Will you buy games based on who the designer is? Or refuse to buy games on that basis? Or do you never even consider the name on the product?
No "instabuy" for me. But certain names with a proven track record are worthy of immediate curiosity. You, Raggi, Zak, Goodman, Curtis, etc.
On occasion, I'll look at a game in the first place because of the author. When deciding on whether I want to run/purchase a game, I take into consideration the content.
If I was on the fence, dislike of an author or company might end up factoring in, but the only time I'm likely to even have a negative opinion is if I've had direct personal experience of poor customer service.
Very little. I can't think of a single case I refused to buy a game becasue of the author. And just because I like ICONS doesn't mean I am going to rush out and by Mutants and Masterminds; they are clearly very different games made for different design goals.
Might make more difference if I did Kickstarters as some authors have a reputation of always deliver on time while others, less so. But I don't like the Kickstarter model so the issue is moot.
I do to a small extent. First, if that designer has created a game or setting I appreciate in the past, I'm certainly paying attention. I don't care about the designer's politics or "reputation" I only care about how that designer's games entertained me or entertained people in the hobby.
Also, as a frequent backer of various Kickstarters, reputation and past performance will seriously weigh my decision. If you're new or unheard of, but demonstrate some intelligent planning (writing is complete, playtest material is available, you have good tiers, you have some teasers for potential stretch goals that aren't going to ruin your delivery...) I can be persuaded to take a chance. Of course, I've been burned a couple times backing "industry veterans" so it's only a subjective measure at best. Although there seems to be a common thread among the failed Kickstarters of "industry veterans", so I feel like I can spot them better now.
I dont consider the name at all
There are designers whose stuff I generally like, and a couple whose stuff I generally don't like. But it's not the major factor in whether I buy a game.
Yes. If I know the designers pulled some dirty stunt or worse, and theres a few in the "or worse" category, then fuck no Im not putting money in their pocket.
Same with board games. If I'd known Robert J. Simpson stole Supremacy from the real designer Id have never bought it.
There are certain companies and certain designers which attract my attention. They get a longer look from me than some random product from a random writer.
Outside of a few extreme cases (whatever his name is the Scandinavian racial purist guy or equivalent level of awfulness), there's few people I wouldn't buy the work of. As for a name drawing me in, well it's very similar to the name on a sci-fi or fantasy novel. I'll walk by, look at the dust jacket blurb, be ambivalent, and then notice and say, "oh, Bradbury. I've had good luck with him," and be that much more likely to actually buy the book. OTOH Bradbury wrote some real dull books too, so sometimes that bites me in the tail. Same with RPG books.
Nope. I base my purchases on the product I'm looking at and not really the name. Same goes for most forms of entertainment.
Quote from: RPGPundit;965461Will you buy games based on who the designer is? Or refuse to buy games on that basis? Or do you never even consider the name on the product?
With the amount of games available online, I sometimes use the author(s) or a company as a shorthand for quality. I'm more much likely to look into something written by Kevin Crawford or put out by New Big Dragon Games than someone whose product wasn't to my taste in the past .
Quote from: RPGPundit;965461Will you buy games based on who the designer is? Or refuse to buy games on that basis? Or do you never even consider the name on the product?
Not in the slightest. I barely even notice the credits. The number of game designers I could name I could count on both hands and half of them are probably dead or no longer in the field. Then again, the last new game I bought was about 4 or 5 years ago, unless you count Dark Albion as a game rather than a reference book or sourcebook.
Past performance will at least get me to pay attention to products. Beyond that, I try to not let it influence me. Rarely, a designer will play the "virtue signaling" card so strong, that they get my attention despite my best efforts to ignore such things. Now that they have my attention, if their signal is offensive to me, then that's probably it for any future purchases. I have a Kantian attitude towards such things--I play by the rules that are implicit in the actions of the other person.
Zero. I don't care who's writing it, as long as it's fun and legible.
Not really... There are a couple of guys I'd be interested in if I hear they have a new project on the horizon.
But generally 'content is king' for me... One reason why I don't chase game designers is that their games tend to be inconsistent. Much like a John Carpenter film.
Basically none. So far, I only play D&D.
OSR stuff very frequently sells to me on the strength of the writer - Dyson Logos, Venger Satanis are a couple I will pay hefty £s to Lulu for their full price print softbacks. I look out to see if Basic Fantasy's JD Neal has put anything else out, and snapped up his Giants expy when it came out in hardcopy.
