Improved Initiative Needs Your Help (And It Won't Cost You A Dime)!

One good thing that came out of the whole power grab with Wizards of The Coast trying to take back the open game license at the beginning of this year is that it pulled back the curtain for a lot of folks in the TTRPG community regarding exactly what people who make games for a living get paid. And generally speaking, unless you work for WoTC or a select few other companies, you probably aren't making much. This goes double if you're a small publisher, a jobbing freelancer, or an independent creator.

And while a lot of players did their best to support independent creators to help get us over this hump, I'm the first to acknowledge that there's only so much spare change in everyone's pockets. So while I will never say no to selling some of my RPG supplements, and I won't turn down people who want to become Patreon patrons, or who want to buy me a Ko-Fi, I wanted to ask for something other than just a donation from my readers this week.

If I can get enough folks onboard, it will really help me out, and allow me a second or two to catch my breath while I actually plan out some bigger pieces of content for the future. And best of all, it won't cost any of you reading this so much as a dime!

And together, hopefully, we can really fill up my tank!

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron!

Lastly, to be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!

So, What All Has Been Going On?

I already mentioned the recent kerfuffle with Wizards and their attempt to completely upset the TTRPG industry. This led to a LOT of my projects being put on-hold, and it's meant that a lot of other projects have been thrown into chaos regarding what is and isn't a priority for myself and my publishers. However, that whole situation is in addition to the pandemic wiping out thousands of dollars of outstanding work that clients owed me money for, but which vanished into thin air due to many of them ceasing to exist. Not only that, but last summer my publisher for my novels died, and the company dissolved. This took my books off the market, and I didn't even get my final check for the royalties I'd accrued during the final quarter before everything crumbled.

So, saying that things have been a little stressful is a bit of an understatement.

The list goes on, but I'm trying to be brief.

There is, however, one other problem I've been dealing with. Because for those who don't know, aside from the money pledged by my patrons, and sales for supplements through the affiliate links in my articles, this blog doesn't actually make me any money. Ad services are so universally blocked and ignored that over the decade or so I had ads on Improved Initiative, I earned a total of $50 or so, and the last time I got a check for that payment was several years back.

I made up for this by also creating content for Vocal. As some of my readers know this is the website that hosts all of my Character Conversion Guides, as well as a lot of my Unusual Character Concepts, my 5 Tips articles, and more than a few of my short stories. Vocal pays me roughly $6 for every 1,000 reads my content gets, and this time last year I was pulling down $60-$90 a month from Vocal, with some months going as high as $120 or more. It wasn't huge, but it was a big help when I needed it.

Now... well, now I'm lucky if I can even get $20 worth of reads in a month. So what changed?

The short answer is the algorithm. The more complicated answer is that Facebook is a shadow of what it used to be for interaction, Twitter is now a sewage dump where it was once at least a passable silver mine, and Reddit banned Vocal links entirely, adding them to the auto-remove list of websites the bots dump in the trash as soon as you try to share them. This last one hurt a lot, since it also removed probably a year or more of backlinks to my articles that I'd shared to various subreddits.

Here's What I Need You All To Do

At time of writing, I have 269 stories (nice) in my full Vocal archive. From TTRPGs and short fiction, to weird history, bizarre linguistic dives, and a couple rants about horror movies, there's a rather ridiculous amount of content on there. Additionally if you want to narrow your scope then you can just click which topic you want to see along the top of the archive (just below Pinned Stories), and it will sort the articles by topic for you!

What I really need is folks to read these articles. Not just click them, but actually read through to the end.

To be clear, you don't have to read all of them. You don't need to spend hours gorging yourself on my text. But if all of my regular readers could bookmark my archive, and just make it a point to read at least one article a day, that would help. Even more importantly than that, though, if you find an article you like that you think more people should read, share it on your socials. FB, Twitter, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Discord, I'm not picky... but there's only so much traction I can get on my own, and I'm definitely sliding down the hill right now as it gets harder and harder to promote myself across the board.

Every read, share, and like helps... seriously.

