Tonight @ 9 PM Eastern - Strange Murmerings Podcast Recording LIVE on the Tenkar's Tavern Discord Server with Guest Tom Knauss (Frog God Games)

I'm excited to announce a new regular live show on the Tenkar's Tavern Discord Server. Strange Murmurings is a twice-monthly podcast where the hosts (@melkor @BearEclai and @የሁዕዕረቿነ  from the Strange Gods podcast) sit down and talk with TTRPG content creators and designers and find out what makes them tick.

Tonight on Strange Murmurings, we have @Tom Knauss (Frog God Games) .. feel free to jump in the conversation at 9pm EST!  (yes, audience participation is encouraged) If you miss it, you can download it tomorrow on the Strange Murmurings podcast:  https://anchor.fm/strange-murmurings

You can find the Tenkar's Tavern Discord Server at the following link:

https://discord.gg/fReGmuD

In addition to the above podcasts, you may enjoy Swords & Misery, an actual play podcast using the Swords & Wizardry rules. Same great folks. More great content.

The Tavern Chat Podcast - Episode 98 - Extended Interview with Darcy Perry -Miniatures

This interview was a bit of an experiment, as we recorded it in a room with live listeners on The Tavern's Discord server. While it runs far longer than most episodes of The Tavern Chat Podcast, I was loath to cut it into smaller pieces. So, the longest episode of The Tavern Chat Podcast by far. You've been warned ;)

In this episode, I have a (virtual) fireside chat with Darcy Perry of Star Hat Miniatures. Darcy is the sculptor of the official Tenkar miniature. The episode runs 57 minutes and was recorded in front of a live audience with questions and comments via text chat.

Link to Episode 98 - https://anchor.fm/tavernchat/episodes/Episode-98---Extended-Interview-with-Darcy-Perry--Miniatures-e22ulg

Link to Darcy's Current Kickstarter - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/darcyperry/dungeons-of-doom-v-law-vs-chaos-star-hat-miniature

Live Interview Tonight - 830 PM Eastern - Darcy Perry - Star Hat Miniatures

So, we're doing something different tonight. I'm having a chat with / interviewing Darcy Perry of Star Hat Miniatures, the man that did the Tenkar Mini and currently has the Dungeons of Doom V: Law Vs Chaos Kickstarting running.

It was Darcy's idea to run the interview Live, so I have a voice chat room and associated text chat room ready to go on the Tenkar's Tavern Discord Server.

We'll be using The Interview Room for the recording and if you want to listen (you won't be able to talk, or at least, that's how i THINK I set it up) just hangout out in the room. Also, drop into the interview-room-chat to comment/ask questions via chat. You can be in both at the same time.

I'll release the interview on The Tavern Chat Podcast this week.

Just about 2 hours to go.

Here's the link: https://discord.gg/v2j6ph

Interview with Steve Jackson (SJG) regarding The Fantasy Trip RPG

Before the launch of The Fantasy Trip Kickstarter, I had an email exchange with Steve Jackson (of Steve Jackson Games, not the other one ;) regarding The Fantasy Trip. Steve answered some questions and I suspect some of the answers may lead to questions from my readers. If you do have some questions, leave them in the comments section and I'll forward them to Steve Jackson Games.

Tenkar: Here is the initial round of The Fantasy Trip questions. I expect some answers to generate further questions. There is no specific reason for the order of the questions.

I must confess to not owning a copy of the original rules. Not for lack of interest, simply lack of desire to be shaken down on Ebay.

Steve: Yes, totally understandable.

Tenkar: 1 - Steve, what was your inspiration for The Fantasy Trip? What were you trying to accomplish with the rules when you wrote them?

Steve: For the original Melee, the inspiration was OD&D and I wanted to create a better combat system, for “suits me better” values of better. I like hexes.  For the later material, the inspiration was all the fun we were having playing Melee, and the goal was to see if I could create a coherent but simpler rules system.


Tenkar: 2 - Are you surprised by the amount of nostalgia and love there is for The Fantasy Trip?

Steve: In a word, yes!


Tenkar: 3 - I believe GURPS is an evolution of The Fantasy Trip, much like AD&D was of OD&D, perhaps with more divergence in the case of TFT / GURPS. With the new printing of TFT, will we get to see a “what if" version of The Fantasy Trip if it had been allowed evolve on its own?

