TTRPG Reviews - RPG Philosophy

[@SSkorkowsky]

Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code SETHSKOR at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: incogni.com/sethskor

[@amfdfireinside]

I love your channel and want to support you. But incogni and all those data removal services are pretty much a scam or useless. It’s an ongoing subscription and if you ever cancel then brokers can add your information back afterwards so it’s not permanent. And the way that incogni works is that they also send your information to different brokers to “see if they have your information “which just gives your information away. This is a many people to get more spam as a result. Please don’t partner with them. I know there has to be a better more fitting sponsor for you man.

[@B.-T.]

That promo code makes me crave a delicious choclolate toffee bar.

[@--enyo--]

Are these worth it?

[@--enyo--]

‘Our Brilliant Ruin’ is investigative horror and has an absolutely beautiful PDF of the full core rules book available free on DriveThruRPG. Just saying. * waits five years *

[@--enyo--]

@@amfdfireinsideThanks for the information.

[@FuriousJorge]

My favorite kind of review is where my GM gets a new game, we play it for a year, and then he makes a series of videos about our gameplay, in costume, highlighting our heroic feats but more often blunders.

[@SSkorkowsky]

One day you'll admit you chose to play an Aslan solely because you knew I was going to have to wear that dumb mask.

[@OrcusDorkus]

@@SSkorkowskyIs that what it takes? Jorge, we need to do a Zoom and talk. I have some ideas for your next character. 😉

[@SSkorkowsky]

Don't listen to a damn thing he says, Jorge!

[@PookieUK]

@FuriousJorge, don't listen to your gaming husband​@@SSkorkowsky! If necessary, we will *all* pitch with ideas.​

[@SSkorkowsky]

Don't listen to Pookie, either!

[@SandyofCthulhu]

Can confirm. I gave Seth a copy of Sandy Petersen's Cthulhu Mythos for 5e, and I backed it up by trying to leverage my personal friendship with Seth to get said review. He refused to review it because he doesn't ever play D&D 5e and said he would have to run a game to evaluate it. So too bad for me, but kudos to Seth for sticking to his guns.

[@BudsRPGreview]

You don't count Sandy!

[@GigidyGigidy234]

Seth, as a DM that doesn't get to play or run much, I want you to know your honesty and care in your reviews keep me going. Jack's (and by extension, your player's) hijinks in new videos are the highlight of my day. I put on your RPG reviews in the background when I don't know what to put on. You got me back into Cyberpunk. Never change!

[@ryancampbell2192]

But the real question I always want answered..."What does Dweebles think?"

[@Crested_Hadrosaur]

Finally someone asking the important questions

[@jonothanthrace1530]

I still have my WDDT shirt.

[@dutch6857]

After seeing some of Dweebles' escapades I don't know if I want to know. I would be afraid that he would be thinking "Kill them all, let God sort them out"

[@theq6797]

what i want to know is where's the caveman

[@ryancampbell2192]

@@jonothanthrace1530 🤣🤣🤣

[@JasonV_DM]

100% agree. How a game FEELS is absolutely everything. I started GMing 36 years ago. The "experience" = knowing is just not true. It's snake oil to profs otherwise. Experience = opinion = probable sure. But an RPG book is a guide to an experience. Seeing players respond to the session zero for Tales from the Loop is an experience you can't gain from reading. A review without playing- its not a roleplaying review. It's video book club type content. I hope this video lifts standards.

[@SymmetricalDocking]

Run any indie RPG then go browse its reviews online and you'll have trouble finding even a single soul who truly played it first instead of read and review. The darkest secret knowledge is that this pattern carries for big-name RPG reviews too.

[@SquirrelGamez]

Amen

[@projab]

it really depends on the reviewer, there are plenty of "reading reviews" where they do critique the layout and information design from a "how would this work at the table" viewpoint

[@yurisei6732]

But when you play, 90% of the experience, in 90% of systems, is your table, and thus irrelevant to anyone else, and fun you'd have regardless of system. Any system actually worth reviewing is one you can get a pretty good estimation of from a read through.

[@natbarmore]

I’ve been playing and designing RPGs even longer than Seth, and I’m conflicted about this. On the one hand, while a playtest review will always be superior to a read-through review, I also find that _some_ experienced gamers-especially game designers-can do an exceptionally accurate assessment of most RPGs without bringing them to the table. At best, they can provide about 95% of the assessment, and therefore 95% of the value as a review, as if they’d actually played it. And in many cases, that last 5% would get missed in the play-through anyway, or would be overshadowed by differences in playstyle or taste. But the more different the game is from their at-table experiences, the more likely they’ll completely miss or misunderstand something. So even for people that I generally trust to give an accurate-enough review without playing the game, that trust is highly dependent on the specific game. Also, I should clarify that I’m talking specifically about games and rules supplements, where things like being able to read, understand, and reference the rules, and the math of the rules, and the quality of the setting, dominate what there is to review. I _don’t_ think the same rubric applies to scenarios/adventures. With scenarios, I _do_ think that playing it is necessary to review it well.

[@jasonGamesMaster]

I see Seth I click Seth.

[@quarkinjapan]

This is the way.

[@MauroDraco]

2 This is the way.

[@amfdfireinside]

I love your channel and want to support you. But incogni and all those data removal services are pretty much a scam or useless. It’s an ongoing subscription and if you ever cancel then brokers can add your information back afterwards so it’s not permanent. And the way that incogni works is that they also send your information to different brokers to “see if they have your information “which just gives your information away. This is a many people to get more spam as a result.

[@derpmcgerp5968]

@@MauroDraco 3 This is the way.

[@natalielyric2950]

I've always enjoyed how you review RPGs, discussing the good, the bad, and the changes you made to it during your time with it. It basically gives me the bullet points of any given adventure and helps me decide what I might need to change if I were to run it.

[@SSkorkowsky]

A common misconception is that all my modification suggestions were things I thought of before I ran it. Not true at all. Half, if not most of those suggestions came from playing it and have the, "To avoid the problem I encountered during the game" label.

[@almitrahopkins1873]

@@SSkorkowskyI enjoyed your reviews of Traveller, but they also told me that wasn’t something that would replace my Traveller: The New Era game system from GDW. It was too rules-lite based on what I could see in your videos. I play In Nomine, which uses a nearly identical rule set to the Traveller you reviewed, but that isn’t a sci-fi game, so it hits different.