The reason I'm asking for this instead of just soliciting patrons or donations is that Vocal is completely free to anyone who wants to read it. Not only that, but reads are tallied every day, so there's a minimal wait for me to cash-out if something I write does go viral and explodes with coins like a Mario enemy that ate an entire bank vault.

But as I mentioned in If 90,000 People Read This Article, I Can Pay My Bills This Month, it requires a frankly absurd level of interaction just for me to pay my rent. However, if you're one of the folks out there who wants to help a creator out, then all you need is an Internet connection and a willingness to consume content to help me stop falling behind!

And if you're looking for some places to get started that have proven popular in the past, might I direct your attention to the following articles?:

- 5 Things You Can Do To Be a Better Ambassador For Your Hobby: This one still gets a little play every now and again. Mostly I just wanted to do my part to help other folks realize that if we don't let fresh blood into our hobbies, then they're going to die in fairly short order.

- It's Okay To Admit There Are Problems in Your Hobby: This article was so divisive it got people to make a meme out of me. It resurfaces every few years, but it's not enough to keep the wolf from the door.

- Partners and Polycules: Polyamorous Designations Based Off Dungeons and Dragons Dice: This was a silly article of mine that is the closest thing I've had to a viral success in the past few years. If you haven't seen it, give yourself (and maybe your friends) a giggle!

- The 5 Awful Paladins You Will Meet in Your Gaming Career: This was the first of my ongoing series about awful character archetypes that we all run into if we play TTRPGs long enough. While several of the follow-ups were also popular, none of them seemed to draw quite as many eyes as the paladin for some reason.

Oh, There is One More Thing You Can Do...

In keeping with the spirit of the title, I'm going to keep my suggestions to things folks can do for free that will have a tangible effect on my income stream. But if you don't have as much time to read as you'd like (or you just prefer to listen to videos while doing chores, painting minis, or getting your steps in), you could also subscribe to the Azukail Games YouTube channel, and listen to videos I make for them.

Full disclosure, I do not own this channel. It's the channel run by one of my publishers... I do, however, make content for it. And the more hits my videos get, the more likely it is that the channel will get monetized, and that I can (perhaps) ask for a bump in my compensation for making said videos. Because it takes 1,000 subscribers, and 4,000 hours of watched content in the past year (or about 11.5 hours a day for 365 days, if you were wondering) for YouTube to even think about letting you make money off your videos, and that is a high bar to clear when you're doing everything all on your own.

So, while this isn't as direct a hand up as reading and sharing my Vocal articles would be, it would still be a big help, and assist me in getting a slightly bigger share of the pie with at least one of the publishers I work with.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Daily Motion channel!. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Looking For Some Spooky Gaming This Halloween Season? Don't Worry, I've Got You Covered

It's that time of year again. The leaves are falling, the wind is whispering through the bare branches, the pumpkins are putting on their grins, and home decor is going on sale again. Yes, Halloween is just around the corner, and for most of us that means it's time to dip our toes back into the darker end of the gaming table and indulge something on the scary side.

But what, you might be asking? Well, if you're looking for inspiration don't fret! I've been working the grindstone pretty hard, and I've got some things that I'd like to suggest for all those seeking a ghoulish gaming experience.

Time to get spooky.

Before I launch into the list for this week, though, I do have a brief favor to ask. If you haven't signed up yet, join my newsletter to make sure you get all the updates for what I'm working on, and what's coming out. I put out one every Sunday/Monday, and you'll never miss a new release of mine again!

Also, I recently wrote a piece for a Halloween contest over on Vocal. So whether you're a film buff, or just looking for a recommendation for what you should watch this Halloween season give my entry Candyman: A Horror Film That Haunts Us Decades Later a read... especially if you're from the Chicagoland area!

 

Lastly, if you want to keep things casual this year, check out my older piece 5 Horror Board Games You Should Have on Your Shelf!

Horror One-Shots!

Beware the trolls... and the toads!

While I've talked about them a great deal in the past, I do still have three one-shot modules out from Total Party Kill Games for Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition that are available right now! False Valor is about solving a murder mystery, and it delves into regional politics, but the other two... well, they were written specifically with the Halloween season in mind.

