exhominem
2014-01-02, 01:21 PM
(NOTE: As this is an open letter, you might see it posted to a couple different social networking sites, g+ feeds, or forums you visit. I apologize in advance for the spam)
Hi! My name's Erik Bernhardt, and I'm the Co-Creator / Product Manager of a tabletop roleplaying game called Crone (http://www.cronerpg.com/about.html), and I'm writing this open letter because I want you, yes you to review our game.
Here is a link to our Press Kit (http://press.cronerpg.com/sheet.php?p=Crone). It contains some basic information about Crone, some images, a zip of some logos and promotional art, and of course, a link to the 'review' copy of Crone (http://cronerpg.com/beta_activation.html). You're free to use these materials in any way you see fit, though we do ask that you don't edit the images besides the usual resizing, cropping, what-have-you. (Obvious note: don't charge for or try to pass our work off as someone else's. Not that you would, but, you know, gotta cover our bases)
Of course, there's probably a few questions you might be asking right now:
What the heck is Crone (http://www.cronerpg.com/about.html)?
Crone is a tabletop roleplaying card game about witches. It is a time of shattered empire, the untamed wilderness threatens to consume the whole of humanity, and only you can hold chaos at bay. Crone an innovative, card-based combat system designed to speed up gameplay reduce player down-time. Learn more about Crone at our website (http://www.cronerpg.com/about.html)!
Why do want me to review Crone?
Because even though I might not know you personally, if you're a gamer, I know you. I know you're passionate about games; why else would you be writing about them? Finally, I know you'll give Crone a fair shake, critiquing it's weaknesses and praising it's strengths.
Why now?
We're gearing up for our Kickstarter run, and things are going to start moving very quickly. First off, we want people to have all the information they need as to whether or not they should back our kickstarter. Second, but just as important, if there are any glaring errors or problems with our game, we want to know it now so we can fix it before it's too late.
Why not just pay for advertising?
Advertising is great and all, but it's still just that; advertising. No one's going to take it as seriously as a friend's or a critic's honest opinion. To us, an honest, unbiased review, whether good or bad, is worth more advertising than money can buy.
Why not just send out press releases?
There aren't very many big names in tabletop games right now. Well, except Wil Wheaton. And he stopped returning my calls after "the incident." Besides, it doesn't matter whether you have ten readers or ten thousand. If you can write and express yourself, your opinion has value.
Why do you want capsule reviews too?
I think it's easy to spot a bad game just by how it's rules are written and the way it's material is presented. It takes a bit of skill and mechanical knowledge to recognize a good game without actually playing it, but a lot of reviewers have that in spades. Personally, I don't think you need to play Crone to like where we're going with it, and the mechanics presented in the manual and on the cards should be able to carry their own water outside of play.
What if I hate it?
That's fine. The way I see it, better to hate it now when we still have time to consider criticism, fix things, and re-adjust than to hate it after our release date and not be able to do anything about it. We're still at a point right now where Crone can be made better by criticism.
And hey, even if you're not feeling that altruistic towards us, wouldn't it be better if people knew our game sucked -before- they pledged us a bunch of money to make Crone happen?
Why do you specifically want reviews?
Philosophically, I believe there is important, intrinsic value in the relationship between critic and creator. Criticism pushes the creator to do better, to not be complacent with just 'pretty good.' Furthermore, criticism ensures that there is a lively discussion around what is valuable in a work, what could be changed, and what could be added. Creators yelling into a vacuum does not create progress. The dialogue between critic, creator, and audience is what makes us better.
Also, pure morbid curiosity as to what you all think about our game.
Hopefully that covers the broad stuff. If you have more specific or additional questions, fee free to send me an e-mail at [email protected].
All we ask is that if you do decide to review Crone, please mention that the public, 'beta' version of the game is available on our site, www.croneRPG.com. Also, it'd be cool if you could send me an e-mail linking to your review, as stuff occasionally gets past the Google Alerts and such we've set up.
Thanks for considering Crone, and happy reviewing!