[@Venomousse]

@@SSkorkowsky I think that type of "post-mortem" suggestion is the most useful kind

[@benl4198]

Playing reviews are the only ones I trust, and it's specifically bc of your policy of providing GM notes, tips, and tricks based on your experience on how to make something run smoother or what not

[@Bathion]

Exactly! The even the small "This game will require the DM to take extensive notes on this section." Really helps

[@Zenbuck2]

Seth, thank you for this video on reviews. I notice that when you review modules, you always point out that you played the scenario. And along with the praise and advice you give, you always point out things that you wish could have been included or not included, like handouts that would have been nice to include, or huge backstories the player might never be aware of. And you also offer advice on how DMs who run them can make some parts of them run better. I think the fact that some updated modules have actually addressed some of your criticisms in the modules themselves speaks volumes about how thorough, honest, fair, and helpful your reviews are. As an aside, I want to thank you for your channel. I am a forever DM who began playing the white box set and supplements in 1978. That's how old I am (yikes!) and how long I've been playing TTRPGs (my go to these days is Call of Cthulhu). I was a playtester for Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh, playing it in 1980 soon before it's release at TSR UK headquarters in Cambridge England, DMd by Don Turnbull (for some reason I was listed as a playtester on the 2nd module in the series, Danger at Dunwater, even though I playtested the first one). I can say without a doubt that your channel is the best and most helpful on KZbin. I've watched almost all of your videos and also have re-watched module reviews before DMing them because you are that good. Keep up the good work and thank you again!

[@SSkorkowsky]

Oh, man. I love that adventure. Even if they missed you on the playtest credits, it's still awesome to have been involved in that little piece of D&D history.

[@Zenbuck2]

@@SSkorkowsky I was so exited when I saw that you did a review of the module! I was like a little kid getting a big Xmas present. It's a great adventure. And just like you, I've stolen parts of this module for other scenarios I've run over the years. I'd gotten the White Box Set and Supplements from an older cousin when I was still in the US and barely anyone (around me) knew about TTRPGs. I was totally hooked from when I played my first game as a player under my cousin, and soon started DMing my friends after that. Not long after that, I discovered a great little game store in Cambridge when we spent a few years in England, which had the (recently released) 1st Edition books and modules such as H1-3 and then D1-3 (the Giant modules and the Descent modules) and The Village of Hommlet as well as Judges Guild adventures and settings. The owner pointed me to the TSR UK headquarters over there, where I got to playtest Secret of Saltmarsh. I'm still amazed at how this (then) niche gaming genre, that barely anyone I knew played, and that I discovered so many decades ago, has grown to become so widely enjoyed by so many people. Love your channel. It's just so good. For the most part I've DMd over the years, but I can tell it would be great fun to be a player at the table you run.

[@OldtimerOfSweden]

@@Zenbuck2 I also remember that great module. Myself, i bought the original box (what do you mean "white box", mine is brown with the cover illustration glued on. LOL!) from TSR Lake Geneva in the Spring of 1975. Went over to England several times after that and visited a small shop in Hammersmith filled with even more goodies. Started selling those items to friends here in Sweden, which turned into a mail order service and later a game shop. Also amazed that this niche hobby, turned into such a phenomenon.

[@Zenbuck2]

@@OldtimerOfSweden The three original books I got were in a white box which was released in 1975, it was a cardboard type box with a printed illustration. But looking around I do see there was a wood grained (brown) box that also was released as a second printing in 1975. So perhaps that was what you had? I was also given the three supplements (Greyhawk, Blackmoor, and Eldritch Wizardry) and Chainmail along with the white box set by my older cousin as a gift. Not long after, the 1st Edition books were released. That's pretty interesting that you were able to start a game shop! Nice! I've been to Hammersmith a number of times when we were living over there. Saw some great shows too! I had never seen a game store before I was in England. The comic store in my town started selling games when I got back to the US, and eventually we had a game store. But the Cambridge one was the first I'd seen. It was like a candy store to me. Us old guys got to see the game become a huge thing over our lives. So cool!

[@DrunkenWizardBattle]

The alien RPG core book defines the need to play a game for the review to be valuable for me. That core book gets you so hype to play the game reading it on the couch, but its layout makes me want to tear my eyes out at the table when the pressure is on. Had a session yesterday where I was desperately trying to check the acid splash rules... and not only is it 4 pages off from the number the index says it is... it does its signature move of tucking game mechanics into the midst of a flavour text block. Fantastic game regardless but damn I wish both it and the chariot of the gods module in particular was set out more table friendly.

[@jasonGamesMaster]

@@DrunkenWizardBattle omg, yes. I love Alien, Vaesen, Twilight 2000, and Blade Runner and each and every one is like this. The One Ring 2e has some of this but not as much as the others. The only Free League book that I don't absolutely hate the layout and structure of is Dragonbane (probably because there is so little there, lol)

[@hfbdbsijenbd]

@@jasonGamesMaster Companies do this because the majority of people who buy adventures just read them and never run them. The sad fact is companies are financially motivated to stick rules in flavor text because their main audience doesn't want to read page after page of tables and rules.

[@jasonGamesMaster]

@hfbdbsijenbd I don't actually think this is accurate. For one thing, the number of actual rules in most Free League games might total 40 pages if they were organized and laid out in a useful way instead of an "artful" way. And they are beautiful. But the OSR space has shown me quite clearly how crappy most tpg books are laid out and organized. It can be done and many folks are becoming very vocal about it. Recently Free League even announced updated core books for Alien and Vaesen to address this very issue because of the backlash

[@SSkorkowsky]

The Alien update isn't because of layout. It's because of Alien: Romulus. Essentially Disney is requiring them to update the game to incorporate the new canonical elements introduced in that movie. It's one of the downsides of a licensed IP game. Getting to update the layout while they're at it is simply a bonus.

[@Shenaldrac]

"signature move of tucking game mechanics into the midst of a flavour text block." I... I cannot even begin to describe how much I dislike it when games, be they TTRPGs or miniature wargames or whatever, mix fluff and mechanics. It harms readability so much, makes it harder to find things when you need them, hard to remember where stuff is, it's awful. You want a couple sentences of fluff to go with something? That's ok. But you put a paragraph break between them and, ideally, the fluff is italicized or something to make it clear at a glance what is rules and what is flavor.

[@raynercoslop]

16:11 that picture with the caption "my group is a normal group!" was just perfect. That's why your videos are always insta-like for me

[@CromwellTheArchaeologist]

I appreciate your integrity, and that’s why I follow you.

[@Greatfang1319]

My problem is I've trusted Seth so much, I now have a crippling CoC addiction lol. It doesn't help Chaosium and the Misatonic group list him as the trusted source for info and reviews. Well deserved I might add

[@SSkorkowsky]

I have no regrets about passing along my CoC addiction.

[@therealGibralter]

Wait?... Have I been watching this channel for eight years already? Been a hell of a ride so far, Here's to eight more!

[@ericjome7284]

It is nice to receive as a part of the review a statement about printing quality.