The Curse of Sapphire Lake (pictured above) is what you get when Beowulf collides with a slasher movie. The town of Kingsbridge is cursed, or so they say, and there is a figure in the mist... accidents keep happening, and bodies keep turning up. Will the party manage to pry the icy fingers of death from around this place's throat, or will it once more fade into shadows and obscurity?

The final release in the series, The Ghosts of Sorrow Marsh also provides an eerie, atmospheric adventure. The town of Bracken has been all but cut off, and dangers haunt the road at night. Something lurks in the marsh, and there are tales of strange figures and odd whispers. Supplies are running low, and the town's citizens are at the breaking point. Can the heroes dispel the darkness lurking in the marsh, or will it swallow them up like it has so many who have come before it?

If you're one of the many groups out there who likes to play something short and spooky during the reap times, then either of these should scratch that particular itch for you!

World Building and Inspiration

Because sometimes you just need a couple of bricks...

If you're one of those DMs who prefer to make things yourself, don't worry, I've got stuff for you, too.

For example, 13 Fiends: A Baker's Dozen of Devils is filled with unique fiends that are much more ground-level and accessible than a lot of devils tend to be. Each devil also comes with rituals unique to them, areas of influence, and cults that tend to make pacts with them. Whether you're looking for warlock patrons, antagonists for your party, or a particular rite to act as the center piece of a session, this collection has you covered!

And speaking of cults, a solid companion piece to it is 100 Cults to Encounter. Perhaps the best selling supplement of mine for the entire year, this one gives you snapshots of cults from every walk of life, often providing hooks and rumors to easily slot them into your game as antagonists... and potentially as allies depending on your party. Speaking of potential allies in the shadows, I'd also recommend checking out 100 Secret Societies if you need a little extra juice when it comes to filling out the darker corners of your horror games this year.

 

Also, there's this!

Also, for my World of Darkness lovers out there, I recently put the finishing touches on my 100 kinfolk project, and it's now available as a bundle! That's 13 tribes, and a total of 1,400 kinfolk NPCs usable either in a Werewolf: The Apocalypse game, or in a general WoD game where you need NPCs in a hurry. For more on the project, and what it's about (as well as a full list of the independent tribes in it), check out 100 Kinfolk: A Werewolf The Apocalypse Project.

Character Conversions

 

It's that time of year again.

 

While I spent most of last year shuffling content and moving articles from one archive to another, a lot of folks forget that my Character Conversions Page has more than superheroes and Game of Thrones builds on it. In addition to 50 some-odd other characters I also have classic Pathfinder guides for:

- Michael Myers (Halloween)

- Pinhead (Hellraiser)

- Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th)

Though I'm still sharing around all the old guides that have been updated to account for new mechanics, items, and classes that were released since I first wrote them, this is a section I'm contemplating coming back to for a few, additional names. Jigsaw? Chucky? Maybe Leatherface? Who do you think should be here... keeping in mind these guides are primarily for players, not for DMs (though they can use them, too).

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my cat noir thriller Marked Territory, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

What Would You Like To See Me Write Next?

For those who are regular readers here on Improved Initiative, I know it can be tough to keep track of everything I'm working on and putting out. I've got two blogs here a week, one blog a week over on The Literary Mercenary, an ever-growing Vocal archive covering everything from weird history to character conversion builds, and an entire Amazon author page where you can find books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my short story collection The Rejects. Then on top of all of that, I've got dozens of modules, supplements, and other RPG-related products on the market right now.

It's that last one that I'd like to talk to you about today, though. Because while I enjoy at least a little bit of creative freedom with the projects I propose and the things I work on, at the end of the day this is still my job. As such, I want to create the sorts of things you all want as my readers, because doing so allows me to keep my landlady happy with enough left over at the end of the month for tacos.

Like this one, for those who didn't see it. Go check it out now!

It Is Really Hard To Read The Room Sometimes

What would you think are some of the most popular RPG products I've had a hand in making? What are the things that have climbed their way up the metal charts on Drive Thru RPG to put me in some rather select company?