Steve: It won’t be the same as 40 years of natural evolution,, but yes, it will at least be a lot like it would have been if I’d had another few months and Metagaming’s print budget had been greater, back in the day.


Tenkar: 4 - Rob Conley raised a question in The Tavern’s weekly voice chat session - Will there be something similar to OneBookShelf's Community Content Program for The Fantasy Trip, so that third-party publishers could publish content for TFT and share the profits with SJg?

Steve: Maaaaaaaaaaybe?


Tenkar: 5 - What kind of initial support can be expected after the core rules are released? Adventures, campaign setting, etc?

Steve: Yes and yes. We’re working on a neat GM tool, and an introductory one-character solo.


Tenkar: 6 - I see $60 is going to be the "I want it all" cost for TFT on KS. What are the plans for distribution aside from KS?

Steve: Not fully formed. Melee and Wizard will be in stores. If the whole Legacy box is in stores, it will be considerably more than $60.


Tenkar: 7 - Related in part to Question 4, are there any third party publishers that have asked or have lined up to support TFT (understood if this is confidential - yes or no may suffice)?

Steve: Confidential and yes.


Tenkar: 8 - With Melee and Wizard being published at the same time this time around, has that enabled you to ensure both books work seamlessly with each other?

Steve: I have certainly given it the old college try.


Tenkar: 9 - Will Advanced Melee and Advanced Wizard be a part of the initial core books, are they something for later or is it something that hasn’t been considered yet.

Steve: They will be subsumed into ITL, which will go up to 160 pages. (Note: "ITL" is "In the Labyrinth" and will be inside The Fantasy Trip Legacy Edition box.)


Tenkar: 10 - Which, if any, of the original supplements that you no have the rights to will be reissued?

Steve: All of them, eventually. Everything but the Death Tests is in the basic set, and the DTs are stretch goals that I really hope will be hit. If not, they will be part of the first supplement package.

Feel free to ask follow-ups.

Your Humble Bartender was Interviewed by Vince Florio for his The Roots of Evil Youtube Series

What can I say - I look like a goof. But heh, most of my readers already knew that.

In any case, go watch the video and subscribe to Vince's Youtube channel.

I Plan on Doing a Bunch of 5 Minute Audio Interviews at Gary Con X

I picked up a Zoom ZH1 H1 Handy Portable Digital Recorder with the intention of seeking out members of the OSR Community (known and less known) for a series of 5 minute interviews. Now, it sounds really good in theory but 5 minutes can be really long of the conversation doesn't flow.

That's where you, The Tavern's Readers, come in. I need some general questions I can refer to get the interviews flowing. Add your questions to the comments below. Tuesday night around 9 PM Eastern I'll pick two random commenters. They'll each receive a $5 RPGNow Gift Certificate.

I'll print out the list of questions and bring it with my to Gary Con.

When I return back to New York it may go up as a special episode of the Hero's Brew podcast.

What are you waiting for? ;)

Matt Finch Interviews Your's Truly for Old School Gaming Radio

I'm actually nervous sharing this. Not a lot nervous, just a little. You see, when I do podcasts, we have a general idea where the conversation is going to go and I am not the focus. With +Matt Finch I really didn't know where the conversation was going to go and i WAS the focus.

We did I have fun, that's for sure. I haven't watched it yet so I can't tell you whether it went well or not, but shit - it had Matt and that's about all a video needs to have for success.

Watch the video. Subscribe to the channel. Hit the website - Old School Gamer Radio. Tell Matt that "Tenkar sent you" ;)

I Was Interviewed By Erik Jensen - The Crate, SWL, Press Releases and More - Come for the Drama, Stay for the Beer :)

So, Sunday afternoon I was interviewed by +Erik Jensen . Not to give away any spoilers, but the press release for the Tenkar's Tavern Crate ruffled some feathers. Having served as a liaison between two city agencies for years, I have a hyperbole filter that I tend to ignore such stuff. It was good though, because it resulted in the following interview.

As I say in the post heading - Come for the Drama, Stay for the Beer :)

Note - I corrected my typos as i found them. I don't think ER had any. Damn him!

Q = Erik Jenson

A = Erik Tenkar

Q - Perhaps we can start with the logistics of the crate.  The signups for the first month of the Tenkar's Tavern Crate are about to end (and will have ended by the time I get this interview up maybe).  Would you describe the crate's contents as a "Tenkar-curated collection"?  What's your vision for the product, and how is it maybe different from its "sister-crate" Mythoard, and any other rpg crates out there?

