CW's Guide to RPG Reviewing

Let's talk about where reviews can ultimately take you. For many reviewers the reviews are the ultimate end point for them already. They're perfectly happy with reviewing interesting games and receiving a few comps for their efforts, and I know that can be a great place to be. Reviewing already involves quite a bit of time and pressure, so adding to that is probably not ideal for many folk. However, for those so interested a reviewing hobby can open up many doors.

First off, as a reviewer you're going to be making a lot of contacts with people in the industry. These people may not be your friends, but as you write more reviews they're likely to be at least generally familiar with your work so long as you're reviewing their products. This is far more common among smaller press operations where a few reviews can be a big deal than some of the larger publishers, but even the larger publishers take note of comped reviewers who consistently deliver on their promises.

These connections can become extremely valuable in two ways, both of which relate to your own game publishing. The most obvious is that the reviewer will have built a nice list of the publishers, editors, artists, and everyone else that would be perfect for the reviewer's own game. I, for example, know exactly who to go to for formatting work if I wanted to publish a game tomorrow. I know the person in question has done great work, and through my dealings with this person I've grown confident that I would receive work that offers an even greater standard of quality than what mere money would provide for. In short, my reviewing has introduced me to someone I trust to get the job done and leave me happy.

What's more, contact with these other authors can prove to be a very valuable resource when it comes time to actually publishing a product. A publisher the reviewer has already established a relationship with, or one who views the reviewer's work favorably, might offer tips or assistance unavailable to an unknown person making contact. I know I can rely on a great many people to assist me with any game I ever desire to publish because of the good will generated through years of reviewing.

Another option is working directly for an existing publisher. As a regular reviewer you have established a body of work that says something about you. It shows initiative to perform a task, a necessary starting quality for any side project. It demonstrates to the company the base quality of writing they can expect, effectively a portfolio of your work before you even start working for one of these companies. Finally, many companies are interested in hiring those who already have a good grasp of setting details and game mechanics, a quality handily demonstrated through comprehensive reviews of the company's products.

Another benefit to reviewing is becoming a staff reviewer with a company or website. These reviewers tend to have access to a large amount of material alongside certain obligations, such as a review every week or month. In the case of some groups this can be perfect, as the reviewer is in a situation where they are not obligated to review any particular RPG and can freely choose from the many PDFs available what they want to review. This solves a problem to be discussed in a later column, that of the lackluster review copy, and it means that the reviewer will always have a much easier time gaining access to the material that interests them. The only downside to this opportunity is that it tends to involve PDFs and not print products.

Other doors may open up that are difficult to predict. Consider, for example, fan awards such as the ENnies awards. I was able to successfully take the good will generated towards me and my reviews and campaign for a spot as a judge for those awards. Similar situations could well emerge in the future, and the community good will you generate through quality reviews can open plenty of doors that otherwise might be closed.

I have one final thought to share, though it is by far the weakest possible advantage to reviewing. If your profession's resume format requires a hobbies section then showcasing the dedication involved in reviewing books certainly can't hurt. It's not something worth adding for everyone, but for those who are otherwise facing “video gaming” and “reading” as hobbies to note it's a fine alternative.

All together there are lots of places reviewing can take you. Contacts open doors for self publishing and working with existing publishers. Online goodwill can make objectives such as working with the ENnies a reality. No matter why you've decided to take up reviewing, reviews are a great way to continue to engage the hobby while also providing a valued service for everyone to enjoy.