Well, at time of writing, my top sellers seem to be:

- 100 NPCs You Might Meet at The Tavern (Electrum edging toward Gold)

- 100 Merchants to Encounter (Electrum)

- 100 Random Taverns (Electrum)

There are over 80 projects out there right now with my name on them, and they run the gamut. Some of them were proposed by me, some were given on assignment, and I wrote them for half a dozen different companies. If you'd asked me which ones I thought were going to do really well, I probably would have guessed one of my current top three. Maybe. If I was lucky.

You know what I didn't predict, though? I didn't predict that the pair of supplements 100 Unusual Aasimar and 100 Tieflings to Meet in Your Travels would basically stall out and go nowhere. I'd intended them to be the vanguard of a whole NPC supplement series where I gave DMs and players alike lists of elves, halflings, orcs, etc. since it seemed that NPC lists always did well. When these two flopped, I pivoted completely and basically haven't written a fantasy NPC list since, despite two of them being my top sellers.

Speaking of things I thought would do well... and this one's the top seller!

One of those projects that sounded like it would do really well was the Critical Hits series that I wrote for TPK Games a yonk or two ago. By order of release these one-shot modules went like this:

- False Valor: A murder mystery where the players need to uncover who's responsible for the death of a local girl before old grievances ignite the grudge the local dale has with the elves of the nearby forest, restarting a war that took a heavy toll on both sides.

- The Curse of Sapphire Lake: When a new crop of settlers attempts to reclaim Kingsbridge, a ghost from the past haunts them. A bone-white face lurks in the woods, and misfortune crouches in every shadow... but is there something deeper to the curse that seems to hang in the air around Sapphire Lake?

- Ghosts of Sorrow Marsh: Something is prowling the old Marsh Road, and it's left the town of Bracken cut off and desperate. Are you brave enough to venture into the marsh and uncover the dark truth of what is slowly closing its fist around the town?

These modules were written for Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, which is hands-down the most popular RPG going right now, as well as the most popular one on Drive Thru RPG by a long shot. TPK Games had a pretty solid history of sales with pre-written games, and the original plan floated at the time the project commenced was for me to write 10 one shots that could then be bundled both digitally and as a book for gamers who wanted to keep a variety on-hand.

Despite video reviews and play throughs on YouTube, along with positive reviews from many people who have played it, only one of these modules even managed to claw its way to Copper. The others make an occasional sale here and there, but nothing that would warrant the time, effort, and expense of expanding the series beyond this original trilogy.

This Week, Just Tell Me What You'd Like To See!

I've had some projects that absolutely explode when I do not expect them to (such as my Pathfinder Character Conversion For Andrew Jackson), and others that I expect to do well completely fizzle. As such I thought I'd take this Monday to cut out the guess work and ask you, my readers, what you want to see.

So, what would you like?

Help me narrow down the field.

Absolutely all suggestions are welcome. Do you want to see more specific world lore pieces, like my 13 Fiends: A Baker's Dozen of Devils, or the Baker's Dozen of Rumors (And The Truth Behind Them)? Would you rather see more mechanical content geared toward a particular system, such as 5E or Pathfinder? Or would you prefer background world lore like 100 Gangs For Your Urban Campaigns as well as 100 Knightly Orders?

If you're a reader who doesn't buy supplements, but likes my work, I want your opinion as well. Should I go back and write a fresh batch of Character Conversions? For which edition would you like to see them, if so? Or should I expand my 5 Tips collection, and cover some more base classes or fantasy races? Perhaps step into another game/setting entirely, such as the World/Chronicles of Darkness and talk about playing better vampires, werewolves, etc.?

The sky is the limit here! Anything you want to see, just tell me in the comments to have your vote counted.

I will let you in on a secret, though. The best way to get my attention, as well as a publisher's attention, is to try to boost the signal on the things we put out. Because if something sells a lot of copies (or gets a lot of reads, in the case of a free article), that sends a message to us loud and clear; the readers want more of this thing. So by all means, tell me what you want... but just to underline it, make sure you share some links on your social media to similar products, or boost the signal on particular guides/projects.

Because as long as there's audience interest, I'll be more than happy to keep the party going.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!