[@mythicmountainsrpg]

I really enjoy your review videos and like your policy. There are some flip through channels I enjoy, perhaps it would be best to say "Impressions" instead of reviews in such cases. However, I have seen something you mentioned and it really rocked my world last year. Basically I used to follow what is probably one of the largest non-D&D TTRPG review channels on KZbin (not as large as yours!) and enjoyed their videos. They then reviewed a TTRPG I was very familiar with. I was shocked that they completely misrepresented it's contents, even saying some things that were totally false about the game indicating they hadn't read it at all. At the end, after having this false information given they *recommended people not consider the RPG*. I was shocked! I contacted them and asked if they'd simply reconsider and edit their review to include the correct information and got a simple "thank you for your feedback." (They later corrected their most blaring mistake but missed a bunch of otheres) It had 50,000 views and over 200 comments. About 25% of the comments were "phew glad you told me this I dodged a bullet with that game! Now I won't play it!" Imagine falsely harming an indie TTRPG company in that way. In the case of another reviewer he was reviewing the *wrong copy* but when contacted he apologized, took down his video, reviewed the content again more carefully. Respect! The idea of casually harming a cottage industry TTRPG company by saying incorrect things about their game is just about rage inducing!

[@SSkorkowsky]

That's pretty much what I observed a few years back. There was a seriously negative review about a game I was experienced with. The reviewer was blasting it and telling people to avoid it, and it was crystal clear they hadn't bothered playing it or even fully read it. They were one of the more respected reviewers from that time and had a good-sized following. It was the biggest contributor to me adopting my 'Play It Before Reviewing It' policy.

[@justAuntyJoe]

Seth! You broke your rule canon. You made a dark creepy joke in full color & the explanation was in B&W. I don’t know how to feel anymore.

[@SSkorkowsky]

Apologies. I'll do better next time. Dark humor for B&W Seth only next time

[@davefranklin4136]

The problem with "Reading Reviews", in my cynical opinion at least, is too many of them are nothing but undeserved praise because the Reviewer gets free copies from Authors/Publishers - especially when they have a rep of giving good reviews.

[@yurisei6732]

Or in the past year, undeserved praise because the system is marketing itself as "5e but better".

[@BartmossTV]

It's called "access media" or "access reporting" and it's the scourge of our time.

[@RenegadeRolls]

This is really good to see, and is almost exactly the approach I take. (you put it much more eloquently than me though!) Even though I'm a teeny tiny dungeontuber, I've had a companies reach out to me asking if I'll review their games, sometimes asking really nicely, other times just attaching enormous PDFs to emails with minimal text to explain what the hells it is they want from me. My rules are that for a review to reach my channel, it must be something I've played for at least one session for "first look" type reviews, and at least a 10-shot for longer form campaign reviews. Hopefully it makes the videos more fun to watch as I can tell tales from the table, and share my players perspectives as well as mine. All the love to you Seth! You're one of the dungeontubers who inspired me to start a channel of my own!

[@Kyle-rq1sr]

I appreciate your reviews for your honesty and experience. The quick fixes you give for problems you encounter while playing is also super helpful!

[@jrightly]

photoshopping the Kult book into that still was genius.

[@GuildOfTheBlackCrow]

I can review an RPG without playing it due to my expertise, in the same way I can review and critique a Formula 1 driver/car/team without having raced.

[@Baulderstone1]

Something I really appreciate about your reviews is that when you identify a problem you have with a game or adventure, you don't just throw up your hands and say it sucks. You actually attempt to come up with a solution and share it with the audience. You get that this is a hobby, and it's not just about buying things, it's also about making things our own. I"m a moderator on an RPG forum, and I am regularly irritated with people who complain but aren't interested in fixing the problem. They will bring up an issue with a game, then someone will come up with a quick-and-easy house rules that solves it. Rather than fix their problem, they insist they shouldn't have to do that. They'd rather reject a game for not perfectly matching their needs than make a small tweak to make it work. For me, that's a red flag that this person lacks the flexibility to be an effective GM.

[@Taricus]

There is also the bias created by group dynamics. There are a lot of adventures that I have run multiple times for different groups. Sometimes running through an adventure and it seeming perfect, so you use it again with another group and you drudge through it.. The 3rd time, it goes perfectly again.... Puzzles are a good example of that.... Sometimes, people will get all into it and solve it easily. Other times it can look like it's wayyyy too vague or difficult.... Despite it being the exact same thing. There's one adventure that I've ran 3 times, Mother's Curse, from Dungeon magazine. There are two puzzles in that adventure. I have ran a solo game in it and she had absolutely no problems solving it. I've ran it for a normal sized group (4 or 5 players) and they managed to do it just fine. Another time, I ran it for a large group of 8 or 9 players and they became stumped with the simplest puzzle. You would think that more players mean they could put their heads together and figure it out--especially when there was a note on the same table that told them exactly what to do. Had I ran the game for the large group first, I would have assumed that the puzzles and investigations in it were too hard or too vague and either avoid the adventure or try to make sure I make it more obvious before I sat down at the table. I would've assumed the adventure, as written, needed work. Having already played through it with a solo character, I knew that wasn't the case and was surprised by it. To be fair, the table had a vial of holy water, a jar of seawater, a needle, and the basin. The note just said "anoint, then float." The problem was, they refused to do anything, because "metal needles don't float in water." So, they thought they had to figure out some true meaning behind anointing and floating. They must be related in some mysterious way! Looking for some commonality between the words and even trying to anagram them. While it sounds dumb, from their side of the table, it wasn't. The adventure was vague to them, despite it being clear to me. A snag that one group hits, another won't--and vice versa. The normal-sized group had trouble with a different puzzle, but the large group never even hesitated--they didn't even see it as a puzzle. The solo player hesitated, but went even faster than the normal-sized group. So, a play review will really depend on *_how_* the DM and the players run through the content. So, it really tells me that you must look at multiple sources for a review, because no two groups are ever the same.

[@SSkorkowsky]

Mileage may vary, of course. There's no denying that. Between player dynamics and personalities, Game Master competence/preparedness, as well as the chaos-factor of dice, no two games will play out the same. But any mileage is a better assessment than not even bothering to try it. Certain factors that aren't as apparent in a read-through can become glaringly obvious when its run.

[@TheFaustianMan]

Rando Board Member: Can anyone recommend some RPG reviewers? Seth's sock Account: I hear that handsome sonofabitch Seth Skorkowsky is a pretty entertaining and damn fine grandiloquent.

[@Shenaldrac]

Eugh, there's far too much serendipitous loquaciousness in his videos for my taste old bean.

[@kschleic9053]

"Are the pages going to fall out of this thing??" As a WH40K Dark Heresy game master, i feel this 🤣🤣

[@SSkorkowsky]

Some years ago there was this huge corebook for Shadowrun (don't know the edition, but I think it was the one before the current one). I came across it in at least 3 different stores and all had multiple copies. Not one, not one single copy wasn't falling apart under its own weight. They glued that thing together with wishes and fairy spit.

[@kschleic9053]

@SSkorkowsky I don't care what anyone says, glues were better back in the 5th world when they used carcinogens instead of fairy spit.

[@snailcorepistolwhippits9488]

Seth Skorkowsky reviews has massively influnced my purchasing habits. 😅

[@foolcat23]

Seconded!

