In These Harsh Times, Game Designers Need All The Help They Can Get

Unless you live down among the dark elves (in which case, welcome to the Internet, glad you could finally join us), then you're no doubt aware that this pandemic has been a trying time for all of us. Creators in general, and game designers in particular, have been feeling the squeeze, though.

 

And we could really use your help right about now.

 

You literally are our best hope.

 

What I'm about to lay out are some simple things you can do to help the creators out there that you want to support through this pestilence. Not every option will be available for every individual, but go through the list and see what you can do to help. Because most of us were barely scraping by before all of this started, and now we're basically holding on by our fingernails.

And while it should go without saying, you can basically swap my name and details for most other game designers out there. I would really appreciate any and all help you can kick my way, but I also totally understand if there are other creators out there you'd rather support. Just remember that a lot of the stuff you can do is free, so you can be pretty generous with your actions!

How To Support If You Have Money

Gold makes the world go round.

This pandemic has led to a lot of us losing our jobs, or taking pay cuts. However, there are some of us out there who've managed to maintain our positions, or even to find new demand for our skills. So if you have spare money in your budget, and you want to help game designers out there, here are some simple things you can do.

First and foremost, buy their games! Whether you grab my 100 Kinfolk Bundle off of Storyteller's Vault (1,400 kinfolk NPCs for Werewolf: The Apocalypse), snatch a copy of one of my modules like The Curse of Sapphire Lake or Ghosts of Sorrow Marsh for DND 5th Edition, or download one of my DM supplements like 100 Cults to Encounter, 100 Fantasy Guilds, or 100 Secret Societies. Every purchase makes a difference when sales are down, and they've been steadily declining for a lot of us during this time.

Also, for ease of browsing, I've put the more than 80 modules and supplements I've written and been a part of into two archives. One gallery is on Pinterest, and the other is on Flipboard, but both of them have the same content. So take a moment, stop in, and see if anything appeals to you!

Alternatively, if you want to support a creator directly, consider just giving them a tip, or setting yourself up to support them. I'm on both Patreon and Ko-Fi, as an example, so if you want to help me keep the lights on while I keep these blogs going, any and all donations are greatly appreciated!

Lastly, check to see what other projects your favorite game creators have on the market that you might not know about. For example, if you're a fan of Clinton Boomer (which you should be) then you should check out his novel The Hole Behind Midnight sooner rather than later. If you've enjoyed Lauren Masterson's (alias Alice Liddell) contributions to High Level Games' blog, pick something off her Amazon author page or out of KHR Arts if you prefer her artwork.

This one is my latest release!

And because I'm still excited, I'll take this last chance to plug Marked Territory which dropped on the 1st of the month. A back alley noir mystery featuring the debut of Leo, a heavy from the Bronx, he ends up getting his whiskers involved in other people's business, and nearly getting in over his head. Curiosity might try to kill the cat, but he doesn't give up all that easy. A solid read for those looking to kill time in quarantine.

 

How To Support if You Don't Have Money

 

If you're just as broke as the rest of us, don't worry, that doesn't mean you don't have the power to help the creators and designers you like! In fact, even if you are making contributions and buying books, you can still do these things to double the results of your actions!

 

Never underestimate the value of a hand up!

The first thing you should do is find your favorite creator's social media channels, and follow them. The more followers someone has, the more attention they get, and the wider their signal gets boosted! I'm on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, for those who are interested.

Also, consider signing up for your favorite creator's mailing list. I started one recently (you can sign up here) and it provides a weekly update of all my new releases, fresh content, and other projects every week!

In addition to signing up for our updates, though, you can also use the power of your audience to help boost our signals so we can reach more people. For example, if you see a blog entry of mine that really speaks to you, share it with your groups! Whether you're in Facebook groups, you spend time on Reddit, or you've got a community on Discord that you think would enjoy it, don't be afraid to boost that signal. The more people who find out about what we do, and the more people who share it, the better off we'll be.