A - The contents of the Crate are definitely "Tenkar Curated" - it was the only way I would do it. My reputation means something to me. Whether you love me, hate me or dont give a damn you should know that when I recommend something, that I think it has value. You may disagree with me on the value of something, but not the value of my word. And if its gaming material in the Crate, its something I recommend.

Personally, I want to explore some of the older products of the OSR - such as Blackmarsh, which is often overlooked and hardly ever grabbed in print. Or some of Matt Finch’s early work. I also want to explore some of the up and comers that are creating content, like Thom Wilson and Jason Hobbs. Then maybe surprise folks and throw in some Venger Santanis. Yes, I do “shake hands and make friends” fairly well. Actually, I hope Ven goes to Gamehole Con this fall so we can repeat our Gary Con breakfast.


Q - So we shouldn't expect that Illusionist stumbles across a shipping container full of Dragon Dice and all of a sudden it's Tenkar-recommended.

A - Lol - I actually bought myself a hoard of them last year to give my niece, 5 years old at the time something to play with

But no - no Dragon Dice

Also, the OSR isn’t limited to D&D clones either. There’s Traveller, RuneQuest, Tunnels & Trolls and other games that have been around 35 years or more. They are old school. Then there are games like Polyhedral Dungeon and Far Away Land, that aren’t cloning an old school game but have obvious old school roots.


Q - The OSR focus makes sense to me, although one has to wonder how deep the catalog can go; I suppose it's all dependent on what's available to you, rights-wise, and who you can partner with.   Sounds like we can expect a broad swath of stuff.  That can be both good and bad -- as a Mythoard subscriber but not a Traveller guy, there's been plenty of JG Traveller stuff in there that didn't do it for me, but that's the nature of a crate.   Did Illusionist come to you, or vice versa?


A - They came to me. Jarrod from Mythoard recommended me to them and I respect Jarrod immensely - if he recommended me to them it was also recommending them to me in a way.

As an aside, i'd love to get some long out of print GURPS Sourcbooks in the crate. A man can dream I suppose 


Q - Couldn't hurt to ask Steve Jackson, I guess!  Jarrod's recent appearance on Drink Spin Run was interesting, hearing him talk about Mythoard on the business end.  I'd be curious to see what the Illusionist folks have to say as well.  Here's an obvious question on the Tavern Crate: the price point is a good bit higher than that on 'classic' Mythoard.  Is there a canned answer on why that might be so?  Seems a logical thing for customers to wonder.

A - No canned answer. We are looking to put more value in the crate, which means a higher price point. We'll see what the market bears. I will say this, tangentially (is that the right word?) - the OSR is an underserved market. I can see that with my affiliate reports from the current OSR Extravaganza Sale at RPGNow. Its been eye opening to me.


Q - The Tavern must have respectable amounts of traffic, I can imagine.  And surely Illusionist thought you brought audience with you as part of the equation there, so much so they apparently called you the "Voice of the OSR Market" in the press release.  What's your current vision statement on the blog, and do you see yourself as some kind of voice of the OSR?

A - Its a press release. Need I say more? I wrote the bit I was quoted on. Nothing more. I am but one standard bearer in a field of hundreds, if not thousands. I may have greater reach than most due to my soapbox *Tenkar’s Tavern”, but I openly solicit guest posters to use said sandbox. I have yet to turn anyone away. The OSR is a community of peers.

Q - It's a press release, but it's got your name stapled to it.  People can be pretty sensitive about indications that someone in a scene is claiming to speak on behalf of that scene, but even beyond that, I can see why someone might read that assertion and kind of tilt their head in a "Rooby-Roo?" kind of way.  That's why I wanted to bring it up.   

A - Understandable. I've spent my prior career reading (and occasionally writing) such stuff. Believe it or not, its part of government work, even law endorsement. Painting a Picture, so to speak. I never put much value in such but have always considered it part and parcel with marketing. 



Q - I don't think there's any question it's marketing, the question is how hyperbolic is it, is it worth the potential blowback, etc.  Tenkar's Tavern is primarily a news blog, or so it seems to me - product announcements, industry gossip, occasionally peppered with Tenkar-as-DM type posts.  Do you think that's a fair characterization, that it's chiefly an industry news blog?

