A Review Policy

You might have noticed I review modules, and occasionally games. I do this for two reasons: The first is that I want to critique modules and games for the purpose of learning about design, and the second is I want to support creators in what can be a lonely hobby. I mostly do this by buying and reviewing a lot of modules, but lately, people have started offering me complimentary copies of their work. In light of this, I thought I’d share my review policy, for transparency’s sake. 

If you want your module or game reviewed, I accept complimentary copies, either digital or physical. I’m in Australia, so postage for physical products is expensive. I might decline a complementary copy, though, if offered, particularly if I have no interest in the game or module, or if I’ve already bought it.

If you send me a complimentary copy of a module, I will always endeavour to review it, but there may be a wait — I try to limit myself to one review per week for my own sanity, and at the time of writing I had five months of reviews written and scheduled. I will no longer be reviewing complimentary copies of 5th edition modules. Please don’t send your 5th edition module to me, instead read the modules I have reviewed and learn to apply the lessons in them to your work.

If you send me a complimentary copy of a game, I will not guarantee that I will review it, because I read and review games at my own fancy, if and when I’m excited by them. Games are long and complex, and reviewing games is hard. If you send me a complimentary copy of it game, the chance it will catch my fancy might be higher. Maybe.

If you request a review to be timed around a scheduled date, I’ll endeavour to accommodate you. Reading games and modules and writing reviews takes time, so I offer no guarantees. 

I’ll state if I was provided a complimentary copy, or if I have a noteworthy relationship with anyone involved. Regardless of whether you send me a complimentary copy (digital or physical) or I purchase the game or module myself, or have a relationship with a creator, I will provide an honest review. It’s tricky to be objective about things that I get for free or people I’m in relationship with, but my receiving a complimentary copy will never turn a positive opinion negative or a negative opinion positive. My goals here are to critique modules for the purpose of learning about design, and to support creators, as I stated at the top — not being honest in my opinions does not achieve either goal. I have in the past and will in the future publish reviews of modules and games I’ve been disappointed by. If you’re worried about not being able to predict what my opinion will be, it will probably reflect my well-established preferences, which you can familiarise yourself with by reading my past reviews. 

I do not have capacity to give you a heads up regarding whether my opinion is positive or not. I don’t always have the capacity to let you know when I publish the review. I don’t always have the capacity to share widely. I suggest you follow my socials or this blog, so you know when I publish reviews and can share it in your spaces.

If, after all of those caveats, you’re still interested in sending me a complimentary copy of a module or game, you can email me at idle cartulary at gee mail dot com. I appreciate your support.

Idle Cartulary

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