This goes double for my articles on Vocal, by the by, as they pay me based on how many reads they get. So if you want to help me out specifically, make sure you read through that archive and share anything that catches your eye!

Lastly, if you have bought something from a creator you love in the past, then take a moment to leave a review! Whether it's on Amazon, Drive Thru RPG, Goodreads, or perhaps all three, ratings and reviews make a big difference as to which products get seen, and which ones get forgotten. So even if you don't have the cash to buy something new, a few nice words and a recommendation can help that module, supplement, novel, etc. reach new readers who just might make a future purchase.

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 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!

I Write More Than RPGs (Games and Giveaways!)

Most folks who stop by this blog do so because they're looking for thoughts, advice, reviews, and news on tabletop gaming. That's kind of my schtick, after all. However, for those who don't know, I also create other types of content! And given that so many of us are currently practicing social distancing, I figured I'd take this week to offer some sign posts, and some free material, so we can all avoid the encroaching boredom that's starting to grow teeth in some areas.

Such as this reading I recently did of the short story "Dressing The Flesh" from my new collection The Rejects!

Also, a big thanks to Dungeon Keeper Radio for hosting this video, as I ran into last-minute problems with it and had nowhere else to plop it down for listeners' consumption.

What Else I've Made (That You Should Totally Go Check Out)

So what else do I have out there right now? Well, I'm glad you asked!

The list is growing a little... expansive.

Let's begin at the beginning. If you want more free gaming resources, then you should definitely check out my Vocal archive. For those of you who read my character conversion guides and my 5 Tips lists, you're probably familiar with some of what I've put on that site, but my archive has grown a great deal over the past year. I've been transferring over a lot of content from an older site that had some of my work, and at time of writing there's 145 articles in that archive. They're all free to you to read, so take a spin through and see if you like something! Every read helps my earnings, and one way I decide what sorts of content I'm going to create more of is what gets read, and what doesn't. So please, if you like a thing, share it around so I can make more like it!

Speaking of free gaming resources, you should also check out the channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. In addition to hosting my latest reading, there's more than a year of videos that I helped write and voice. The channel has mostly been in stasis for the past several months because YouTube moved their goal posts, making it very difficult for the channel to get monetized, but if folks show an interest then that could re-light the spark under the team. Especially if you've got the spare scratch for a Patreon pledge for them. Just saying.

In addition to gaming content, though, I also write fiction. Since some of my readers on here have mentioned that the little bits of story I put into my unusual character concepts are always interesting, I figured I'd direct those folks to my broader body of work.

If you're in the mood to read something that's free, and Pathfinder related, you should take a moment to read the short story The Irregulars that I wrote for Paizo several years ago. While that story got a lot of praise from early readers, I was sadly not asked to turn it into anything bigger for the company. If you'd like more short stories, then you should also check out The Rejects, but if you're more in the mood for a sword and sorcery novel, I'd direct your attention to Crier's Knife instead. Both books have fairly long free samples that should let you know just what you're in for. And if you find yourself curious about other books I've been a part of, then I'd urge you to check out my Amazon author page and take a look around!

What About The Giveaway?

As I said in the title, I've decided to run a giveaway over the next month or so. In addition to all the free stuff I've got listed above, if you'd like a collection of DMing supplements, a one-shot module written by yours truly, or even a free ebook, all you have to do is use the Contact Me gadget on this blog to send me a message. Just reach out to me with your email address, and the free thing you'd like (supplements, module, or ebook), and I'll make sure it's on its way to you promptly!

Supplies are unlimited when stuff is digital after all!

And if you wanted to make some specific requests, feel free to take a look at my Drive Thru RPG listings! I've got over 73 products with my name on them, and though I don't have giveaway copies of everything, I will try my best to get people stuff they'd like.

Also, if you're interested in supporting Improved Initiative as a Patreon patron, keep in mind that I host regular giveaways for my patrons. Just something to keep in mind if you could stand to part with at least $1 a month!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday! Hopefully it's given some of my readers some fresh avenues of content to check out to while away their hours!

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!