A - Its chiefly "whatever comes to my mind to post" type of blog. News? Sure. Gaming posts? yep Gaming content? when I can. Kickstarters? Certainly. Hounding the... wait, I don't want #ConManKen to threaten to sue me again - I maintain a vigilant eye on those that may not be fulfilling their obligations. All that being said, I make no claim to be a news site. I leave that for other gaming sites to claim.


Q - Okay, that's fair, I think "news site" probably gives the impression that we're talking about flipping press releases or something; the Tavern is definitely a personality-driven opinion blog.  I suppose I meant that the majority of your posts are industry-focused, rather than gameable-content-focused; some blogs are the inverse of that.  Surely the Kickstarter stuff is high on the list of "things Tenkar's known for".  Do you expect that to continue with new "cases", or are we just going to hear about Far West and Whitman because they've become legacy subjects for the blog?

I think I'd count the Gygax Memorial as one of those legacy subjects as well.

A - There are others that are getting long in the tooth but regularly update, so we'll see. Part of me writing posts for The Tavern is that its pretty much stream of consciousness - I don't pre-write posts days, or even hours in advance. Which probably shows with the typos. But going back to Kickstarters in particular, I get about a half dozen inquiries a week to either - look at a Kickstarter before its released to identify potential issues - or - please write about my Kickstarter, I was told if you post about it I'll make lots of money. So, some folks are learning to prevent problems and others still can't help seeing the quick bucks. I expect we'll see more hitting the highlight reel regretfully.

A little secret about the Kickstarter stuff and why its a burr on my ass. I finished my career as a Sergeant in Internal Affairs, and hated seeing the vast majority of good cops soiled by the bad ones. If I can scare future Kickstarter creators straight, so much the better.


Q - Those regular, rapid updates give the blog a newsroom type quality I think, and I suppose people shouldn't let that fool them into thinking it's unbiased or journalistic!  It sounds like you expect to continue your "ombudsman" type role when it comes to rpg Kickstarters.  Do you think that conflicts at all with your newer role as a content creator with S&W Light?  Can you critique the industry from inside it, and will that impact the Tenkar image?  Or am I presuming a semblance of aloof neutrality vis-a-vis the Kickstarter stuff that isn't there, and the question's moot?

A - I don’t think anyone that creates content is outside the community and I’ve been creating content for years. I’ve had adventures appear in two different KSs as well as three supplements for S&W from 2 different publishers over the years in addition to my recent releases re: SWL. I think the secret is being fair and honest, and knowing when you are at risk of bias. My relationship with Frog God is well known. My friendships are well known. I don’t hide them. I know my biases and will highlight such when i mention products (such as) from my good friend James Spahn. Now, when James puts out a turd, that's when I'll have to question my integrity for calling it as it is. He has yet to put me in that position and I don't expect him to.


Q - Since we've come to Frog God, let me ask about the drama some time back with Contessa and Stacy Dellorfano.  Now that you're both doing work for Frog God, have you two buried the hatchet and moved on, or should we not hold our breath for a future collaboration?

A - Stacy and I have never actually conversed directly. My understanding is she was brought in for a particular project which she successfully completed. At this point, SWL is an an ongoing project. I don't expect our paths will cross.

Q - That's a diplomatic answer and I'm sure it's accurate even if it didn't give me what I wanted there, Erik.  Safe to assume, then, that while there may be lingering beef there, nobody's interested in dredging it up moving forward.

A - I did say there may be some disappointment to this interview 

Q - I'm just asking the people's questions, man!    So no future snark re Contessa from the Tenkar then.

A - The Tavern is a stream of consciousness blog, as I said earlier. There are currently no plans to bring up stacey beyond posting this interview.


Q - Fair enough.  You mentioned James Spahn earlier - could you talk a little about Save or Die: Expert Edition, and how that shift came about?  I don't recall seeing anybody talk about the 'why' behind the transition.  As a semi-regular listener, I had assumed the previous hosts were stepping back to take a break, but then we got Save For Half.  Is there a story there?

A - Creative differences? That's just a guess, but Liz and Mike have moved on to Save for Half on a new network and are doing real well for themselves. They need to bring back Jim after the Dark Master gives him a reprieve from MCC

Q - I'm sure Corbett will be glad to hear you say that LOL

A - LOL! I think there's room for four over there 


Q  - I'll chalk it up to "network issues" until I hear otherwise, I suppose.  Between the blog and the podcast and the crate, it looks like Tenkar has a pretty loud megaphone pointed at OSR-heads, moving forward.  What do you want to do with all that?  Is there a grand vision, or are you just enjoying yourself and saying "yes" to stuff that looks fun?