[@dutch6857]

Would have never picked up Call of Cthulhu were it not for him

[@thepaintedtrolls5631]

Your input is always appreciated Seth

[@elishmuel1976]

Wow, one of your best RPG Philosophy videos, Seth! So well written, full of insights and so funny! I truly enjoy your authenticity and truthful observations. My favourite of your vids are the war stories and campaign diaries! 💯

[@danielhale1]

Seth I recently submitted 2 board games I made to an award in hopes of finding a publisher, and it's very clear when the reviewers didn't look at the games much at all (it was likely partially from being overloaded, but not always). Some reviewers tell me things about my game that are nonsense, showing they didn't even bother to scan all the rules (one game's rules fit neatly on 3 double-sided playing cards, btw). Either they just made assumptions based on the name and intro paragraph and a couple paragraphs they scanned, or confused my game with other games, or were high and hallucinating wildly. Reading/scanning the rules is never adequate. I have a special respect for reviewers who actually PLAY THE GAME. Thank you for all your reviews!

[@foolcat23]

Well, I gotta say this: Seth, you’re the sole reason my roleplaying buddy for 30 years and me have gotten neck-deep into Mongoose Traveller 2nd edition. I had a very brief stint with MegaTraveller in the late 1980ies, but that setting and system was lost to me effectively after I finished school. Fast forward a few decades, your excellent and thorough review of MgT2 comes along, and now I’m sitting on a dozen physical copies of various books, while my DTRPG library is sporting over a hundred Mongoose products. (I, too, can quit at any time, I swear!) The Traveller campaign my buddy is running is going into its second year now, and I’m itching to get an episodic Solomani bounty hunter campaign going. Regarding reviews, there obviously is a broad spectrum of quality and usefulness. Among the things that I think of as most important to me is the question of what constitutes a character, and how involved is the process of creating one? How fast can I build an NPC? What is the central dice mechanic to resolve conflicts, is it consistent throughout every aspect of the game? How does the damage track work? What things need to be tracked during combat, and does the bookkeeping get aggravating at one point or another? As far as Traveller is concerned, you really delivered on this one, and I really thank you for it! 😃 Keep up the good work!

[@SSkorkowsky]

Happy to help.

[@Harbinger359]

I love your reviews for many reasons, and a big one is indeed that you actually play the games and adventures you review so that you can give practical feedback, a look under the hood as it were. Also, the fact that you are a player first and forest shines through, it makes your reviews earnest in a way they simply wouldn't be if they were just your "product", so to speak. To use a similar case, I have a relative who worked in a chemistry lab when they were younger, and later became a teacher. Accordingly, one day the head of the science department came into the office and, during a conversation with my relative about some problem that needed to be resolved, said: "You know, it just hit me, the difference between you and I. You are a scientist who just so happens to be teaching; but I am a teacher who just so happens to teach science." I think it's the same kind of think; and it's more than a little ironic, I think, that being unconventional in this sense is what would otherwise be the most sensible thing to be.

[@midnightplatypus1973]

When I saw the title, and the opening, I thought this was going to be a little too far afield into the abstract, and I usually like TTRPG philosophy vids. But, wow, this might be one of my favorite vids from you. You defining the reviewing space, getting into the ethical of product reviewing regarding personal integrity and audience trust, and explaining your approach ... all that gets under the hood showing how you consistently deliver content that demonstrates consideration to both reviewed product and audience and an approach that emphasizes that quality over the quicker crowd of hot off the press takes. It was like a back stage tours of the principles that make your channel work. Well done.

[@erc1971erc1971]

"The best chase scene we have ever played." For some reason the term "Stupid Flanders" comes to mind :P

[@SSkorkowsky]

Now THAT chase was also pretty damned epic. Our first run with the CoC Chase Rules was with Dead Light. I was kinda nervous and apologetic when we started because I wasn't sure how it'd play out. About the time one of my players jumped up from their chair going "Holy shit, that was exactly like a horror movie!" followed by everyone laughing and saying how great that chase scene went, I knew we had a winner.

[@cameronjohnson918]

I began watching your channel as I stepped into other RPGs than 5e, and while my tastes have wildly diverged into Fiction First games like PbtA, I still watch your reviews because I find them very useful and entertaining. You put a lot of effort into contextualizing your responses and feelings to stuff when it matters, and it makes those videos still really valuable. For a reviewer that you might want to keep an eye on, go check out Quinns Quest. He's well into the Fiction First type games, but he has reviewed Mothership, Vaesen and Lancer, and he definitely plays those games and his enthusiasm for those products has resulted in huge lifts in sales. He has had his chops in journalism and board game reviews for a long time and overall has great presentation. Highly rate him

[@wasabiburger3047]

This is why I have made it a personal rule as well to actually run a product before I review it. I think you hit on every point why it sucks because it means your turnaround on actually getting the review out is way longer, especially for giant products, but I personally think people really appreciate it. I get many comments from people saying they are glad to hear advice and a firsthand experience so they don't make the same mistakes I do. And for my own selfish mental benefit, I love hearing from people who had the same issues I had so I don't feel overly mean or wrong if I have a particularly glaring or harsh criticism.

[@pedrorivero5209]

Thanks for the interesting video Seth. I sort of always considered your channel to be a GM focused tips & methods channel. I bought Traveller & Cyberpunk based on your reviews, not because you like them, but because you give great teaching overviews for your modules and rulebooks, including Traveller & Cyberpunk. I finish your reviews with a solid idea of what to expect when you buy a product and how best to run it at the table. If memory serves, you've given good reviews to modules you thought had glaring flaws, but you give the skinny on how best to shore up said flaws, and you give so much of your home made GM resources to the community so that their game will be as successful as possible. Sometimes I feel like I don't even need to buy the product, you can run the scenario based solely from your "reviews". That's like if Roger Ebert wrote a badass song based on a movie he was reviewing, while teaching you to direct film. I feel like your reviews typically function in ways that go beyond the scope of criticism. Does that put you more in the theory crafting sector of dungeontube? I'm just stoked for more from this channel! Also, super funny sketches to boot. I think I'm legit a better GM for your channel, much gratitude. Happy holidays & hope you have a fruitful & productive new year. Greetings from Regina.

[@secretscarlet8249]

This like when choosing which genre to watch; when I want serious horror I watch Mark Meer’s plays but if I want casual guys hanging out I go to Mystery Quest. It does involve some brainwork and consuming some of their content to get a feel if their tastes jell with you, but a bit of research helps.

[@fran3ro]

Hello I'm not Seth Skorkowsky and I'm going to review this video about reviews. 9/10, it has a concerning lack of Jack and/or the Crew. You are a great dude, dude. Keep going. And thanks for all your videos.

[@TheLrdjustice]

I sincerely appreciate all the effort you put into your videos, the skits and opinions, additional helpful tips and tricks and where you personally found parts of games you had to adjust or tweak for your players, all the information has definitely been utilized and helped me feel more comfortable AND certainly be a better GM for my players. Thank you for all you do! It is nice to have a trusted and sincere voice to listen to!

[@MarcGibson-xb1xr]

I won't review a game until I've actually played it. I've had too many examples from my own experience where problems occurred I didn't expect or something I thought was difficult ended up going great.

