I suppose my run of good fortune wouldn't last forever.  In the past year or so, all I've had was good reviews (even winning Diehard Gamefan's game of the year), so it was a matter of time before I got a bad one.

Too bad it's in a big publication like Knights of the Dinner Table.  When I submitted the game to be reviewed, I kept it pretty basic because I didn't want to skew or influence the reviewer.  I only told him what it was about, and that a really important aspect of it was the purpose: to get your rpg fix in when you didn't have space to lug around bags of dice or lots of books.  It literally was a deck of cards, a pencil, and 3 dice that you could all fit in your pocket and play an rpg.

That's the only disagreement I had with the review because the reviewer then proceeded to say how bad it was by comparing it to full sized RPG books.  Of course I don't have rules describing hundreds of scenarios, it's physically impossible to do that with the structure of the game.

But his biggest complaint (that he said was his biggest), was that on the monster cards, there wasn't a description on ecology (behavior, etc).  Again, where exactly are you supposed to put it all and keep a text size that you can still read?

This two disagreements hit home with his sentence: "I don't care if there isn't enough space on the cards to do a better job, this is precisely why we have manuals!"

The reason that part bothered me is because I explicitly said that this is portable game where you don't have to carry around manuals.  I don't mind the bad review so much as I mind the fact that he totally missed the point of the game.

Then of course I also took issue with him complaining about how sparse the rules were, and then proceeded to make complaints about things the rules explicitly spelled out.  Like, "I haven't even the faintest idea how hard a difficulty 5 action might be", which the rules clearly stated, "In order to make a check, roll the d6, add any modifiers for abilities or skills, and get higher than the difficulty number."  I even gave an example scenario.

Or, "There's so much more you can do with cards!  You can shuffle them, pick them at random, arrange them on the table...etc...and yet Compact Heroes does nothing more than use them as a resource."  When I devoted a few paragraphs explaining that you can do exactly what Mr. Desai just said.

There were other complaints, like the maps were too small to show the players where they were positioned at.  Well, duh.  The map cards were for the GM, not the players.  It's not a mini game.

So yeah, if you hate the game, I have no problem because that's your prerogative.  But if you're gonna make complaints, at least read the material given you first because most of them were flat out incorrect.

Oh well, I suppose this is par for the course for being a designer.  Someone once told me, "It's best to have a really good review, or a really bad one.  You don't ever want a mediocre one."  So in that respect, I guess I'm still batting 100%.

I wouldn't worry about it. The reviewer obviously missed the whole point of the game.

Ah man, that happens, and I'm sure it hurts when it does.

Keep your head held high though. Apparently some people figured out what to do with Compact Heroes so you shouldn't beat yourself over it. Somebody's having fun with it somewhere.

I wouldn't worry about it. Yes it is a big publication, but it is still just one reviewer's opinion.

Contact them, and ask for the opportunity to respond, respectfully.

If it is any consolation I just read the review. They are supposed to review Horror Show or Servants of Gaius (i believe) and based on your review, I have a feeling ours might be in for an axe grinding as well. I could be wrong, but my gut is telling me its likely.

No one likes bad reviews but developing a thick skin will help in the long run. The trick is to know when to pay attention to the criticism and when to ignore it. Not all bad reviews are equal. A good bad review can reveal areas to improve on, a bad bad review just makes you second guess yourself.

I should have known I was in trouble when he compared it to a game that did it right (4e)  

Seeing as how I designed it around the AD&D model, as you can tell from how the maps were designed:



I guess this is a case of someone totally not the target demographic doing the review.  I mean of course it has to be simple, an entire character sheet has to fit on one card:

Quote from: BedrockBrendan;546276If it is any consolation I just read the review. They are supposed to review Horror Show or Servants of Gaius (i believe) and based on your review, I have a feeling ours might be in for an axe grinding as well. I could be wrong, but my gut is telling me its likely.

No one likes bad reviews but developing a thick skin will help in the long run. The trick is to know when to pay attention to the criticism and when to ignore it. Not all bad reviews are equal. A good bad review can reveal areas to improve on, a bad bad review just makes you second guess yourself.

True, and I'm not saying that all of his complaints weren't without merit.  There were some legitimate things there I can take away.  Just that some of them were objectively incorrect.

Oh well.  Such is life.  I'll just have to move on from here.

Sorry about it and all that, but the way the thread is going it's starting to look like self-promotion to me.

Which is fine, of course, but might belong in another sub-forum. Just sayin'

Quote from: Black Vulmea;546271Contact them, and ask for the opportunity to respond, respectfully.

Unless there are major factual errors in the review, I would be hesitant to do this. I have never really seen a review response improve things (best case scenario you clarify some rules, worst case you look like someone who can't handle a bad review (think kevin smith and twitter). I say if you really wantvsome insight contact the reviewer directly (for example if you are unclear on any of his criticisms). At least now you know what his disikes are and if you can submit things in future you think he is more likley to enjoy.

Keep in mind a review is just someone's opinion. He is entitled to his opinion, and when you send material for review you do so knowinng it could get slammed. If you simply dont like the reviewers style (maybe you can handle a bad review just fine, but this reviewer's approach bothers you for some reason) then just don't send more material to him.

That does suck, though. I've made mistakes in reviews - it's impossible not to sometimes...but I don't think I've ever completely missed the point of something, and I'm quick to make corrections when they come to my attention (though that's easier to do on a blog than in a magazine).

Quote from: Sacrosanct;546279True, and I'm not saying that all of his complaints weren't without merit.  There were some legitimate things there I can take away.  Just that some of them were objectively incorrect.

Oh well.  Such is life.  I'll just have to move on from here.

This happens. If the mistakes are big enough by all means contact the reviewer, because he will probably be happy to post any corrections on his web page or in a forum (maybe even in the next issue of kotdt). My experience is reviewers are usually happy to do this.

Quote from: One Horse Town;546280Sorry about it and all that, but the way the thread is going it's starting to look like self-promotion to me.

Which is fine, of course, but might belong in another sub-forum. Just sayin'

Apologies, and not my intent.  More of a vent/rant.  Please feel free to delete or move anything you find objectionable.

Quote from: BedrockBrendan;546282Unless there are major factual errors in the review, I would be hesitant to do this. I have never really seen a review response improve things (best case scenario you clarify some rules, worst case you look like someone who can't handle a bad review (think kevin smith and twitter). I say if you really wantvsome insight contact the reviewer directly (for example if you are unclear on any of his criticisms). At least now you know what his disikes are and if you can submit things in future you think he is more likley to enjoy.

Keep in mind a review is just someone's opinion. He is entitled to his opinion, and when you send material for review you do so knowinng it could get slammed. If you simply dont like the reviewers style (maybe you can handle a bad review just fine, but this reviewer's approach bothers you for some reason) then just don't send more material to him.

I'm not going to ask for a correction.  I knew the risks.  I need to take it like an adult and just move forward.

Quote from: Sacrosanct;546285Apologies, and not my intent.  More of a vent/rant.  Please feel free to delete or move anything you find objectionable.

No need. Just seemed a bit of an odd thread for the main forum.

A bit like Pundit's Arrows of Indra now has a publisher thread - not sure why that's here either.