A - A "grand vision" assumes a lot :) I want to be busy enough in this hobby of ours that Rach isn't tempted to find me "real work" in my retirement. I'm having fun "working" in my hobby. It was my dream 30 years ago and now I'm doing it. Could I live on it without my pension? Hell no! God bless them with the skill and tenacity to do so. But I'm happy making content and writing and talking and... its pretty damn cool.


Q - Let me ask you as a commentator then - where do you think this 'OSR' thing is headed next, and where _should_ it go?  I ask only because I'm told you're the Voice of the OSR Market, you see.

A - Heh. Zing! Alright, I see the OSR as an underserved market that deserves more respect. 5e is huge for the OSR because writing product for 5e and converting to the OSR is much easier than going from 4e or Pathfinder. There is synergy between 5e and the OSR. Some folks want to see new clones - I want to see new hacks. Hack SWL or the Black Hack or some other OSR game and give us a western, supers, space opera, sci-fantasy, godzilla monsters - whatever! I think the future of the OSR is finding new genres and not new systems. Or I could be totally wrong. But I think the OSR is just going to grow in the number of players at this point and we have 5e to thank for it.


Q - Underserved?  Huh, I don't think that's a word I would've used to describe the OSR market; I often wonder how much 'product' the OSR market can actually bear.  I'm not sure it's all that much.  But perhaps that's a discussion for another time.  Thank you for taking the time to chat with me regarding the questions that came up the other day in a G+ thread.  Everybody has opinions, and I don't know if anyone will have their opinion changed or vetted based on this interview, but data is data.  Always better to ask than assume.



A - My pleasure Erik. 

It's Not Often That I Give Interviews, But When I do, It's to the Quasar Knight's Fantasy Blog

+Ray Chapel of the Quasar Knight's Fantasy Blog asked me if I was up for an interview. Now, I don't give many interviews, but for Ray, a frequenter of the weekly Tavern Chat sessions here at The Tavern, it was hard to say no.

The interview is up at the Quasar Knight's Fantasy Blog.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Sadly, at the time the interview was conducted I was at liberty to discuss any podcasts. Maybe next time.

Want to Listen to Vince Florio Interview Me (and others) at NTRPG Con?

I just finished listening to the 2nd RFI NTRPG Con 2014 podcast. Wow.

Frank Mentzer does an excellent interview. Really entertaining, knowledgeable and well spoken. Shit, Frank should be doing podcasts ;)

Frank opens the podcast and I close it. In between there are some decent interviews with others, such as Bill Barsh from Pacesetter Games. I surprised myself by not sounding half bad ;)

+Vincent Florio I enjoyed sitting down with you and Glenn, and I'm happy I was able to introduce you to Texas' own Shiner Boch :)

Tim Shorts (Gothridge Manor) Interviewed at the Gaming Ballistic Blog (Video, MP3 and Transcript)

+Douglas Cole (Gaming Ballistic Blog) interviewed +Tim Shorts (Gothridge Manor Blog) about all things gaming. GURPS, the OSR, Zines and even me amongst other things.

It's a very entertaining interview, and I'm not just saying that because of Tim's "almost Canadian" accent. Doug is certainly hitting his stride with the latest interview, which reminds me that I've missed a few and need to catch up.

So, listen to one of my current players (Doug) interview one of my future players (Tim). Be amazed that Tim was able to not drop four letter words ;)

Seriously, this is some damn good stuff and pretty much a must listen if you are into the OSR at all (but watch if you can - it ups the entertainment value ;)

If you are feeling truly adventurous and missed Doug interviewing me earlier this year, you can catch me making a fool of myself here.

Followup Thoughts on Last Week's Interview - My Thoughts on Blogging

There are people that consider Tenkar's Tavern a popular blog - and for the corner of the RPG hobby that is the OSR, it is. I'm pretty happy with how things have worked out and I'm happy to share the secrets of its success.

The first secret is - there are no secrets.

Really.

If you read this blog on a regular basis, you know it is probably popular because of the passion I have for the subject matter. I love RPGs and I fucking love the OSR. If you enjoy writing your blog's content, there is a good chance your readers will enjoy it too. If posting is "work", that will be obvious to your readers too. Blog about something you have passion for and you've already passed the first and largest hurdle.