As far as the publishing houses go, I can't think of any current names that are big draws for me by I will look out for stuff by eg the late great Aaron Allston. Some Paizo staff writers before the 2012-present SJW hysteria I guess would be a draw, James Jacobs say but only for 2011 or earlier.
On the flipside, sure there are names like Bruce Baugh (or Dale 'Slade' Henson BiTD) which I will avoid if I see them on the cover. And being a murderous church-burning Nazi (or an SJW) may make me hesitate to buy your stuff for reasons unconnected to the quality of your product (although SJWs tend to put out RPG crappy product anyway; I suspect Nazism can be deleterious to product quality too but admittedly have no first hand evidence for that).
No, not in the slightest. Companies, yes, concepts, yes; much as I love Star Wars I will never buy another Star Wars d20 product.
But I don't even know who writes most games. Of course I haven't bought anything new in years so it's rather irrelevant. Before I buy I have to be well convinced I like the product. I absolutely will not buy a game I've never played.
Quote from: RPGPundit;965461Will you buy games based on who the designer is? Or refuse to buy games on that basis? Or do you never even consider the name on the product?
I refuse to fund SJWs or socialists that produce RPGs. I also won't buy from an author whose work is just meh. But I will give them another chance if they release something better written later on.
If I hear a name that I associate with folks who noisily insert their politics into games, I won't bother looking. If a game needs that kind of help then its unlikely to stand on its own merits.
There are only exceptional cases where I pay attention to a specific author of an RPG book.
In cases where the author has acted like an entitled jackass toward readers and critics. Or when the author has developed a large reputation for delivering quality books.
If Kevin Crawford of Sine Nomine does a Kickstarter, I will most likely back it.
Otherwise, in general, I just look at the project. Not surprisingly, most authors I like make projects I like.
But as much as I like Kevin Siembieda's writing, I can't get jazzed about Dead Reign. If I run a Palladium modern apocalypse with normal PCs, its going to be Systems Failure because I get everything I like in a zombie game, but with cooler adversaries.
Depends on how much they are charging? Monte Cook, Kenneth Hite, Greg Stolze and Fred Hicks names would automatically have my consideration. They all seem to value their names appropriately as well (i.e. I would pay $50 for a Monte Cook Game, and $25 for a Fred Hicks).
If Chuck Wendig did another RPG, I would buy it in a heartbeat. The books he worked on are a who's who of my favorite RPGs and supplements. Every single one.
Yes, just as I follow authors and directors. Generally the best way to find quality stuff in any medium.
Not at all given I only know of you, Cook, Raggi, Hite and the White Wolf/OP guys by name. I go with what interests me in the end.
Game design these days is often by committee. For adventure modules I think it's a bigger deal.
OTOH, in OSR stuff, very few designers seem to have any sense when making their own OSR games and fewer seem to playtest. So I definitely avoid those that are prone to repeat past mistakes just because they are from the past. (Arrows of Indra largely avoids this, none of the nonsense about hit dice only being d6s and increasing by pips, or attack bonuses for fighters only going up once ever 3 levels, though it does use that single saving throw nonsense which doesn't make sense, as if all character classes react to the same dangers the same). Kevin Crawford is pretty much the only OSR designer who is actually a truly top not designer. Al Krombach did a magnificent job with Warriors of the Red Planet. That's what "White Box" games should be like, keeping the simple stuff but ditching the stupid d6 and pip hit points and stupid attack progressions and yet keeping actual saving throws. The Beyond the Wall designers also did a good job
And in modules, some authors just like to screw players, putting them in contrived situtations with no way out or where the universe can be destroyed on a random role. Others like to try to out do Tomb of Horrors, but do it with stuff like packing it with tough monsters always with maximum hit points. Some have good ideas but have no idea how to stat up monsters or NPCs
I agree about Crawford and BtW. Warriors of the Red Planet has been on my wishlist for a while, I guess I should pull the trigger. The fellow who did the White Hack is a more talented game designer than most pros.
I try to be even-handed. But I have to admit, along with pretty artsy covers, I am a sucker for a good reputation or previous satisfaction. Hey, it's part of the equation, I ain't gonna front. :cool:
None. Well, okay, a couple of exceptions. I've looked into just about every game Simon Washbourne has created (and purchased several of them, as well).