[@trippsmythoftheaurigancoal8155]

While I don't play most of the games you do other than D&D & Traveller, I am a huge fan of yours, Seth. You & the gang are a channel that I really enjoy & recommend to other gamers. I mean I think I have been watching you since maybe day 2 or your channel & I picked up Death Station on RPG Drive Through mainly because you have written it & it was free, so I hope you got royalties for it, I also have to say that I played Death Station back in the days of CT & I am planning on using Death Station in a BattleTech/Mechwarrior 1E game I am running as I want to get my player out of their 'Mechs. I have to say that not only was it the 2nd best adventure I have read for Traveller, Secret of the Ancients (which you just still(?) reviewing) is my favorite that I have read & adapted to my BattleTech/Mechwarrior 1E game before this. And, when I saw the price on Death Station (like I said free) I had to pick it up. I have to say that everyone of your videos you have made for this channel is great, you are perfect as you & as the DM/GM & I love the Gang, & Jack the NPC though I think that Jack the NPC should appear & berate the gang on how they treat NPCs 😁. I also wanted to tell you that your books are on my reading list & I have found that due to your channel that I might be quite biased towards you because of your videos. So please keep being you. And, I do have to say something, I have been playing games for years & years since 1977 & I have bought stuff from Marc Miller when GDW was in Bloomington-Normal, IL, Wiseman when FASA was in Chicago, IL, Gygax when TSR was in Lake Geneva, WS mostly because I grew up in, well right outside of, Decatur, IL & I could walk to Judge's Guild in the old Sunnyside Grade School building as my family farm was right on the back yard of Judge's Guild, Basically what this old DM/GM is saying to you thank you for having the best Gaming Channel on KZbin. Thank you for being you.

[@benjaminsharef879]

Good video--my only criticism is that the rule of "find a RPG reviewer whose tastes match your own" should apply to ALL critics We all have our own opinion--my dad taught me that lesson back in the late 1980s

[@S0nyb1ack]

Yay a video that isn't about the secrets of the ancients campaign :D (I love your video recaptures of your games, but for the first time I'm in the players seat in a campaign based upon secrets of the ancients and for once I have to avoid all the spoilers - trying out classic traveller for that one BTW)

[@--enyo--]

There are a lot of Seth review videos I can’t watch because I hope to one day play them. 🥲 Then the first thing I do after finishing playing is come watch the Seth video. 🤣

[@SSkorkowsky]

Best of luck with the campaign. Hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

[@Shenaldrac]

The best part of not liking Call of Cthulhu or Traveler as a system for me is that I can watch every single one of Seth's reviews without any worry or care in the world.

[@StatsScott]

Really great to have an honest and transparent summary of your policy, which seems perfectly fair. I always enjoy your RPG reviews since they are straight down the line fair and thorough assessments. I’m not sure how I only just realized you have a Patreon, but have no remedied that omission. Thanks for all your content!

[@azraelle6232]

Not only is this another great video from Seth, but it also has title images of both George Lazenby (1:59) and Patrick Stewart (2:41) that I can nerd out over at the same time!

[@brettmclean2770]

I've always appreciated the fact that you review games that you've actually played. Not only do I consider it more reliable, but the fact that you point out potential pitfalls and planning considerations for those games is invaluable. You'll always just be a GM who reviews the games he plays, and not a "Reviewer" to me.

[@normative]

Regarding review copies biasing reviewers: In my former life as a journalist, I used to get absolutely stacks of unsolicited review copies (and solicited ones as well, of course) and the key thing to remember is that when it becomes routine it sort of stops being a biasing factor. We got many times more books in any given month than we could possibly read, let alone review, so it never seemed like some special factor that would weigh in favor of any particular one.

[@vidard9863]

While I more or less believe you, your editor was in a different boat. A negative review can cause your outlet to loose the review copies making your outlet months behind the competition.

[@normative]

​@@vidard9863 I promise, that's just not how anything works. In the decade I worked in journalism, I never heard of a publication being turned down on a review copy request. The vast majority of books that came in didn't get reviewed at all. Most of our reviews were at least somewhat positive, because why waste the space or energy drawing attention to a book that isn't worth reading? Publishers effectively spam publications with review copies hoping maybe 2% of them turn into a review; they don't have the luxury of being vindictive.

[@normative]

@@vidard9863 I should add: I can easily imagine it might work that way with, say, a AAA game studio that knows some small gaming website needs an advance copy to get a timely review up, and basically HAS to review all major new releases to remain competitive, But that's just not how it is with book publishing and magazines or newspapers.

[@vidard9863]

@normative how ANYTHING works? Try anything other than a book review publication. If you want to run the KZbin grind you have to ride the algorithm. It's ALL about timing for MOST other review topics and platforms, particularly if much of your audience will come to you from a Google search. First in gets more impressions and that gets you higher rankings in the searches.

[@AFnord]

@@vidard9863 Having written game reivews (primarily videogame but with RPG & tabletop reviews a side thing) in the past, my experience is that the editor gets more suspicious if you write too many good reviews in a row and you get asked to justify that. Not once were I challenged on a negative review.

[@Dithyrambos-h5e]

18:35 One of my favorite things about Seth's reviews is that it's often stuff I've never heard of (or heard of through his work). It's an entertaining way to learn about game systems that someone else has test driven and is prepared to talk about. I already know about and play 5e; I don't need to be sold on it.

[@groundbeef3021]

I am currently running a Conan 2d20 campaign. Your review of that system is the greatest review ever.

[@MrHoundDoug]

Thanks Seth, I appreciate your reviews a) because they are entertaining b) they are typically the games I like c) you put in some handy tips for running the adventures that have been handy. Keep bringing the awesome.

[@dutch6857]

I imagine playing before you review also really helps expand the 'tips and suggestions' portion of a video, one of my favourite aspects of Seth's work.

[@geoffdewitt6845]

While I tend to do reading reviews, I really appreciate Seth's approach to playing reviews. And he's completely correct that experience at the table can be very illuminating.

[@douglasrood2650]

I really appreciate your reviews Seth, especially your Call of Cthulhu scenario reviews. They really help me decide if I want to use a scenario for my players as we are new to 7th edition CoC. When it comes to new rpgs I tend to watch a variety of reviews to try and get a lot of different opinions before I spend money on a new game.

[@RoninRaconteur]

I don't play all the things you review, but I love your reviews and how you review things. You're one of the few people I still follow when it comes to RPG stuff. There's a lot out there I just don't trust to be honest about all their reviews. Plus, I like to play things before I make my mind up about things as well. I appreciate your work and your reviews!

[@aliciaantoniadis9100]

Dear Seth, thank you very much. Absolutely wonderful. Your integrity warms my heart. I wish Mrs S and you happy holidays! Greetings from Sweden. Alicia.

[@SSkorkowsky]

To you as well

[@FatalKitsune]

Man I feel the "how it reads vs how it plays" angle. I love Cyberpunk RED but the layout of that book is awful and reading it is a mess, but once you've got the rules down I love how it plays. It's just that trying to look anything up in the book sucks because info is spread across multiple sections and can be hard to find. If I'd ONLY read the book and never played it, I would've dismissed it entirely and missed out on a really fun game.

