Let's revive the Reviewers Section...

We know that there are a TON of reviewers OUT-THERE! This section would be different ... As it's GOAL would be to APPEAL to "Game Designer". It's sort of like doing an exam and then telling your friend afterwards what were all the hard questions and the troublesome problems and such...

We would talk in "design-lingo" what are the mechanics... How do they work together... How does the game challenge you ... What is "broken" in the game or not solved yet... Game flaws and challenges...

Things like THAT! Making these REVIEWS EDUCATIONAL for other GAME DESIGNERS... It's nice to watch Tom Vasel, Rodney Smith, Richard Ham, Undead Viking, Edo Baraf, and the countless others, etc.

But they all approach games from the PLAYER's perspective. What about a perspective from a DESIGNER's Point-of-view???

Now I know this section will have a bit of a challenging time. But once the COVID-19 restrictions are removed and that life can resume the NEW-NORMAL... We're going to have hobby nights and game nights... People can't wait to resume playing TableTop Games AGAIN!

And that's where ALL of YOU, that's right YOU (the person reading this thread) come into play... I don't know how well we will be able to KEEP ALIVE that Forum... ATM it's only an idea... Share your thoughts with me and let me know if you would be willing to take a few notes here-and-there to have this EXCITING thread about the inner workings of TableTop Games!

Cheers folks.

No I don't want to do it in the "deconstructing classic game x", I was more thinking of something like an homage to "Tom Vasel" and something moving forwards as the place to ADD a comment when you PLAY a NEW game (or one that has not been reviewed yet) or play one that has been reviewed by someone else (has a review but your opinion contrasts) but you have a difference of opinion...

It would probably be in a Forum such as in "General" -> "TBH Game Reviews".

That is what I am thinking. I don't know if that forum will survive?! Will we get enough participation, is one (1) review per week too lofty of a goal for our BGDF.com members?! These are all valid questions to which that I have no answer ATM.

But I'm willing to entertain the Forum... In honor of "Tom Vasel" being a BGDF.com member way back in 2004. I think he did 2 years of reviews from 2004 to 2006 on BGDF.com and then founded his OWN website "The Dice Tower".

I'm trying to work on the FIRST ENTRY ... And have been in contact with a designer to see if HE would be willing to be the FIRST "Game" to be reviewed (and yes this is a published/commercial game). Being first is cool because you'll always be the first one to have gotten their review over on BGDF.com and it's a memorable thing...

We'll see what this Game Designer thinks ... And take it from there!

Note #1: And I say "homage" to Tom Vasel because HE WAS an active BGDF.com member and he's continued the reviewer tradition to his own website. The idea is to "re-kindle" a bit of that nostalgia with a NEW forum dedicated to "Designer Reviews". How many people do YOU know who have asked YOU for YOUR opinion on a game???

The answer is probably nobody. However you probably do PLAY games! And you most certainly have an opinion about the game afterwards. And that's what we're talking about HERE! We want YOUR opinion! Was the game good, did it have interesting mechanics, was the theme cohesive or just pasted on-top, if there was a story was it relevant, if there were components what was their overall quality, etc.

Things that matter to other Game Designers!

Note #2: While we know that there are a bunch of reviewers out-there (some more known than others) ... The point that I am presenting is WHO has ever asked YOU to write a review??? Probably nobody and you maybe play games as frequently as some of the reviewers (not all)... But some. You may have one game night and play 4 unlisted games (games not reviewed on BGDF.com) ... That's your chance to share your opinion with the community about your thoughts on those 4 games (again from the perspective as being a Game Designer)!

Because I don't OWN the game that I want to review. This is more like REAL "Review" where someone sends me a copy of the game and I review from a Game Designer's perspective. I'm just putting my "best foot forwards"!

I agree ... And since I don't USUALLY play "these kind of games" (like the one I am going to start-off the forum with) ... It's going to have a lot of technical discussions going on (from what I have seen of the game). There are a lot of mechanics woven together...

If you are a REGULAR contributor to the "Reviewers" Forum well then people may "seek you out" for your opinion on how the game is from a Designer's Stand-Point of View!

So very excited to receive a PROTOTYPE to be able to critique, play and of course review. I'm not so sure how GREAT of a reception we will have with this Forum ("TBH Game Reviews") but if some of you decided to become more involved with this particular Forum, I will KEEP a LIST of people willing to playtest NEW and up-coming games... The COOL and HOT stuff (as much as possible).

The IDEA is simple, someone e-mails ME (QuestCCG) about a game they would like to be reviewed by BGDF.com and I will contact a few REGULAR members who actively involve themselves in PLAYTESTING and GAMING in general. Once one member is selected, I will contact the person looking for a REVIEW and send them the Address Information for the game.

The NEXT step is to confirm that the BGDF.com member has received his/her copy and then the member can proceed to play it and take notes. REMEMBER: it must be from a DESIGNER'S PERSPECTIVE. So talk about Mechanics, Theme, Play Time, Focus, Overall appeal and your ranking (1 to 10).

And that's it... The REVIEWER gets to KEEP his/her copy of the GAME, we make the thread visible to everyone ... And the obligations are met! How cool does that sound???

Please feel free to comment and let us know your thoughts!

But it's going to take AT LEAST ONE (1) MONTH before the 1st Game reaches my doorstep... So the forum will be SLOW until then... And hopefully when you all see what I have planned (it will be probably multiple parts) and there may be different sections presented by different designers too... We'll see what we can accomplish.

Remember, we're trying to put our "Best First Foot Forwards"!

Much like the Ad Program there has been some success, enough to pay for disk space and daily back-ups (which BOTH cost money BTW). And we have some monies set aside for the next payment of hosting fees too... So it's been okay. I'm guessing I could be more "aggressive" and reach out to more people...

As an FYI, I have been receiving a LOT of e-mails asking for sponsored posts. And I've discussed it with Rich and he agrees... All they want is our traffic (16,000+ Visitors a month). And they want to pay peanuts for it. Pennies on the dollar...

So please do NOT contact me for anything sponsored UNLESS you want a BANNER Ad with our Ad Program which helps support the maintenance and availability of BGDF.com.

Again don't worry if the Reviewers Forum may be a bit quiet. I'm not expecting ANY action in the next MONTH or so... Unless we have another STAR candidate who mysteriously shows up wanting us to DO a review... Highly unlikely... But then again, it could happen. Not impossible.

Please be patient as we wait for product to arrive and then take a more detail look at rules and such to begin by sharing more information about the game in-question! Cheers.