The Inside Scoop on Gaming

A good Idea, let the fans write reviews and then let our fans comment. on the Surface I must give the people of RPG net props for a good notion, however there is two problems with this format.

1. Biassed and passionate opinions, It's very easy (and normally what many do!) to review only the products you like after all, unlike a professional reviewer who recieves free or demo copies of the material that they are to review. This changes the dynamic in 2 ways (one the fact that the professionals didn't just pony up $30 for some new rulebook, or suppliment based on adds alone, and two they are supposed to be more unbiassed by thier own judgements) the end result is that most fan reviews fall into one of two catagorie:

"Hey I just got (Insert product here) and it is the most awesome thing I have ever read! I highly recomend it!"

Or...

"Hey I just wasted serious cash on (Insert product here) all I can say is (Insert game producer here) are a bunch of jerks who are trying to rip us off again!"

Are these unbiased views of products, hardly. How many people feel like white wolf has ripped them off, and when if comes to any examples you can think of does it or does it not cloud your judgement of their future products. also how likely is a hard core Cthulu fan honestly going to trash such things as the cthulu for president kit, or fuzzy cthulus, or the new Hard cover edition of the rules. (not that I have anything wrong with cthulu you could easily replace Cthulu with Vampire, or Amber or Legend of the Five Rings, and the sentiment is the same!)

So in short my first point is that the reviews here are usually somewhat biased, whcih isn't a problem assuming that you go into the RPGnet Review Database with this in mind. often times they are fans telling you what they like, or warning you to avoid some product, resons may or may not be explained to the greatest degree (what do you expext it's all fan based after all, no one's getting paid!)

The second point actually comes post review as many fans insensed or insulted by someone or others thoughts on a product/game line/ what have you are wrong starting a Jyhad of flameing questioning the revier's opinion, bias, and in some cases credentials or evolutionary development and the like, expecting that these guys have all of the answers! Sure I there are some reveiws I'd love to give a piece of my mind (and I have on occasion) but there are just as many professional reviewers that I feel that way about (Like the Dragon Magazine reviewer who complained that runequest was too antiquated a system unlike the much more modern 2nd Edition AD&D, just tell me that wasn't a bias!!)

But again the more times someone comes on this board and says something like, say Vampire 3rd edition "Sucks" or "Rules" there are some 30 people all ready to take up arms on either side and turning this into one big pissing contest really no different than Macs VS IBMs, or Playstation VS Sega Dreamcast, he who types the fastest and the most venomously often gets the uper hand WHOOPEE!!

In short it's a nice place to get second opinions before you buy, but watch out for the flame wars!!!

(PS in an effort to curb a huge amoun of flames, I would like to state I am as biased (if not more so) than most reviewers her ,most of my reviews are just as guilty of being pro my favorite products or anti games I hate,)

Style: 2 (Needs Work)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

RPG NET Reviews
Author: Many people Category: web page Company/Publisher: RPG NET Line: NA Cost: FREE Page count: Infinite ISBN: NA SKU: NA Capsule Review by Hida Kasada on 04/29/00. Genre tags: Fantasy Science_fiction Modern_day Historical Horror Far_Future Space Comedy Anime Espionage Conspiracy Post-apocalypse Old_West Vampire Gothic Asian/Far_East Superhero Diceless Generic Live-action	A good Idea, let the fans write reviews and then let our fans comment. on the Surface I must give the people of RPG net props for a good notion, however there is two problems with this format. 1. Biassed and passionate opinions, It's very easy (and normally what many do!) to review only the products you like after all, unlike a professional reviewer who recieves free or demo copies of the material that they are to review. This changes the dynamic in 2 ways (one the fact that the professionals didn't just pony up $30 for some new rulebook, or suppliment based on adds alone, and two they are supposed to be more unbiassed by thier own judgements) the end result is that most fan reviews fall into one of two catagorie: "Hey I just got (Insert product here) and it is the most awesome thing I have ever read! I highly recomend it!" Or... "Hey I just wasted serious cash on (Insert product here) all I can say is (Insert game producer here) are a bunch of jerks who are trying to rip us off again!" Are these unbiased views of products, hardly. How many people feel like white wolf has ripped them off, and when if comes to any examples you can think of does it or does it not cloud your judgement of their future products. also how likely is a hard core Cthulu fan honestly going to trash such things as the cthulu for president kit, or fuzzy cthulus, or the new Hard cover edition of the rules. (not that I have anything wrong with cthulu you could easily replace Cthulu with Vampire, or Amber or Legend of the Five Rings, and the sentiment is the same!) So in short my first point is that the reviews here are usually somewhat biased, whcih isn't a problem assuming that you go into the RPGnet Review Database with this in mind. often times they are fans telling you what they like, or warning you to avoid some product, resons may or may not be explained to the greatest degree (what do you expext it's all fan based after all, no one's getting paid!) The second point actually comes post review as many fans insensed or insulted by someone or others thoughts on a product/game line/ what have you are wrong starting a Jyhad of flameing questioning the revier's opinion, bias, and in some cases credentials or evolutionary development and the like, expecting that these guys have all of the answers! Sure I there are some reveiws I'd love to give a piece of my mind (and I have on occasion) but there are just as many professional reviewers that I feel that way about (Like the Dragon Magazine reviewer who complained that runequest was too antiquated a system unlike the much more modern 2nd Edition AD&D, just tell me that wasn't a bias!!) But again the more times someone comes on this board and says something like, say Vampire 3rd edition "Sucks" or "Rules" there are some 30 people all ready to take up arms on either side and turning this into one big pissing contest really no different than Macs VS IBMs, or Playstation VS Sega Dreamcast, he who types the fastest and the most venomously often gets the uper hand WHOOPEE!! In short it's a nice place to get second opinions before you buy, but watch out for the flame wars!!! (PS in an effort to curb a huge amoun of flames, I would like to state I am as biased (if not more so) than most reviewers her ,most of my reviews are just as guilty of being pro my favorite products or anti games I hate,) Style: 2 (Needs Work) Substance: 4 (Meaty)

RPG NET Reviews