[@AkukAkuku]

Shadowrun has RED beat when it comes to awful editing, but damn if RED doesn't try to keep up. Doubled tables, short fiction in the middle of the book, ambush "rules" inside easily skippable "for GMs only" chapter, lack of illustrations for gear and cyberware... But it plays very well in practice and my complaints are mostly nitpicking about balance.

[@yurisei6732]

@@AkukAkuku Tbf there's probably no possible good layout for a cyperpunk ttrpg because cyberpunk as a genre makes characters so absurdly modular - one character can be entirely defined by their cyberware while the next will only pick up an eye mod or two and never look at the cyberware list again.

[@Subject_Keter]

​@@yurisei6732 I think doing what Pathfinder 2e does where it has a running list of what is in each chapter and the sections is good + probably listing all the "cyberware" stuff in cyberware section. I dont think it would be that hard to do it? Atleast it not like yugioh rulings. 😮

[@oldparatrooper]

@SSkorkowsky Youre about the only reviewer I follow, because you are very honest about them.

[@jamesaskins9547]

Hit the nail on the head as always. There is a massive gulf between "Reading" and "Playing". Back in the 90s I ran a game of Aliens RPG, Reading the rules was hell, classic style multiple tables, bad lay out, impossible to find anything when you needed, but I love the setting and really want to give it a stab. The group I played with played in an old vaulted cellar of a game shop in Rochester (now long gone) with atmosphere in spades. The sessions went so well, 30 years later I still remember it fondly as one of the best games I've run.

[@B.-T.]

Man, I totally get what Seth says about "reading vs playing". I read the Fantasy AGE rules by Green Ronin a good long while ago and thought the system was the bee's knees, still being fantasy-focused but not drowning in overly magical classes and characters like D&D is, but then I went around on the online communities and found out a lot of the flaws that you wouldn't really pick up on just reading the rules (mainly, that long campaigns become a drag as HP builds up but damage does not so battles become long slogs where both PCs and adversaries are HP sponges).

[@yurisei6732]

Wouldn't HP vs damage scaling be one of the first things you'd notice reviewing the rules though?

[@B.-T.]

@yurisei6732 apparently not.

[@graynanuuq]

Your reviews are my favorite reviews. Clear and valuable information.

[@m0rtez713]

What I like about your reviews is that you present your own educated opinion, but you also give enough information for the viewer to make their own opinion regardless of your recommendations. That would explain the sales of products you didn't review favourably. They are also a great source of entertainment and inspiration on their own.

[@spekticat]

There are loads of great reviewers out there. But Seth is the *only* one I trust - have recommended these videos time and time again because of their thoroughness, transparency and diligence ...plus the inimitable comedy stylings. Seth is the GOAT and I will fight anyone who disagrees 💜

[@0shlem0]

Thanks for your in-depth reviews, and even more so your tips for running the scenarios you review, I have a well oiled one-shot of Missed Dues I've ran for many groups because of it.

[@IshanDeston]

Reminds me of the RPG by those League of Legends devs with that sick art, and even after reading the book i still have no clue what kind of game you should run. They put so much effort into world building but forgot to tell you why a rag tag team of different clans would work together. I even asked the devs at one point and they seemed insulted by the question. I really wish they had gave me an elevator pitch i could have taken to my players to sell them on giving this world a try, but i also knew they'd never agree to be from the same faction.

[@Subject_Keter]

That how i feel about Pathfinder 2e but instead of "worldbuilding" it just "It is automatically better because my group liked it and it encourages roleplay"... like what does that even mean.

[@rylion2770]

Merry Christmas Seth! May you get the rpg of your dreams!

[@jacob2389]

I recommend your channel to everyone i play with because of the reviews. They're good and so useful i recommend listening to them while prepping the adventure. You give the advice I or my friends would give each other about running a module, except on the internet and easier to follow.

[@dantherpghero2885]

I LOVE ALL Seth Skorkowsky videos! Looking forward to the next chapter of Secrets of the Ancients.

[@Lemonrollcake]

I always recommend your channel to anyone looking for videos about CoC because of your "Playing Reviews". I could only find very few other channels that have multiple gm tips/playing reviews for CoC scenarios.

[@terryschappert2397]

You're the absolutely best person on here for RPG reviews and impressions. Because of you I got into Pulp Cthulhu and I really appreciate your work.

[@AubriGryphon]

Oh shoot, thanks for highlighting your patreon. I need to be supporting that.

[@Lorn8791]

I'm slightly upset I didn't get a notification about this video. I luckily saw the little red dot next to Seth's name in the subscribed section that notified me about it

[@Dracopol]

16:11 "My group is a normal group..." which just happens to make a Dark Oath to a Dark God before passing out the chips. LOL!

[@SSkorkowsky]

That's normal, right?

[@combativebowline]

I never had a chance to use the COC chase rules in that game. Then I started running Mothership, and I use the COC chase rules all the time. I see that delux box behind you and can't wait to see your Mothership rivews.

[@Scott-sk1rb]

I always pay attention to your reviews specifically because of the fact you do play the game/adventure/etc first and base everything on what type of time you had. You give balanced reviews, pointing out things you/your group liked and things you changed or thought should be changed and why. I also like that you always announce at the beginning if you were given a promotional/discount copy of the game/adventure so you are up front about everything.

[@mickeybarfield787]

Love your work. I especially love that you don't take paid reviews. When I learn that a reviewer takes payment for reviewing a book, I stop watching them. Shady is right on that. I would love to send you one of my RPGs that I think you would like. I'm not even looking for it to be reviewed, but hopefully, you will enjoy it. It's our best seller, and we are working on a 2nd edition. I need to know how to email you so I can tell you the elevator pitch and what I want to ship to you.

[@dbf1dware]

Seth, I love your stuff. I SO wish you were into 5e because that is what my friends and I play. I wish you talked about 5e because I love your sense of humor, etc. Oh, well. I appreciate your honesty, integrity, and most of all how damned entertaining you are. I watch lots of your videos even though I never play Chthulu or Traveller. I just like your stuff.

[@MarkFinn]

An excellent video. I take reviews and reviewers seriously, because I want people to have some kind of criteria before they just start barking out stuff in public. Having scruples as a reviewer is a rarer and rarer thing these days.

[@johanneskaiser8188]

Might be worth doing both. One shorter review after reading but before playing with an initial assumption what it will likely be like, and then a longer one after playing, evaluating whether those assumptions have held up and what did or didn't work in practice. That way you got both fast and thorough, and in a neat package referencing each other.

[@alantheinquirer7658]

Thank you, Seth, for this video! I started my career as a book and game review, back in the late '80s! This was, of course, before the internet and the WWW. It was freelancing for several UK game magazines (made a bit of money from it), and I had a blast, mainly because I enjoy games, reading, *and* writing. My primary goal was balance. I only found one RPG absolutely irredeemable - name redacted! Other than that rarity, I tried to find good points as well as flaws, because if *I* could find it then a prospective purchaser needed to know about it.

