I recently read Ten Foot Pole’s… less than flattering review of Harwood. This adventure is one that I’ve long considered my best work, and so it was a bit rough reading through what he had to say.
The thing is, he was right. There were things about this adventure that just didn’t make any damn sense. And I knew that. Actually, it was quite helpful having TFP’s review, as it pointed me in the right direction to make this adventure better. So, thanks TFP for being painfully honest. It was what I needed, and I hope this adventure is better because of it.
And to the kind commenter who said my art looks like a five year old drew it, a thirty year old drew it, and I’m proud of it. I’m no professional artist, but I made it myself and I still think it looks fun. So there.
Anyway, this is still free for all of you (Itch // DriveThruRPG)! I’m hoping to start writing more adventures, but before I got into that, I really wanted to take a good look at Harwood and make it the best it can be.
So, query for all you other makers: How do you handle hearing negative reviews? I uh… I stayed up past midnight drawing a better map.
I agree. Ignore the commenter about the art. Keep at it. It will improve and I can see why you are proud of it.
I see hints of your own unique style throughout. The cover has good feel to it that hangs on the creepy smile at the top and the good poses of the characters at the bottom. The sense of movement through the wizard pose is good. I also see some maturation of your ability in the drawing of the statue of Selene. Keep at it and you will only get better.
Good luck. We need more human made stuff out there and that will only happen if humans keep trying at it, failing a little, succeeding a little, but always keeping at it. I think you are doing great.
I would echo what Yochai said, but take it a step further. I would recommend taking Bryce’s reviews with a big ol’ giant grain of salt. Absorb what actually resonates with you and leave everything else behind. It seems to me he is looking for a very specific thing, and not all adventures—not even all great adventures—work for him.
For example, he HATED an adventure I wrote, saying, “This is not roleplaying. There is no subtly [sic] here…I am not amused." Meanwhile, Meguey Baker found it to be "…the most interesting hex crawl [she’s] seen in a Very long Time." (I don’t mean to imply my adventure is great. It has a lot of problems. But some people loved it!)
To circle back to your question, I try to do what I suggest doing with Bryce’s: I absorb what resonates with me and leave the rest behind. (I try to, anyway. At first I ranted and raved to anyone who would listen, haha.)
I read through your adventure, since I review stuff on my blog occasionally, and I thought it was fine. The layout is clean, you clearly put a lot of time and effort into it. I have some deeper thoughts about the mechanics of the writing, but I’d rather spend a lot of time with the adventure before really getting into those.
I wouldn’t let this get under your skin. Your adventure is released completely for free. Reviews, IMO, should serve the purpose of telling people what is worth their money, and I think it’s unfair to put it up to the same standard as professional releases made by people who literally sell their adventures to pay their rent, nor is the comparison useful.
So I would say this is an honest and while not positive, not terrible review from 10 ft pole. It doesn’t have a tag like “The Worst Ever” or anything else that Bryce reserves for bad adventures. I think his advice is pretty actionable and useful from the review (I haven’t read the adventure - but if you send me a copy of something I’m often able to give feedback).
Here I think you’ve got two major issues:
The region lack connectivity. It sounds like you just filled in hexes rather then connecting them to each other and to rumors in the town. That can be fixed. How do the denizens of the Hexes connect to each other. E.G. I like the horrible pale goblins, but who do they hate, do they have allies? Enemies? What are their plans and what does the town know about them? When you answer these questions it helps - multiple relationships between the places and creatures on the map are good because then they lead to each other.
Your dungeon is too minimal. You need longer keys and more going on in your haunted house, because ultra-minimalism only works when the details are easy to pull naturally from the rule books and sometimes popular culture. That’s not something a haunted will do well - because a haunted house (kinda like a hex crawl) is even more a connection of secrets and relationships. Secrets and relationships need clues for the players, and explanations for the referee.
I would also ask how much you play tested? Not just yourself, but did you get anyone else to give it a try. Others trying to run your stuff can give a lot of insight.
I’d take this review to heart a bit and see how you can make your next thing better with the critique. I’m of the opinion that almost any review is a rare gift, because so many designers get none, and even designers with more of a following get very few - especially ones that ask for changes or improvements.
Also to echo what everyone else is saying. The comments on 10ft pole are absolute trash, written often by horrible trolls.
The way I think about criticism starts with what I am trying to accomplish and who I made the thing for.
If the feedback is from the kind of gamer I intended the thing for and what I was trying to accomplish in terms of the feel and experience of play didn’t happen then I would do well to consider the criticism. If what they are saying is ‘I didn’t like this because I don’t like this sort of thing” but it’s doing exactly what I want for the kind of people who do like that sort of thing then the feedback is probably not useful.
It’s the difference between a vegan criticizing the brisket for not being tofu and a pit master criticizing the brisket for being overcooked and dry.
A minor criticism I received on something I wrote was that the encounters in random encounter table were too structured. The reviewer would have preferred that I left the encounters open to the DM to interpret. That’s all well and good, but not what I intended them to be or how I intended them to be used. I ignore that criticism as simply that persons subjective preference.
Once I’ve sorted useful comments from not useful, I can consider how to make the next thing better according to the three fundamental questions I start with. What’s it for? Who is it for? What do I want it to feel like?
I think if I use it, I find that I did create this as a “Spooky Oldschool HexCrawl,” so people who enjoy that type of thing would be my target audience.
TFP is the type of person who enjoys those things. I didn’t love his tone, but eh, it seems to be his shtick.
So, was his feedback useful? I think so. After weighing it, I had some clear ideas on things to change (location placement, keying), and after making those changes I do like my creation better, and it is still clearly my creation.
Take feedback, but knowing who says what.
If the people have played, if they have an interest in being kind or looking severe, if it’s hot comeback or really thought out.
The best are physical reactions (leaning in, keeping shut, etc.) but with follow up questions about the mental state they denote
Apart from some really thought out answers here, take offered solutions with a ten foot pole: to me, propositions mostly mean the person wants to write their game, and it’s a good sign when they want to write your game. But it’s you who write it
Also, your drawing rules!
