Some Thoughts on Blind Hero Worship

We have a Blind Hero Worship issue in the gaming community. The problem isn’t unique to RPGs, but it is very prevalent in old school gaming.

Why?

Because exposing our childhood heroes as imperfect threatens those perfect memories of our childhood.

Surprise! Those memories aren’t as perfect as you think and neither are your heroes. And that’s okay.

Game designers are people too, like you and I, and putting them on pedestals they are ill suited for does neither them nor the community a favor.

Sticking fingers in your ears and going Ting a Ling a Loo isn’t going to change the truth about your heroes being mere mortals.

As an aside, 9 more pounds off at this mornings weigh in. 41 pounds in total in seven days. I’m guessing 10 more before all is saiid and done.

Brainstorming a Series of Kickstarter Advice Articles

I know I've spoken about the possibility of doing a series of Kickstarter advice articles here at The Tavern but I think we've reached the point where we should "kick it off", if I may be so bold.

It's going to cover everything from what to avoid (No Shoes, Dirty Socks, No Backers) to what to do (So it is Written before Launch, So it is Done.) The dangers of stretch goals (Danger! Unfunded Physical Stretch Goals Will Kickstarterson) to funding goals (Not Every Project is a 7th Sea). Pricing (Balancing Numbers & Backers) to videos (No Virginia, Not Every KS needs a Video). Marketing your project (Social Woes & Social Nos) to marketing yourself (You Don't Know Me, So Why Support Me?) Oh, and lots more in between.

I suspect the posts will be a bit disjointed at times. Not necessarily within each post (at least, I hope not) but between posts in the series. I'm a blogger and it's simply a result of how my mind works.

Will all of this apply to every potential Kickstarter creator? Of course not. It will be advice, compiled later (hopefully) as a guide for sale on OBS and elsewhere. As a reader of The Tavern, you will get to see the draft as it is written. Offer feedback, support, criticism or simply dismiss it all together. Take from it what you will.

It will certainly be centered on the creation of RPG and related Kickstarters, but I'm sure some of the advice will be useful beyond such circles.

I may need a graphic down the line but the series definitely needs a title. Let's see:

• Tenkar's Kickstarter Tidbits & Tales
• Crowdfunding Advice from Tenkar's Tavern
• Kickstarter Tales From Tenkar's Tavern
• Kickstarter - Tavern Tales - Crowdfunding Advice & Tales of Horror (this I have a graphic for ;)

Eh, it's all I got. Feel free to suggest some alternatives in the comments below ;)

Kickstarter - Sometimes the Kindest Act I can do is Nothing at All

I've mentioned this before but I get multiple requests each month to look at pre-release Kickstarter pages to offer my critiques (which I am generally happy to do so as time allows). This generally picks up as the weather gets warmer.

Those numbers pale to the number of requests I get asking me to post about this or that Kickstarter. I get requests through my Blogger Contact form, email, and even PMs.

Apparently, it's well known that I cover Kickstarters. Sadly, it doesn't mean that folks bother to check what kinds of Kickstarters I cover. It also doesn't mean that I cover each request.

I've had one Kickstarter open as a tab on my browser since I got the request last weekend. Sure, its pretty, but the video is annoying and, more importantly, it's NOT the type of RPG I'd likely find myself playing. There is nothing bad about its presentation but there is nothing that hooks me. If I'm not going to be looking to spend my hard earned cash on it why would I suggest my readers do so?

Would a post at The Tavern make or break its funding? I doubt it. But if I'm not excited about it my readers won't be either. Of course, I'd probably wind up focusing on the annoying video, the lack of community comments and the fact that the genre it appears to be trying to accomplish has already been done, very successfully, by another publisher - via Kickstarter of all places.

So I do nothing. Or, at least, post nothing directly about this project and others like it. Somewhere, someone is getting frustrated that nothing has appeared about their passion project. They were told, quite specifically, to make sure their project got covered at The Tavern and still nothing.

Sometimes the kindest act I can do is nothing at all.

This doesn't mean folks shouldn't send me links and reach out to me to look at pre-release pages and what not. It's just a reminder that the service I provide is for my community, not for the Kickstarter creators themselves. The currency involved is the good will and positive feedback from The Tavern's readers and I value it all.

I really do need to do a series of Tavern Kickstarter Tips posts ;)

On Affiliate Links, Advertising and Sponsors

I've always tried to be open and forthright here at The Tavern. Have I always succeeded? Sadly, no.

As many, if not most, of you know, clicking on links for RPGNow or DriveThruRPG and making a purchase generates revenue for The Tavern. Generally it's 5% of the purchase, but may be less if a Gift Certificate is used. What many of you don't know is that there is a cookie attached to that click, which will credit purchases made within the next 2 weeks to The Tavern, so long as a new cookie doesn't replace it.

Going forward, we'll be mentioning the presence of an affiliate link whenever one appears in a post. You can remove the affiliate link by using "copy" on the link, pasting the link into a new tab on your browser and deleting from the last "?" or "&" in the link. No one should be forced to use an affiliate link when they make a purchase, although I most certainly do appreciate it when you do. For reference, I make mention of the 5% revenue generated at the top of this page, under the header art and above the RPGNow banner.

The Tavern does not currently accept advertising or traditional sponsorship. To paraphrase The Pundit, "if we did we would still call your stuff shit if we thought it was shit." We'd also need to declare such a relationship prominently in any postings where it could be consider a conflict. Making a "tag" indicating it is "sponsored" wouldn't cut it. Does anyone look at the tags at the bottom of these posts anyway?

Generating revenue is important for the long term success of The Tavern, but not at the expense of the community that IS The Tavern.