The other week I did a book review here that was less than complimentary. It was a bad book, and I had no qualms about giving it a negative review, except that I may have come across as a bit of an arrogant git, which is a look I'd like to avoid where possible!
While I'm happy to give a bad book a kick, I don't find myself able to be quite so insouciant where games and rules are concerned. It's not a conscious decision, but when it comes to wargaming I just feel uncomfortable giving bad reviews.
Firstly, I have sympathy for the poor rules designer. Secondly, where the hobby endeavours of others are concerned, I generally prefer to be positive rather than negative. Thirdly, there is always the chance that I may be wrong. I may have misread an important rule, been impatient with the game, or have found some other less obvious way to do it an injustice.
I dimly recall having been reasonably scathing on the odd occasion in the past, but these days I would rather just say nothing and quietly put the game or rules set up out of the way.
I guess I'll never make it as a reviewer!
Its your blog, you can right exactly what you want, even if it does mean you're a git! ha ha!
ReplyDeleteHahaha, thanks for the vote of confidence, Ray ;-)
DeleteAaron, a review provides a point of view or perspective from the reviewer. If it is a negative review, no problem as long as it it honestly derived and even handed.
ReplyDeleteA review offers valuable insight to others reading your impressions of the game or rules. Even a negative review can offer a bit of light on the subject. It must have some redeeming feature, right?
Please continue with your reviews and anyone able to use "insouciant" in a blog post has great potential as reviewer in my book!
Hi Jonathan, I certainly mention the things I'm not so sure about in a game / set of rules - it's the games I don't like or the rules that really don't do it for me (ie, the ones I have not much nice to say about!) that I avoid commenting on.
DeleteI'd rather you post a bad review of a wargame. It will save me from wasting money on said wargame. You don't have to be harsh but list both positive and negative qualities and just say whether or not you found the game fun, playable, worth a second shot, etc...
ReplyDeleteKeep up the great work!
Hi Kris - it is in just those ones that are not worth a second shot that I do struggle to talk about! Cheers!
DeleteI see shades of myself in your comments. I too try to keep it positive because so many people do this for love and can barely get by with the little bit they make in $. I can't make it as a reviewer either. ;-)
ReplyDeleteNo worries Monty, you're already a star in all other aspects of the hobby worth mentioning, so I daresay you'll make a great reviewer too when the mood strikes you!
DeleteIt must be something to do with maturing. I find myself much less interested in saying negative things. Having said that, a negative review is not necessarily a bad thing. I think if you can give the reasons that YOU don't like the things you dislike, as opposed to saying they are just bad, then you give useful context that others can use to figure out if they might like the rules.
ReplyDeleteCertainly agree that a bad review is useful in the right context, but I just don't like doing them. I'd rather use the time and energy in posting other things, I think!
DeleteI don't much like writing negative reviews. I did write one, once, and I've never felt very comfortable about it. I prefer to write a good one or none at all! :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's a small hobby...
Best, Simon
Same, Simon. Must be mellowing as old age approaches ;-)
DeleteMany moons ago I was handed a set of wargaming rules to review for the local club. WW2 with each stand (or model) representing a company. Rulebook in 8 ptfont with somequite incoherent bits. I did what I thought was the right thing by contacting the Author to quiz him on some of the problems. A return E-mail arrived attacking me rather than addressing any of the problems. After a bit of back and forth,there was a muted admission that the wrong file had been sent to the printers. Sounded complete rubbish to me and more likely that he had not bothered to think things through very well. The figure scale, terrain scale and gamescale were just completelywrong. I pity the people who purchased a copy as it was unplayable. Review away!
ReplyDeleteHmmm, point taken...
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