Would You Like To See More Character Conversions?

This blog has grown a lot since I started it more than a year and a half ago. I've touched on some great RP strategies, I've developed a more in-depth knowledge of several systems, and (if my inbox and comment sections are to be believed) I've helped a lot of fellow gamers and DMs make their games better. Over the past year or so one of my most consistently popular endeavors has been my character conversions, where I've shown players how to create the heroes from the Avengers, the vigilantes from Gotham, and now some of the fan favorites from the cast of Game of Thrones.

If you haven't stopped by to check out my character conversions page, go take a look. I'll wait.

You done yet?

So, as you can see I've built up a goodly list of builds. I'd like to do a lot more, though. What are some things I'd like to add to the list? How about Batman's Rogues Gallery, which will of course include several members of the Suicide Squad? I'd also like to do a Disney set or two (one for heroes, one for villains), pulp action heroes like the Green Hornet and the Shadow, the Knights of the Round Table, as well as a set dedicated to mythological heroes for players who want a legitimate reason to crack open the mythic rules.

Why haven't I done that yet? The answer is simple; time.

You see, at the moment I only have enough spare time to do a single character conversion a month. That isn't a lot, and at this rate it will take me nearly a year to finish up my Game of Thrones series to the point that I'm satisfied with it. That's because in order to pay my rent I still have to write ad copy and do freelance work for half a dozen hours a day.

You can help me change that, though. If you want to.

How Can I Change That?

I'm glad you asked.

All you need to do is go to my Patreon page and become a patron today! If I can add 10 new patrons by the end of the month of May that will allow me to dedicate more time to my character conversions (and to my blogs in general). That means I'll be able to add two character builds a month, averaging out to one every two weeks or so.

If I can double my current patrons (I only have 22 at the time of this writing) then I'll go one step further. I will write one character conversion per week. I'll be able to do that because I'll no longer have to spend most of my day writing catalog entries about lingerie, and faux user success stories about Ukrainian dating sites.

I'd like to say there was serious money in that, but I'd be lying.

It's my goal to give my readers what they want, and if what you want to see are more character conversions let me know by clicking the Support Improved Initiative link on the top right of the page, or leaving a donation at my Patreon page. It doesn't take much, so let me know what you want by becoming a patron today, as well as leaving stuff you'd like to see in the comments or by emailing your thoughts right to me using the form below.

As always, thanks for stopping by Improved Initiative! If you want to make sure you're getting all of my updates then make sure you're following me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter as well!

Improved Initiative Needs Your Help!

I regret to interrupt your regularly scheduled blog post, but this is a pretty important announcement.

Improved Initiative Needs Your Help!

Got your attention? Good.

Not quite what I meant, but you get the idea

First of all, hi! My name is Neal Litherland, and I'm the fellow who runs Improved Initiative. I'm a freelance writer and author, but most of you probably know me as the guy who provides interesting content on character builds, obscure rules, and roleplaying flavor. It's been my privilege and sincere pleasure to create content that makes your games better. I fully intend to keep doing that, but there's a slight problem.

You see, my monthly income just took a sucker punch in the face.

What Happened?

I'm glad you asked that bold, italic text. Some of you may have heard of Yahoo! Voices, but if you haven't it's a huge network that pays contributors $2 for every 1,000 hits their content gets. Some of you may have seen my Avengers character builds there. Recently my page views at Yahoo! have provided me with enough royalties that I thought I would be able to relax a bit, start saving, and focus more on blogging and writing a novel.

So, of course, Yahoo! Voices is slamming its doors closed forever August 2014.

Hold onto your nappies, it gets worse.

What This Means For You

When August comes around it means that all of my content (400+ articles at last count) is going to be deleted off of Yahoo's system. I'm currently running helter skelter to try and save the articles that are worth saving. You'll likely see my Avengers articles, as well as my Gotham Knights series (Batman, Robin, Huntress, etc.) showing up on here in the next few months. I'll also keep creating new content and trying to offer shiny, new ideas for your next campaign.

That said, the fact remains that I'm losing a big chunk of income from Yahoo's up-front payments, in addition to losing the royalty check that comes at the end of the month.

What I'm Asking

I need help, and before you start telling me you don't have any loose change, you don't need any. Here's a list of all the ways you can help, and I'm not asking anyone to do more than they're able.

Divine intervention is welcome, if you have a solid track record.

# 1: Become a Patron

Maybe you don't have any cash laying around, but maybe you're one of those folks who has a secure day job to support your gaming habit. If that's the case, and you'd be comfortable donating as little as $1 a month to keep the gaming articles flowing, the stop by my Patreon page by clicking right here and becoming a patron. It's pretty simple; you pledge a certain amount per blog (say $1), and then when I update my Patreon page it will charge you that $1. You can also set your maximum donation per month so that even if I updated this blog every day you'd only ever spend that single Washington on my behalf.

Make sense?

For those who choose to become a patron, you all have my sincere thanks. Since I know those aren't worth very much, I'll also throw in one of my ebook titles for free to sweeten the pot. Lastly, while I will be moving my articles from Yahoo! over to Improved Initiative, all the transfers will be done free of charge! Woo, more content for everyone!

#2: Leave a One-Time Donation

Maybe you never noticed it before, but on the upper right hand side of the page there's a little box titled "Bribe the DM". That tip jar connects directly to my Paypal, and you can choose to drop some spare in there whenever you have it. So if you've got a couple bucks this month, but you don't want to commit to a regular thing, I'll gladly accept any and all donations left in my virtual glass.

#3: Tell Your Family, Tell Your Friends, Tell Your Table!

This one gets an exclamation mark because it's the best way to help, and it requires nothing but your time.

Improved Initiative, like any blog that uses Google AdSense, makes money based on its ad clicks. When someone clicks an ad, that earns a fee. So the more traffic this blog receives, the bigger the chances are that my readers will see an ad that interests them. Also the more traffic I manage to get the better my page ranking will be, the easier the blog will be to find... you get the idea. If your website becomes popular then that very popularity has a way of sustaining itself.

What I'm asking you to do, valiant readers, is to help spread the word. If you see an entry you like, don't be afraid to share it on your Facebook or your Tumblr page. Hell, throw it up on Reddit if you feel compelled to do so. If you have friends looking for advice, send them over this way. Don't be afraid to dig through my archive to see what topics I've covered, and to share those too. In short there's no such thing as bad traffic.

Lastly, don't be afraid to submit your email on the top right and get my updates on the regular. The more followers Blogger says I have, the better I look, the more people see me... you get the idea.

What Do You Get Out of This?

I don't expect something for nothing.

That's why I'm a really shitty bank robber.

First and foremost, you get my sincerest thanks. Since I know precisely what that's worth, you also get my pledge to keep creating great content for your enjoyment and use. If I can manage 10 new patrons I will also do my best to increase my updates to 3 times per week with a Moon Pope Monday feature, a character build conversion, and one of my other features (Crunch, Fluff, or a Table Talk story on a rotating cycle) to fill in the rest of the week.

I think that about wraps it up. Thanks very much for your patience, and I hope next week to return you to your regularly scheduled awesome.