Review Rubric
How useful is a ★★★★☆ rating? 7 out of 10? Do you have any idea what the author’s idea of a 10/10 is? What they mark stuff down for?
Let’s set out a rubric for reviewing RPG books & products. That way you’ll at least know what in the world I’m thinking when it comes to games.
Concept 10 points
Is the concept cool? Novel? Does it have a strong hook? Does it build on stuff that came before? Did it influence stuff that came after?
Rules 10 points
Do the rules do what they intend to do? We’re not so worried about good or bad, but whether the rules can be used to play the game as (I imagine) the authors envisioned.
Tools 5 points
Charts, tables, chase rules, flowcharts, cheat sheets - does the book offer stuff to support the rest of the game? More important than that, are there bits and pieces in here that readers can bring to their table in other contexts, or steal for their own projects?
Writing 5 points
How’s the experience of reading the book, sentence by sentence? Does it inspire? Is there fiction? Does that fiction do what it needs to do to get you into the game? Is the writer clever and capable when it comes to language?
Clarity 5 points
Can I read this book and understand what it’s saying? Start with grammar, usage, and mechanics - does the author know how to write? Beyond that, though, and more important: when I read the rules, do I understand where they’re meant to be used and how they work?
Layout 5 points
Is it readable? Is it sized appropriately? Is the typeface correct for its use? Are the rules that need to be referred to together presented together? The perfect book doesn’t require much flipping back and forth. Things can be found on the page instantly. It’s a pleasure to look at.
Art 5 points
Is the art good? Does it reflect the world & rules? Is it stylish? Interesting? Does it create a cohesive ‘feel’ for the game?
Production 5 points
The physical item. Is the binding sturdy? Paper quality, ink, color fidelity, size & shape, durability - how does the thing feel in the hand?
There are 50 points available in the rubric above, with a split of 25 points for true content - the concept, rules, and tools - and 25 points for the supporting stuff - the look, readability, production.
Let’s do an example. A game that’s almost omnipresent, a sample of what something you recognize looks like in the rubric: Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook, 5th Edition, 2014.
Concept 7/10.
A faithful continuation of 3rd & 4th editions, a bit less focused than earlier editions in terms of what it wants to tackle. The earliest editions had the mixed blessing of narrowness: you, a ruffian, dive into a hole in the ground to fight goblins and earn gold. Newer games suffer from needing more flesh on their bones, but it’s undeniable that most folks want that framing and storytelling. The current edition seems a little washed-out in the context of the many, many other games that have put a twist on classic fantasy, but it’s still the Ur-text of the genre: get weapons, fight dragons.
Rules 9/10.
The rules do the thing they want to do, broadly. Argue all you like about whether what they want to do is good or fun, but they allow you to learn the system, be the hero, get the powers, fight the bad guy. Bounded accuracy means you’re never completely outclassed, and vice versa. Proficiency is a simple, good system that reduces bookkeeping. Advantage is a smart way to simplify bonuses & penalties, especially within the guardrails of bounded accuracy. It falls down when it comes to certain matters of balance, especially for specific monsters and classes, but overall the rules could be said to be good.
Tools 1/5.
Quick, name an iconic tool, table, or chart from 5th Ed! It’s impossible. Not much here - by design, one presumes, but nevertheless not much here. The great ‘failing’ of this edition with respect to tools is that the rules are written intentionally with natural language. Rather than using codewords, tags, categories, and the like every spell calls out its meaning in the spell’s text, every class feature or rule states clearly what it should do. That strength in the Rules category means that there’s not much use for the bits and pieces that festooned 4th Edition (power cards, say). No tools.
Writing 3/5.
Nothing here offensively bad, but neither does it make the heart sing. The dedication to plain English mentioned above means that every sentence is readable, and none are exciting. It’s also worth noting that Dungeons & Dragons holds off on the fiction and story here in the Players Handbook, presenting those instead in splat books, adventures, and video games.
Clarity 4/5.
There are very few places where rules can be misinterpreted, and where there are it is typically evident (to me) what the Rules As Intended are.
Layout 4/5.
Professional, clean, and usable. Plenty of illustrations to break things up, no orphaned lines dangling above the following pages. Rules are mostly where they ought to be. Nothing exciting, but that’s very much in-line with the whole system’s ethos: usability before excitement.
Art 4/5.
Solid work! Professional quality, good colors. Evokes a unified, classic aesthetic that shouts ‘standard fantasy.’ The armor and elves all look good. Nothing here will startle you or knock your socks off, but it’s a great example of a bunch of skilled artists working together under a competent director to create a single vision.
Book 2/5.
8.5” x 11” format, made in China. Covers are a little soft. Pages are a little fragile. Early print runs were prone to bindings falling apart (an instant 0/5 on this category), and even later printings are a bit loose. The edges of text can be a little fuzzy, and some colors get washed out in illustrations. The premium editions get an extra point here: the covers feel sturdier, the hand is nicer. Why not a 1 of 5 for such middle-of-the-road quality? Because there’s no big faults. It isn’t staple-bound, not prone to rips, doesn’t feel exceptionally cheap or floppy, it’s just a so-so, budget-feeling level of production. Such is the result of mass printing.
Total score 34/50.
So with all that in hand, what does that score mean? 34 of 50 without context is nothing. Well here’s the context:
46+ The best of the best. Buy the book, play the game. This is something you should have on your shelf, even if it’s just to borrow from.
41-45 Great book. Production, concept, rules, writing are all excellent, and there are few or no misses.
31-40 Good. Some issues, a few misses at the core, but a book I’m happy to have.
21-30 Middling. Something at the core went wrong. Quality is lacking in production, in concept, or in rules.
11-20 Bad book. Not only did issues arise, the book couldn’t present anything that would save it, no standout moments or shining prizes.
0-10 Some real trash. Probably not worth picking up, certainly not worth owning.