General Review Guidelines

A “full review” consists of scoring the five main categories and a written review that should–essentially–contain explanations of why you scored each category the way you did. This does not need to be lengthy; sometimes a short sentence is enough but other times a paragraph or more for each category may be needed.

Written comments are the most important part of a review because the ratings score does not always paint a true picture of whether a scenario is good or bad. For example, a multiplayer map could score a ‘1’ for Story/Instructions (thus lowering the overall final rating) but it could still be a wonderful multiplayer map because it is well-balanced, has many of creative elements and is fun to play.

Avoid making vague statements in your written review; your comments should answer more questions than it raises. If possible include an example from the scenario to back up any points that you make. If you are pointing out something to the designer that you feel could be improved, try to provide some ideas the author can build upon. Do as much as you can to help the designer improve his or her work.

All scenarios have good aspects and bad aspects. Try to always say at least one good thing about any scenario you review and never personally insult a designer. They might not be the best designer, but even if you are handing out a score of 1.0, you still should never insult or ridicule the designer. Be honest about the scenario but make every effort to encourage the designer to do better next time.

Avoid giving away too much about the winning strategies you used, or surprises that the mission holds, as you don’t want to spoil the fun for future players.

Taking the time to go through your work and spell check it before submitting your review is essential. Copy and paste the text into your word program for a quick spell checker. Nobody likes to see someone criticize another person’s work for poor spelling when the reviewer’s grammar is no better.

Introduction | Scoring Overview