[@chrismichael649]

Big fan, follow because you put solid gaming before free shit. I respect that.

[@ASummersetproduction]

Yeah reading reviews are often a pass for me for all the cons you've listed. However, there are some reading reviews that are great, Questing Beast comes to mind because they're not trying to make any assumptions of the system and comes from the perspective of "let's flip through and see what this is like".

[@mechanussunrise]

I feel like Questing Beast tends to make flip through videos more than true reviews. And he does some sponsored reviews, which he discloses

[@Deveyus]

I think a space for 'Paid Reviews' can exist, in some ways, they're more legit than free copies even. But there has to be an lot of open communication, including any and all stipulations involved in the agreement being made public; ideally as screenshots of the actual 'paper'work, on top of an in-video announcement as the first piece of content, including those stipulations, and also what was not stipulated. In this way, they're simply buying a priority, guaranteed review of the product, good or bad.

[@jbaidley]

I'm personally of the view that you shouldn't call read "reviews" reviews at all. It's the equivalent reviewing a video game by looking at screenshots and maybe watching a bit of some streamer playing. Such readthroughs have a place, of course, and I don't want them to go away but I think their existence in much higher volume than played reviews swamps the space and makes it difficult to find real information on games. I really appreciate both the quality of your reviews and your commitment to only delivering reviews of products you've played. Keep up the good work!

[@GreenDM]

As someone that does adventure summaries with a lot of adventure structure ribbing throughout, which to me is very close to "read reviews", I agree that "played reviews" are best for judging whether or not you actually want to play an adventure. Which is why I watch so many of your videos! For adventures I have only read, I tend to lean towards just making jokes and not really ending with a final judgement. But for adventures I have run, or adventures I tried to prep and ended up giving up on, I do come in a little more with my judgments. I don't see myself as an expert on adventures, especially with my videos leaning so heavily into comedy instead of valid criticism, but maybe my audience does not see it the same way. Stating in my videos whether I only read the adventure or played it through could help an audience differentiate which one I did. Hopefully I can incorporate something like that into my future videos.

[@simcptmike]

Man I love your channel. You're exactly the kind of guy I wish I could play ttrpg's with. Great content and thanks from western Canada for all the work you put into the videos!

[@geoffchurchill5492]

dude let me ghive you a big thanks, there are two modules I never played but I ran them based on your recomendation - Against the Cult of the Reptile God and Sinister Secret of Salt Marsh were two modules I ran and my players loved thank to your reviews

[@viniciusdelimaalvim2670]

Seth lowkey being one of the best creators of RPG content in KZbin, what a legend! o/

[@yellingintothewind]

It is important to distinguish between game _system_ reviews and game _content_ reviews and previews. For game systems, you really need to play the system, or at least have played a system that is fundamentally the same (if you know standard CoC7, you can pretty easily pick up the crucial differences in Cthulhu By Candlelight, or Modern, without extensive experimentation). Content, on the other hand, does not need you to play through it in order to share your impressions and recommend it (or recommend people skip it, as the case may be). This is especially true for OSR content, where two groups playing through the module may have _wildly_ different experiences with it, independent of the quality of the resource itself (just comes with the territory when random tables are involved). There _is_ a lot of low effort "content" masquerading as reviews, when the presenter has made only a cursory examination of the resource in question, but most of that would be equally low-effort even if they _had_ played through the module. Fortunately, it's usually easy to identify when that's the case, but it is a trap for prospective new GMs and the unwary. Ben Milton's OSR module previews are excellent examples of previews done _right._ He gives _almost_ enough information for you to just improvise and run the adventure, but not quite enough that you'll do that instead of buying it. But at that level of detail, you know exactly what you'll get if you do decide to buy and run the module.

[@matthewparker9276]

I think it's kinda the other way round. You can assess a game system based off reading the rules analysing percentages and following cross references etc. to get a reasonable idea of how a game plays and potential pitfalls. Game content on the other hand requires playing to get a feel for pacing, intuitive decisions, and dead end plots.

[@yellingintothewind]

@@matthewparker9276 When evaluating a system for _personal_ use, yes, you can quickly categorize it without playing. Class based or skill based, dice pool vs d20 vs d100-roll-under, and so on. You can estimate how long creating characters will take, and how killable they are. And you can identify any distinguishing features: card decks, fate points, and so on. The problem is _so can your audience_. It isn't all that useful if your analysis consists of "it uses Shadowrun style dice pools, with CoC's advancement system, and Vancian spellcasting". As Seth points out, your initial estimate of how various systems interact may be wildly off. He brought up CoC's chases, but Traveller's heavy reliance on circumstance modifiers is another excellent example. (And an example of those modifiers done right, most systems that use them just leave it up to the referee, who usually is bad at it. Traveller has set modifiers for things like astrogation on established shipping lanes, to avoid ships spontaneously exploding every 1k jumps). The bottom line is while a superficial examination of a game system is sufficient to gauge if it will be a good fit for you, you aren't likely to provide much value to your viewers by sharing that (unless, I suppose, you were to walk them through the process you use for it, but that would be rather system agnostic). As for game content, it's going to depend heavily on the kind of content it is. For a modern (Dragonlance style) campaign, yeah there may well be pitfalls that are not immediately obvious, and which prospective DMs will need to know about in advance of running it (and if serious enough, before buying it). But the same does _not_ apply to most OSR content. Whether the author got the mechanics right, or "balanced" or whatever, is of almost zero consideration. With the _vast_ number of OSR systems these days, there's maybe a 1 in 10 chance that it's actually written for the system you are running, so adapting it to your local system (and world) just goes with the territory. There aren't going to be dead-end plots, because there are not plots in the way you mean. Instead, they serve as sandboxes (often multiple, stitched together into a hex crawl). It is the quality of maps, NPCs, puzzles, and challenges (along with random tables to support them) which determine if the module is worth picking up. Also, the quality of handouts, physical quality of the book, including ease of finding what you need on the fly, are important. It's hard to sufficiently emphasise that last bit. OSR games tend to be fairly low prep. You can pick up a well written module, read the introduction that lays things out, and get rolling. If it's very complicated, it might take me an hour to be ready to go, but often 20 or 30 minutes is more than enough. Bottom line is all of that can be assessed without actually introducing your chaotic PCs to the mix. That doesn't mean you can make a 7-10 minute video on the module and do an adequate job covering all of it, so this isn't a secret way to do low-effort videos.

