Exchange of Realities

If there’s one thing most good GMs and writers have in common, it’s that they want to get better at what they do. It’s hard for people to be objective when looking at their own work, though; that’s why they ask for comments. Only a lot of people aren’t very good at giving them. I have one friend who can tell me what he likes but not why; another who’s very good at negative criticism but not so good at positive beyond “Best game I’ve ever been in”, still another who seems to like sparing my feelings a bit much.

So what goes into a critique?

Make sure there’s something positive, whether you’re dealing with a writer or a GM. They’ve put effort into this; are they really going to keep putting effort into something nobody whatsoever enjoys? Besides, if you can find something they’re good at, they can apply why it works to other things. My creative writing professor tended to insist on beginning all our workshops by saying something good about the story—let’s just say that that was the hardest part for me.

But also make sure there’s something negative, if you can find it. This makes it clear that you’re not mincing around trying to avoid offending the creator’s sensibilities—if she didn’t want to hear where she could improve, she probably wouldn’t have asked—but more importantly, gives her something to work from. Odds are she’s pretty sure there’s got to be something the work still needs, and wants to know what.

Critiques should be specific. “Best game ever” is very flattering, but it’s not particularly helpful in figuring out what worked and what didn’t; likewise “I hated the story” isn’t going to do much beyond annoy the writer. If you can, see if you can isolate your reaction to a factor—if you can tell them “This event is my kind of story” or “I loved getting to explore how those characters were affected by this event”, “Dungeons get boring after a while when it’s just a maze of twisty passages all alike but for what attacks us” or “We took WAY too long deciding what to do this time”, that’s going to be a lot more useful than generalized negative or positive sentiments. This also helps with pulling out positive points when your reaction is overall negative—if they’ve stuck an interesting character in a badly-executed plot, you can compliment the character, for instance.

When delivering negative commentary, be prepared to suggest alternatives. “Don’t” is a very limited word; while it tells people what not to do, all that creates is more floundering trying to find what to do. Pretty unhelpful, particularly when there are a lot of “don’t”s and your critique-ee is running out of ideas for things to do. On the other hand, if you can say “Don’t do this; try this instead” (“Perhaps you could try using summoned creatures instead of just undead?”), it gives the person being critiqued something to work from.

Don’t be afraid to ask and answer questions. With a willing partner, critique and advice by Socratic method can be quite effective, particularly on someone stuck for plot; it brings out the answers that work with the creator’s mindset rather than being her world your way. If you’re offering critique, you’re likely to be pressed for details, since no two people think the same way; don’t be afraid to take the time to answer. And when you’re thinking of your own commentary, take the time to ask yourself questions, try to narrow down what you’re feeling that way—in short, go a little more meta than you might otherwise. It brings out more useful commentary.

So when you’re asked for a critique, try to keep these in mind; you’re likely to be better received, and you’ll certainly be more helpful.