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Have you thought about getting involved in Discord? It’s a more intimate setting for communications but I love my podcast Discords. You could start your own or jump onto another one. Are you on Darker Days Radio’s server?
Hi, Ia! Was definitely thinking of you when I wrote this blog post. “Gotta make sure I do it right. Don’t want to disappoint Ia!”
If I were to do my own Discord, I’d want to make sure I did it responsibly. I’ve heard warnings from other content creators about the need for moderation on Discord, how if you’re not careful things can spiral out in some toxic directions really fast. Discord is definitely something I’m considering, but it’ll mean a pretty significant investment of time on my part to make sure nobody’s being cruel in a space I’m responsible for.
If you are interested Tristan, you would be welcome to join the Mythras discord server if you want to dip your toe into the discord waters. Although the server is focused on the Mythras RPG system itself, plenty of the members are interested in historical and “mythic”-historical games generally, and from the looks of it what you are doing has some connections with our membership and interests.
I would not have any objections if you wanted to make a weekly post in our blogs/podcast channel, or in the Mythic Earth channel.
The server is not huge, (just over 1000 members) but it is big enough to become a public server https://discord.com/servers/mythras-469341944888164352
We have an open invite link here – https://discord.gg/RqwyHdG
-Bil (I am one of the Mythras discord server admins)
The Mythras discord managed by fans, with no direct connection to the publishers The Design Mechanism.
Thanks, Bill! I will do just that. 🙂
Have you considered expanding your blog into something more immediately applicable in RPGs?
You’re doing a lot of research, but from a practical standpoint the output is mainly an interesting read and perhaps a seed for an RPG scenario or NPC. It’s entertaining for sure, but in my experience most GMs aren’t short on seeds, they’re short on time to actually make use of them.
I would suggest to try expanding the blog into creating mini-scenarios that a GM can pick up and run out of the box. You can define the goal, the key NPCs, major locations, and 2 or 3 challenges to overcome along the way. It doesn’t need to be complex, just enough to run a single session, 2-3 pages a piece.
At the start, that could just be a once per month thing, enough to start getting feedback and either refining what you’re doing or dropping it if it’s not worth the effort.
I believe the result would be something immediately useful to anyone looking for a one-shot filler scenario or a side quest to insert into their game, with minimal time investment required on their part. If you think that would work for you, I think you’ll end up with a much stronger value proposition for your audience, and something that’s more shareable because it provides immediate value to the reader. Ideas are easy to find, but well-implemented ideas are a rare beast.
For maximizing reach, I would also suggest focusing on scenarios that can fit into classic medieval fantasy due to the audience size for such settings. The D&D 5e audience in particular dwarfs everything else, if you can provide consistent value to that audience I think you’ll be set.
GMs in other games tend to be more broadly experienced too, so they’ll be able to take your content and adapt it to what they’re playing, but a D&D player who has never played anything else might not have that skill. You can always branch out later, but when it comes to starting an audience I think you’ll be better off creating something perfect for a specific niche rather than something that’s just alright for a broader group.
That’s a really interesting idea. I will give it some serious thought!
Had some time to think about your suggestion.
When I started this blog five years ago, my focus was on the gaming side of things. Many posts didn’t have any sort of folklore or history component, they were just “here’s a cool puzzle you can use in your D&D game” or whatever. But as the history and folklore component of the blog grew bigger, I found myself having more fun and attracting a bigger audience. With that sort of positive feedback loop, the ‘research’ section of each post got longer and deeper, while the ‘at your table’ section usually stayed the same size.
I wonder now if I’ve been neglecting the RPG component of the blog.
On December 20th, a post will drop about two scandalous Regency-era English memoirs. I’ve appended to the post a way to turn it into a fantasy adventure, complete with NPCs, complications, and combat encounters. The adventure was fun to write and didn’t take too long. I may do a few more in the months to come and see how I feel about it.
Thank you very much for the thoughtful suggestion!