Hello!
My initial blog post is to explain the rating system I intend on using for RPG products.
I intend to rate products on three metrics with a rating of 1 to 5 stars on each. The metrics I will use initially are:
➽ Grit: Grit is my rating for how useful the game or supplement appears to be. Games, supplements, and modules which I find to work really well will get higher scores. A module that works as is will be rated higher than one which requires a lot of work from the Referee to be useful. This rating will not be based on the number of rules in the product. A Free-kriesgspiel Revolution (FKR) product with one page of rules will be judged on that one page and won't be compared to whatever new-fangled, three rulebook system is currently in vogue. Conversely, a 400-page rules tome will be rated on the rules tome itself and not compared to a 32-page game. Comparisons might certainly appear but the judging will be apples-to-apples, to the best of my ability.
➽ Vigor: Vigor is my rating for how much longevity the game, supplement, or module will provide. A setting that I find has unlimited potential will rate higher than one which seems like it would work well for a one-shot. A boxed set with 200 pages of text and 20 maps may not be any more useful than a 32-page setting book if the boxed set digs way down into the nitty gritty that will very unlikely to come up in a campaign.
➽ Grace: Grace is how beautiful I find the product. Artwork, layout, and general usability will be judged. A module with tiny and tight text will rate lower than one with a clean layout and lots of breaks to rest the eyeballs. If I rate something that is a Print-on-demand (POD) product, I will try
to separate flaws in the physical product due to printer error from
defects caused by the author. Books that have a usable index and easily determined page numbers will rate higher than a manifesto written on a stenographer's pad while hiding out in a Montana cabin.
I might change my rating system if I think of one better.
Since people are insane, I suppose I should mention that my ratings are 100% subjective. You might very well find that you love something I dislike and you dislike something I love. This is how the world works and there is no need for you to have hurt feelings.
I intend to mostly rate products that are not mainstream or are out-of-print. You probably won't find any reviews of currently in-print D&D products.
I also will endeavor to leave links where a project might be purchased, if it is currently in print.
