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| It's a long way down, but I'm hoping for boxcars all the same! |
What's Going On Right Now?
To start with, my general format for Improved Initiative isn't changing. It's gotten some pretty consistent feedback, so I see no real reason to mess with a good thing. As such, I'm keeping my updates at two a week, and my general themes of Crunch, Fluff, Unusual Character Concepts and Table Talk (as well as your usual Moon Pope Monday grab bag updates) aren't going anywhere.
With that said, you may have noticed a few changes if you regularly poke around on here.
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| Some of them are easier to detect than others. |
If you glance up at my page links across the top of the page, you've no doubt noticed that 5 Tips is now one of my available pages. This is the new archive for all my articles that feature numbered lists of advice for players and DMs alike, giving you a single archive where you can find all the pieces I've got out there. From my 5 Tips For Playing Better Paladins, to 5 Tips For Playing Better Evil Characters, all 40+ articles that have used this format are now at your fingertips, and I've got plans to add new ones every month or so from here on out!
Another thing I'm working on is something I'm calling the Great Reshuffling. For those who don't know, I have a huge archive of articles and posts currently sitting in obscurity on InfoBarrel, but I've been steadily republishing them to their new home over on my Vocal archive. While some of these are my non-gaming posts, like the badass lifehack piece How To Kick in a Door, I'm also transferring over the full archive of my Character Conversions, giving them a facelift in the process to be sure they're updating with Pathfinder content that was released after I initially wrote the guide. Characters like Captain America, The Hulk, and Theodore Roosevelt have already made the move, and I'm hoping to keep transferring at least one every week until they're all updated, revamped, and ready for your table!
In addition to all of that, though, I'm also releasing roughly two gaming supplements a month.
One of these projects I covered in detail a while ago in 100 Kinfolk: A Werewolf The Apocalypse Project, but the short version is that I'm releasing NPC character lists in partnership with High Level Games for the werewolf tribes. Each tribe gets 100 kinfolk, and at present I'm about six tribes deep into the list. The other supplements are the ones I write for Azukail Games, and you've probably seen them cropping up in other articles, as well as on my social media feeds. Supplements like 100 Prisoners For A Fantasy Jail, 100 Unusual Aasimar, or even the sci-fi supplement 100 Space Bars that came out a little bit ago, as examples.
When you add in the fact that I've been hawking copies of my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, working on another novel that's nearing completion, and that I spent the past month assembling a new collection of short stories that you should be hearing more about in the near future, it's sort of a wonder I've had time to sleep the past few months.
... And I Kind of Need Your Help
Part of the reason I'm putting out so much stuff in so many different venues is that I want to make sure I'm not keeping all my eggs in one basket. It's tough making a living as a writer, and doubly tough when your niche is RPGs. While I've had a few positive, baby steps forward this year, I want to make sure that I don't lose what momentum I've managed to gain.
Which is where you, my fine, discerning readers, come in.
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| No, you don't have to give me money... unless you want to, of course. |
The issue is that, while I'm putting out a lot of content, I only get paid when people actually read it (or in the case of my supplements and books, buy a copy of it). So, if you're one of my regular readers who'd like to help me out, but you don't want to spend any money, here are some things I'd like you to do.
- Read some articles in my Vocal archive! Find a few you like, and share them with your friends! If even one article of mine gets popular there, that could be the difference between me paying rent and making excuses to my landlord.
- If you've bought something of mine, leave a rating and a review! Whether you've got a book from my Amazon author page, or from my ever-growing Drive Thru RPG author list, ratings and reviews make a BIG difference in how visible a piece of my work is. And giving that boost won't take more than a few moments of your time!
- Follow me! Whether you follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, or even on Pinterest, how many people you have following you also makes a big difference in how wide your signal goes. So if you want to get regular updates, and help me out a bit, just click-through on any of these platforms.
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| But if you DO happen to have a few bucks you'd like to contribute... |
In the event you want to do me a solid and help me get back on track, and you're willing to toss a couple of bucks my way, there are a few other things you could do, as well. Again, not required, but would be much appreciated!
- Become a Literary Mercenary Patreon patron! I've been slowly losing patrons over the past year, mostly due to folks losing jobs or just not having free income anymore, and a little jump in my numbers would be quite welcome. In addition to helping ensure I keep both Improved Initiative and my writing blog The Literary Mercenary on track, patrons also get a free download of one of my supplements every month! So as long as you're giving about $1 a month (which is really all I ask) you're getting your money's worth!
- Buy some of my stuff! Whether you're in the market for one of my books, or you'd like to grab some of my gaming supplements, I'll take any and all sales I can manage. They help a lot more than you might think... especially when coupled with a rating and review.
- Kick me a tip! If I've done something you like, or you just want to put a couple of bucks in my tip jar, you can find me on Ko-Fi, or you could use the tip feature on Vocal. Both of them are safe, functional, and very much appreciated!
We Now Return You To Your Regularly Scheduled Updates
After this Monday post, I'll try to get things focused on gaming, reviews, supplements, RP suggestions, and all my usual topics. But if you've got the time to lend a helping click, or to boost my signal a bit, it's greatly appreciated!
Without you, my readers, I wouldn't be able to do what I do. Thanks again for all your assistance!
You have your series of "how to build Hulk" etc. I have a suggestion for you for that, if you are a fan. There is an anime show called "Fairy Tail." Guild of wizards. If you watch the show and enjoy it, you might have some gun trying to build the various characters.
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