age (tie for 1st)

What is your least favorite campaing setting

Wraith: the Oblivion

Why did you choose to become a reviewer

Have an inflated sense of the value of my opinion

Are you published

Yes, but it sucked.

 

[Crothian]

Are you a member of the RPGA: Yes

What is your opinion of the RPGA: Not positive, but through beign a part of it I learned it wasn't for me

Are you a member of a Gaming Club: Not anymore

Have you DM'd or judged at a major con: Multiple times

What is your favorite campaing setting: My own, but if you want published it is Thieves World

What is your least favorite campaing setting: Hollow World

Why did you choose to become a reviewer: I was curious if I could do it

Are you published: Nope

 

[Aus_Snow]

Here's a list, conjured on-the-spot:

Is it a playtest review, a review based on a complete reading, or something else? What else?
Do you know any of the people involved in the production of the book (or other product)? If so, in what context?
Are you, or have you been involved in the RPG industry at all? If so, in what way?
Is the review in question of a product you received a free copy of, or one you bought? If it's a free copy, why is that so?
How many RPG reviews have you done? Of what? Where can these reviews be found?
Have you done any other types of reviews? If so, what and where?
Do you play, GM, or both?
What systems do you play and/or GM?
How long have you been a regular roleplayer?
How often do you roleplay with each system/campaign type/group?
What playing/GMing styles do you and your co-roleplayers generally adopt/prefer?
Does 'fluff' or 'crunch' interest you more? Why?
Do you have a favourite RPG company? A least favourite?
What is your favourite RPG system? Your least favourite?
What is your favourite RPG campaign setting? Your least favourite?
What is your favourite RPG supplement? Your least favourite?



There are probably others that are highly relevant, but these would do nicely I think. Some of them would obviously have to be answered in each review; others could be kept 'on record' elsewhere.

 

[CarlZog]

In addition to years spent gaming, I'd like to see reviewers' ages included in the bios.

 

[Psion]

As long as some of my fellows are providing some instant feedback.

• Gaming years - 25.
• What Are Your Preferred RPGs - D&D 3.x. Traveller (T20 or Mega, please). Hero. Spycraft. D20 Modern. I like nice robust rules systems that support you, but aren't too bossy.
• What Are Your Disliked RPGs - I am not onboard with the rules-light phenomenon, to include any game that has "roll your own skills" outside of a few isolated categories. I also prefer some sort of structure to chargen, and find freeform point assignment more trouble than its worth (though I like HERO, I find the neutering of the package deals a step backwards.)
• What do you prefer about Role-Playing - Roleplaying, cool fights, cool scenes, creating things
• What don't you like about Role-Playing - Rules-lawyering, those who pursue the rules as a goal not a facilitation.
• Do you currently DM? What? - D&D 3.5, Spycraft, T20
• Do you currently Play? What? - nWoD
• Are you more a DM or a Player at game tables, usually? DM
• Favorite Color - Basic Black. Yes, I own some black t-shirts.
• How many reviews/where? - Check on link at left for reviews here. I also have like 80 reviews on RPGnet and a handful on the defunct d20 weekly (which is not part of the Pyramid archives).

 

[Li Shenron]

While it would be nice to read a quick self-description of the reviewer, I don't think I would actually have much use of that, after all. I've read hundreds of reviews here, and I usually know what is the approach of the most active reviewers, but when a review is well-written you get enough info from the review itself.

The point is that even if I know that reviewer XYZ shares similar ideas with me, at the end I count more on the "aggregate" result of all reviews for the same book.