Kevin Crawford is almost an auto-buy for me. His stuff works when actually playing the game, which greatly increases the value of the product.
People like Hite, Stolze, Detwiller will also raise my interest in a product while some other guys will lower my interest in it.
In general, though, I will not reach a decision based on names alone.
Quote from: RPGPundit;965461Will you buy games based on who the designer is? Or refuse to buy games on that basis? Or do you never even consider the name on the product?
I use what I know (if anything) about the designer's previous work to inform what I think it'll be like. But mostly I like detailed simulationist tactical stuff, so that means I'm mostly deciding to avoid most things. ;) I bought
ADOM Lite because I like the designer's computer game, even though I don't really like the mechanics and it's pretty D&D-esque. I bought
Aquelarre and some other things based on what people here wrote about the games, not the designers. The posts like "Celebrity designer X is making the next version of Game I Never Liked" repel me. Unless it were Steve Jackson. ;)
Quote from: RPGPundit;965461Will you buy games based on who the designer is?
Rarely, as I buy games depending on what I am interested in at that time.
If I saw a D100 supplement by Loz Whittaker, Pete Nash or Steve Perrin then I'd probably buy it, as I would expect it to be good.
Quote from: RPGPundit;965461Or refuse to buy games on that basis?
Never.
I have never seen a supplement or RPG set of rules that stank because of the author.
Also, I never, ever, think of the politics or personal history of an author when buying an RPG book. In fact, I rarely know of the backgrounds of the authors, except for a very few well-published cases.
Quote from: RPGPundit;965461Or do you never even consider the name on the product?
If I know the author, or know their material, it might influence me positively, but the subject matter and games system would influence me a lot more.
Quote from: RPGPundit;965461Will you buy games based on who the designer is? Or refuse to buy games on that basis? Or do you never even consider the name on the product?
Sometimes? I know a Palladium/Kevin Siembieda book is gonna be full of inane diatribes but juvenile fun. Pondsmith had a very good rep up until CP 3.0. I'd pay attention if his name was on a project, but I've had to take a "wait and see" attitude due to his recent performance. Steve Jackson's stuff is clever but dry.
That's all off the top of my head. I don't think there's anything I must buy or refuse to buy based on the designer, but it does inform my decisions.
Quote from: Luca;965799Kevin Crawford is almost an auto-buy for me. His stuff works when actually playing the game, which greatly increases the value of the product.
Oh yeah. What I've bought (SWN) has been useful both in itself and as a source of ideas for other RPGs. Highly recommend.
Quote from: RPGPundit;965461Will you buy games based on who the designer is?
Strictly speaking - No. But I will give designers that I like from past experiences a definite look at their stuff.
Quote from: RPGPundit;965461Or refuse to buy games on that basis?
Until very recently - no. But since the whole SJW-thing really took prominence in our little community, and some of the mods at that other site who happened to be game developers, treated me rather shabbily - I take special note to not purchase anything made by them or the companies that *avidly* support those dev's views. Sure I realize they're hired guns etc. and my personal boycott means nothing. But I say fuck them. And I'm fine with them saying the same to me. They've said worse. And my gaming endeavors has suffered precisely *zero-percent* for taking this position.
Quote from: RPGPundit;965461Or do you never even consider the name on the product?
For reasons cited above - I do consider those names. This doesn't mean that for those people that share the views of those I boycott that I won't consider their products. Not at all. In order to get on that tiny list, you have to have said/done something directly to me. And even then, if it's just words, no problem. But you need to take it to some extreme levels of dumbassery to get there.
There's a handful of authors that I know will deliver enough useful content to make it worth buying no matter what.
There's some I know that won't write a game I'll want to play regularly because they don't define roleplaying the same. However some of those are also interesting designers I might buy just to see what they've cooked up this time around.
There's not really anyone I won't buy, period.
The willingness of gamers to cry for their bright shiny despite whatever the designer or company has done is sometimes well past appalling.
Quote from: RPGPundit;965461Or refuse to buy games on that basis?
When they have a bad track record.
Quote from: Omega;965937The willingness of gamers to cry for their bright shiny despite whatever the designer or company has done is sometimes well past appalling.
Who do you suggest be blacklisted?
Quote from: antiochcow;965941When they have a bad track record.
Yeah. For example, any interest I might have had for the Robotech Tactics kickstarter was heavily influenced by my knowledge of Palladium games.