Engage your readers. Engage other bloggers on their blogs. If you enjoy reading forums, engage the readers there. Engage, engage, engage.

Establish a posting frequency. I'd suggest at least once a week, but whatever it is, try to stick to it. Multiple times a week is even better. I'm not suggesting multiple times a day like I tend to do, because the trick to that isn't just "blogging in the moments between", it also requires a certain type of controlled ADD and perpetual multitasking. I blame it on the chemo from a few years back - I used to read a book a week on average, now I'm maybe a book a year. I am still a voracious reader, but now I look for it in smaller pieces.

Be yourself. That may not be the person you are in everyday life or it may be, but it needs to be a true aspect of you. Nothing is worse than a blogger putting on a false show. It's hard to maintain and sooner or later, the facade will fail.

Do NOT expect to get rich off of blogging, especially in a niche the size of the OSR, or RPGs in general. Heck, don't expect to make any money doing it - this way, if you do make some nickels and dimes, you'll be thrilled as opposed to disappointed.

My personal observations have shown me that Adsense and Amazon are just not worth the hassle for the minimal income they will generate. I have found that referral sales from OBS / RPGNow have raised sufficient funds to allow me to run contests and give away gift credit and the like to my readers. A win / win if you ask me.

Most of all?

Do.

Do it. Start blogging. The only failed blog is the one that never was. Even a blog like Grognardia, long since silent, has a voice that still resonates across the internet.

Follow Up Thoughts on Last Week's Interview - Crowdfunding and RPGs

You can read, watch and / or listen to me being interviewed over at the Gaming Ballistic Blog. We touched on a lot of topics, but the first one I feel a need to expand upon is "Crowdsourcing of RPG Products".

I don't think anyone starts a Kickstarter with the idea of screwing folks over. Really, I don't. Not even the worse of the lot, the Mike Nystuls, James Mals, Toms, Gareths, Joshuas and the rest of them went into the process thinking that a successful Kickstarter could lead to their greatest failure. They had some amazing idea that they wanted to see in print and the Kickstarter money machine was there to help them.

Which brings up a point I'm pretty sure I missed during the interview - the greater the success (especially for those that aren't coming from some sort of business background) can lead to the biggest failures. If your Kickstarter "fails to fund" - no harm, no foul. Your backers aren't out a cent (unless it's one of those "Variable Funding" deals at Indiegogo). If you fund with a bunch of stretch goals that sounded great on paper, but the reality is that they are less then feasible, both in cost and time, your extra success just screwed you over. More importantly, you screwed your backers over.

Does that mean that stretch goals should be avoided? Not at all, but the physical product should be what the base goal funds. Any extras probably should be PDF only (much like the FATE Kickstarter) unless you really know your break even numbers, and as postage increases are a variable, the less physical product you add, the less that variable will hurt you. Because it will hurt you. Especially as the project runs long - the longer you take to ship, the greater the chance a postage increase will bite you in the ass.

There ARE project creators that KNOW how to do this. They can handle stretch goals, exceptional funding success and get their projects out on time or even early. I'd never hesitate to back a project by +Greg Gillespie , +Joseph Bloch , +Zach Glazar , +Kevin Crawford or +Fred Hicks . These guys can DO. There are others that can also do, but they do so significantly late, so no shout outs to them ;)

I am wary of project creators that offer a project right after another project, before the first one is even written they are looking to fund another. I find this to be one of the biggest warning signs of someone that has been bitten by the "Kickstarter is a Gold Mine bug", and it is seen in the Nystul trifecta of failures, The Quantum RPG and Myth & Magic. I'm sure there are others, but these come to mind unbidden. Look for the signs and maybe you won't throw more money after bad.

I still feel that Kickstarter and other crowdsourced funding is an overall positive for the RPG hobby, but I fear it may have a similar result of the D20 Implosion had on 3x except this time it won't be the retailers stuck with a bunch of unsellable shit, but instead it will consumers with money tied up in RPG projects that don't deliver. Heck, already retailers complain that Kickstarter projects hurt their revenue. Money lost to Kickstarter failures wont even put playable projects into gamers hands let alone retail stores. (retail is a whole 'nother topic, what with Amazon undercutting most brick and mortar retailers on a piece by piece comparison).