Sincerely,
Erik Bernhardt
Links:
About Crone: http://www.cronerpg.com/about.html
Our Presskit: http://press.cronerpg.com/sheet.php?p=Crone
Digital Review Copy: http://cronerpg.com/beta_activation.html
Hi! My name's Erik Bernhardt, and I'm the Co-Creator / Product Manager of a tabletop roleplaying game called Crone (http://www.cronerpg.com/about.html), and I'm writing this open letter because I want you, yes you to review our game.
Here is a link to our Press Kit (http://press.cronerpg.com/sheet.php?p=Crone). It contains some basic information about Crone, some images, a zip of some logos and promotional art, and of course, a link to the 'review' copy of Crone (http://cronerpg.com/beta_activation.html). You're free to use these materials in any way you see fit, though we do ask that you don't edit the images besides the usual resizing, cropping, what-have-you. (Obvious note: don't charge for or try to pass our work off as someone else's. Not that you would, but, you know, gotta cover our bases)
Of course, there's probably a few questions you might be asking right now:
What the heck is Crone (http://www.cronerpg.com/about.html)?
Crone is a tabletop roleplaying card game about witches. It is a time of shattered empire, the untamed wilderness threatens to consume the whole of humanity, and only you can hold chaos at bay. Crone an innovative, card-based combat system designed to speed up gameplay reduce player down-time. Learn more about Crone at our website (http://www.cronerpg.com/about.html)!
Why do want me to review Crone?
Because even though I might not know you personally, if you're a gamer, I know you. I know you're passionate about games; why else would you be writing about them? Finally, I know you'll give Crone a fair shake, critiquing it's weaknesses and praising it's strengths.
Why now?
We're gearing up for our Kickstarter run, and things are going to start moving very quickly. First off, we want people to have all the information they need as to whether or not they should back our kickstarter. Second, but just as important, if there are any glaring errors or problems with our game, we want to know it now so we can fix it before it's too late.
Why not just pay for advertising?
Advertising is great and all, but it's still just that; advertising. No one's going to take it as seriously as a friend's or a critic's honest opinion. To us, an honest, unbiased review, whether good or bad, is worth more advertising than money can buy.
Why not just send out press releases?
There aren't very many big names in tabletop games right now. Well, except Wil Wheaton. And he stopped returning my calls after "the incident." Besides, it doesn't matter whether you have ten readers or ten thousand. If you can write and express yourself, your opinion has value.
Why do you want capsule reviews too?
I think it's easy to spot a bad game just by how it's rules are written and the way it's material is presented. It takes a bit of skill and mechanical knowledge to recognize a good game without actually playing it, but a lot of reviewers have that in spades. Personally, I don't think you need to play Crone to like where we're going with it, and the mechanics presented in the manual and on the cards should be able to carry their own water outside of play.
What if I hate it?
That's fine. The way I see it, better to hate it now when we still have time to consider criticism, fix things, and re-adjust than to hate it after our release date and not be able to do anything about it. We're still at a point right now where Crone can be made better by criticism.
And hey, even if you're not feeling that altruistic towards us, wouldn't it be better if people knew our game sucked -before- they pledged us a bunch of money to make Crone happen?
Why do you specifically want reviews?
Philosophically, I believe there is important, intrinsic value in the relationship between critic and creator. Criticism pushes the creator to do better, to not be complacent with just 'pretty good.' Furthermore, criticism ensures that there is a lively discussion around what is valuable in a work, what could be changed, and what could be added. Creators yelling into a vacuum does not create progress. The dialogue between critic, creator, and audience is what makes us better.
Also, pure morbid curiosity as to what you all think about our game.
Hopefully that covers the broad stuff. If you have more specific or additional questions, fee free to send me an e-mail at [email protected].
All we ask is that if you do decide to review Crone, please mention that the public, 'beta' version of the game is available on our site, www.croneRPG.com. Also, it'd be cool if you could send me an e-mail linking to your review, as stuff occasionally gets past the Google Alerts and such we've set up.
Thanks for considering Crone, and happy reviewing!
Sincerely,
Erik Bernhardt
Links:
About Crone: http://www.cronerpg.com/about.html
Our Presskit: http://press.cronerpg.com/sheet.php?p=Crone
Digital Review Copy: http://cronerpg.com/beta_activation.html