Is it fair to review a game after the first play?

After spending a lot of time on BGG and reviewing a number of games, I have been confronted with the dilemma over reviewing games after one or two plays. Is it fair? Or should a true, accurate review be formulated from a foundation of multiple plays and a seasoned understanding of strategy?

Well, allow me to give my perspective, so that my point of view on future game reviews can be very clear: Yes, I think that reviewing a game after the first play is entirely fair. Before you guffaw, consider a few of my points. First, most other forms of entertainment and culture are reviewed based on initial impressions--consider movies, restaurants, and books. Roger Ebert was not required to watch Glitter five times before deeming it to be crap. Sometimes you just know from the first go-around. Granted impressions may change over time--I hated Anchorman the first time I saw it, but then grew to cherish it as comedy gold--but first impressions are critical in our short attention span-ish lives.

I also contend that first-impression reviews are adequate, as most gamers will generally only get their friends and family to try a game once before everyone decides whether or not it will get subsequent table play. Let's consider Dungeon Lords--a great game with a lot of fun and a sense of humor. The problem with DL, though, is that it requires a lot of patience to learn and sit through. The virtue of the game will be decided by most gamers on their first play. If your friends hate the game that first time through, they'll likely never let it see the table again. So if your friends can be that snap judgy, why can't I?

Plus, provided that the review is noted as a first-play evaluation, there's no reason to take it for anything else. I would readily consider writing follow-up reviews if a game is given a more substantial amount of play, and don't feel that an initial review is prohibitive of an impartial experienced review.

So let me just say that I will continue to happily review games based on early impressions and will do so with every confidence that readers can realize and infer that further gameplay and strategy development may alter perceptions. Just as a I may review a game without the ideal number of players seated at the table, sometimes my play experiences will be far from ideal--but isn't that the point of an honest game review? After all, how many of us truly play these games under ideal circumstances each time?

With all of this said, I always welcome feedback on reviews from seasoned players with a trove of experience. Contributing different perspectives to a dialogue is always a good thing, ne c'est pas?

New Gaming Commentary Coming Your Way

Hey gaming fans, I am very excited to announce that we may see some new contributors around this little blog, here. It seems that life can get really swamped, and I'm not always able to keep the conversation as fresh as I'd always like. The answer? Bring in two of my favorite gaming buds to write some articles, opinions, insights...or just post whatever gaming rubbish they like. I'm really excited to get some new insights into gaming here, and I hope you will all welcome them as they (hopefully) start posting. Welcome, Shawn and Jameson!

If the two of them read this, now would be an excellent time to maybe post a "hello" message and introduce yourselves. Maybe? Or maybe not. I know Shawn's at GenCon right now. Damn him. Meh, at least I know I'll keep posting.