Reviews temporarily on hold.
I'm happy to review rpg products created by other publishers on request. This is limited to:
- Sourcebooks and accessories for existing game lines. While I have experience with many systems, I want to be able to give the best review I can, which means I will only consider requests for systems which I have recent play experience (I wouldn't want to be rusty!) and for which I have a good understanding of what goes on "under the hood". For now, this means:
- D&D Fifth Edition or OGL products largely based on that ruleset.
- Cortex Plus.
- Fate Core.
- Homebrew/Third Party roleplaying games. Yes, they don't count as a system "for which I have recent play experience", but (a) I enjoy reading new RPGs and (b) I don't need existing systems mastery to understand them, as I would for a Pathfinder product (for instance).
Due to my other time commitments I'll accept a maximum of two reviews a month. Once I've agreed to review a given product, the time it will take me to read and review will depend on the amount of material to digest as well as my schedule.
I am an honest reviewer, but I understand how difficult it is to be a third party publisher in this industry. If you're not one of the big fishes in this particular pond I ultimately don't want my review to cause more harm than good. If I feel that would be the case, I will let you know and cancel the review. That doesn't mean the review will be all positives If I decide to go ahead: if I like or dislike a feature of your product I will say so. However, I'll aim to write a balanced review which focuses on positives, not just negatives.
I am an honest reviewer, but I understand how difficult it is to be a third party publisher in this industry. If you're not one of the big fishes in this particular pond I ultimately don't want my review to cause more harm than good. If I feel that would be the case, I will let you know and cancel the review. That doesn't mean the review will be all positives If I decide to go ahead: if I like or dislike a feature of your product I will say so. However, I'll aim to write a balanced review which focuses on positives, not just negatives.
Media Kits
Please note that I will not agree to a review unless a media kit is provided. This is non-negotiable. Deciding what to show off to to best appeal to potential customers is a marketing decision. It's my belief that such decisions should be made by the creator(s), in this case you, not left in the hands of anyone else. Beyond the impact of my review I should have no decision-making power in your marketing strategy, nor do I want that responsibility.It's also the case that making those decisions, extracting page spreads, cropping images, and so on is actually extra work. When I agree to a review I agree to give my time to reading the product and publishing my thoughts, and nothing else.
No images is not an option: images dramatically increase readership. They break up the text and help prevent readers losing interest, and even more critically they have a significant impact on conversions from social media posts linking the review to the review itself. For these reasons it isn't worth my time or yours to review a product without anything to show. But do please bear in mind an image in this context can be a page preview: I'm not demanding that your product have interior art!
I know other reviewers may not be asking for a media kit, but the truth is they should be. I hope this explains why I at least consider a media kit to be absolutely essential. The good news is that if you prepare a kit for me, you can also provide it to other reviewers. Even if they haven't thought to ask for one, I'm sure they will be grateful to receive it.
Include in your kit any art/page previews you most want to show off, and please also include a preview of the cover. Please provide high quality images, which should be large enough for details to pop and text to be legible. I will use as many of the included assets as I can to break up my review. If you want to show off any other forms of media associated with the project, such as a website or video, please ensure it is hosted online and provide me the relevant links. Links to creator social media profiles are also a good idea, that way I can direct future fans right to you!