[@matthewparker9276]

@yellingintothewind you can do a deeper analysis than just a surface level description though. You can evaluate the balance (at least perceived balance) between different player options, the complexity and density of decisions, and draw conclusions about which aspects of gameplay the system prioritises. And yes, your audience can perform a similar analysis, but it takes time. I can spend a week thinking on how and why a new system is designed before I play. It's more than just knowing what the dice system is and whether or not it has classes. I don't think I explained myself well when talking about content. In particular, when I said "dead end plots" I was thinking more along the lines of the players standing in a room with no idea what to do, rather than storylines without a satisfying conclusion. Many of the potential problems with an adventure can be hard to detect by just reading it, because while reading an adventure you have an omniscient perspective, which your players will not, so it can be easy to assume knowledge. I think low prep style adventures are just as prone to this, if not more so, because if something isn't said it might be because it's obvious, or it might be an oversight. But what you said about your audience being able to analyse systems also applied to adventures, except adventures are usually shorter, so less investment is needed to understand genre, tone, gameplay focus, core assumptions, etc. In either case, playing does give a better understanding of the product and can refute earlier conclusions, but I think the information that can be gathered from a read-through alone is much less useful in the case of game content than system content.

[@yellingintothewind]

@@matthewparker9276 I get the impression we run very different tables, which naturally leads to different information priorities. I have a strong math background, which leads me to understanding, then breaking, the math underpinning so many of these games. As a result, I tend to give much less weight to system reviews, often even if the person _has_ played in the game, because I have learned through tough experience that a table full of math heads and engineers is _hard_ on any game system. I want to see for myself if it can stand up. I recently was discussing related topics with someone whose table consists of humanities majors. It was enlightening. Meanwhile, a town full of cultists is a town full of cultists. The connections and maps and _minutiae_ are relatively hard for me to make, so offloading much of that to prefabs is wonderful (even though I will have to go over it all to fit it into my existing campaign). I think the interesting question is what the comparative defect rate is between a priori system reviews and content reviews. Seths central argument against recording a review _before_ playing is you are likely to make incorrect claims about the product reviewed, or leave out crucial information. Might be interesting, but rather difficult, to investigate semi-empirically.

[@Greenmanb275g]

Speaking of merchandise, I normally dont buy it but your dice are bomb. Not only did I get a set, but I took advantage of being able to load up on all the single dice I needed(that you had Q offer)!

[@yodasears]

100% agree about GMs being able to tell by reading - 40 years GMing experience... and playing new systems has routinely surprised me in ways that reading never indicated. A good example is the Alien RPG - when it came out I was starting to get tired of Free League's system. I played it because my group was excited about it - and the stress mechanic turned out to be my all-time favourite synthesis of mechanics and theme - and that was not readily apparent on the page, when it seems like a compromise on the conditions system from previous games in the same engine.

[@SSkorkowsky]

Alien's Stress Mechanic is a spectacular example. It's incredible how much better it plays than reads.

[@dungeonsanddiscourse]

I get asked to do reviews a LOT, but I'm like you: I'd only ever reviewed games I've played!! This means that I review a lot of wargames, but I haven't actually ran a game in ages!

[@BudsRPGreview]

Well... Impossible Landscapes looms large...

[@SSkorkowsky]

Word of Warning: Every Delta Green session with Bud includes at least 1 glory hole joke.

[@BudsRPGreview]

@@SSkorkowsky I feel called out. Where do I begin with you?..

[@SSkorkowsky]

Me? I'm perfect. Saintly, even. If you need someone to come up with a clever, if not overcomplicated and ultimately pointless idea, I'm the guy. It's my dice that are miserable assholes.

[@brianbelchick8489]

Time spent watching Seth is never wasted time.

[@AFnord]

I used to write reviews and I can't help but agree with pretty much everything said in this video. Regarding played reviews, I found that it can still get pretty tricky to know how much you need to play to get a firm grasp of the game. Some games play pretty much the same way session 1 in a campaign as it does session 30, other games become completely different beasts later on. Tales from the Loop does not change much from session to session, D&D 5e on the other hand is a completely different beast at higher levels. And there were cases where I reviewed games and did not spot flaws that showed up later (Symbaroum being a good example, the balance can get a bit wonky with certain skill combinations, that are not obvious to a new player and which requires decently experienced characters. Still love that game, and I think it has one of the smoothest game mastering experiences of any game, but it has some flaws that I should have pointed out in my review for it). And no matter how much effort you put into playing a game you'll always have someone go "But you did not play it enough to....".

[@CowCommando]

I cannot stress enough Seth's point about finding a reviwer who shares your tastes. It will make all the difference in finding products youvlike whether the be ttrpgs, video games, books, movies, or anything else.

[@ltGargoyle]

Personally, I love your old-school reviews and general discussions on those games, especially old-school D&D. I also enjoy your DM tips and tricks and storytelling. I even shared your channel with my son, who now runs his own 5E campaign with his friends. I agree look at the reviewers to see how trust worthy they are.

[@thiseffingm]

3:44 yeah I have updated my personal rule of no more reviewing TTRPG Systems that haven’t been run for me. I want someone who knows what’s going on showing me how it’s intended to work, so that way I minimize the chance I review something I ran incorrectly

[@thiseffingm]

7:16 get out of my head dude I am in major need of decent chase rules

[@robertchmielecki2580]

Ha! Just a couple of days ago I asked a similar question on the Dakka Dakka forums (Dakka Dakka - Dakka Discussions - What is a review?) I will paste my thought from this thread here: "In boardgaming community people are generally in agreement that reviewing a game after playing it just 2 or 3 times isn't really a review, more like first impressions. The number of games necessary for a proper review varies between games and players, but it is accepted that you need to get some experience with the game for a review to really contain what a review should - some objective facts (this works well but this other thing doesn't) and subjective opinions (these aspects were enjoyable, but those others failed to deliver the promised experience). This seems not to be the case with wargames (and RPGs too) at all. Yesterday new Kill Team expansion "reviews" dropped and they all follow the same pattern - look at components, flip through the book, read (some of the) rules from the pages verbatim. It is pretty obvious very few (if any) of these reviewers have already played with the new rules and teams at all. When asked how many games they've had before reviewing the expansion, they answer either jokingly or with implied irritation, never giving the number. I have already noticed this trend with wargames but also new RPG book reviews some time ago (never play, flip through the book on camera, read some, done), it seems to continue unchallenged. I do not expect total expertise with the game, like from one of my most respected video game reviewers - Mortismal - who only reviews games after 100%ing them. But making a board game video/article where you look at components and quote/read the rules aloud on camera and calling it a board game review would have the "reviewer" killed with laughter by the boardgaming community. So is it ok for wargames (and RPG handbooks), and if so, why? Is it how the hobby nowadays is centered on buying, not playing, because it's the only thing hobbyists can find time for in their busy adult lives? I've asked twice in the KT thread about people's impressions from playing the new edition, what works for them, what doesn't, what they like. All I got was crickets and tumbleweed. But the moment a new product appears there's a buzz of activity, all the talking not about the game and how it plays, but about prices, availability, materials, distribution... So maybe an average wargamer really doesn't need an informed opinion on the game and how it plays, to decide whether to buy it or not, as they are never going to get to the point where it matters? "

[@mistaree8394]

I love your reviews and personal standards for reviews Seth. Thank you.