Alright, enough for tonight. I'll flesh out some other stuff (blogging and such) in further posts.

The Interview is Live to View / Listen / Read! Flog Away!

I was interviewed by +Douglas Cole on this past Monday Night for his Gaming Ballistic Blog.

The interview is now posted over at the Gaming Ballistic Blog - Youtube for the video, MP3 format for download and a transcript.

I'm pretty pleased with how it all went. It never would have happened, as I never would have been on the radar, if it wasn't for the community that has enveloped this fine blog. I can't thank each of you enough. All this would just be a form of "mental masturbation" if it wasn't for the fine patrons of this Tavern (I'm paraphrasing my college Creative Writing professor).

Commence the flogging!

I Listened to the Pre-Release Version of My Interview - I'm Actually Pleased

I NEVER like how I sound when I hear my voice. Still don't, but I didn't sound half bad. Sure, some stammering, some dramatic pauses as I racked by brain trying to find the answer. Heck, even guilty of being the average New Yoiker - abbreviated words, fast talking at points and the like - but not bad at all. The rocking in my chair annoys the shit outa me, but what can I say? I was nervous...

I most certainly will need to expand on some of my answers, especially in regards to Kickstarter, my thoughts on being a successful blogger and monetizing the blog. I'll hold off on that until you folks get a chance to watch, listen to and / or read the interview. I am quite sure there will be some flogging of the bartender - both here and elsewhere.

It does make me think that "Tenkar & The Badger" as a monthly podcast could actually work. Hopefully this summer, once +Jason Paul McCartan 's life notches down the insanity to moderate madness.

In any case, it should be up on the Gaming Ballistic Blog at some point tomorrow.

Reflections on my Interview at Gaming Ballistic

I'm probably more anxious to listen to myself being interviewed for the Gaming Ballistic Blog than any of my readers are. I NEVER like how I sound when I am recorded, but I'll just pretend it's not me but some other goofball. Waiting is always the hardest part.

I do, however, remember the questions that were asked and the gist of my answers. Although I like my answers, as they are my actual thoughts, I've got this nagging feeling I'll need to expand on them, or at the very least, some of them, here at The Tavern.

Now it would be pointless for me to expand on stuff that I haven't yet listened to exactly what I said, let alone dtuff that my readers have yet to listen to or read in transcript form, but that doesn't stop my mind from percolating now. When I say that my mind prepares blog posts in the "in-between times", this is what I mean - my mind is going and thinking and revising posts that won't be written until later this week or next.

I expect I'll have the most to expand upon when I listen to my answers on "how to have a successful blog", monetizing your blog (I have thoughts about Patreon that occurred to me after we logged off) and Kickstarters (can you believe I have more to say on that?). Probably more than those three questions and answers will be expanded upon in a series of posts.

I still owe +Douglas Cole (my interviewer) a favor - feedback on his recent GURPS release: Martial Arts - Technical Grappling. I'm about a dozen pages in and I'm having fond memories of playing GURPS from the old boxed set and Man to Man prior to that. After the different editions of D&D and my near complete Tunnels & Trolls Collection, GURPS holds more shelf and / or storage space than any other game in my collection.  

I Was Interviewed for the "Gaming Ballistic Blog" Last Night

Yep, I sat down with +Douglas Cole from the Gaming Ballistic blog last night to chat about RPGs, blogging, Kickstarter and other stuff.

The video should be up in a week or so (I think) and for those that don't want to hear me yap for 40 minutes or so (who can blame you) there will be a transcript.

Hey, if we can get just the audio, it could be listed to while some of your folks commute to work. Just think, my words of wisdom in your ears. "Tenkar's Tavern on the Go!" That would be right up there with "Tenkar and the Badger" ;)

Seriously, I think the interview went well. Amazingly enough, I don't think I dropped a single "fuck!" the whole time, not even when talking about Kickstarters. Or maybe I dropped a few ad don't remember. Think of them as "audio Easter eggs" ';)

I know I forgot to mention a long list of amazing folks that help make this blog what it is, but ya know I love you all. Now get off my fucking lawn!

Shit! I should have brought out Feltothraxis for a few minutes. Damn it! :)

Working on My First Interview...

...of a gaming Industry Professional. Heck, my first interview of somebody who wasn't the victim of or witness to a crime. Go figure.

Very cool beans.

If the final result goes as well as the interview process itself is going, I may need to do more of these ;)