Building Our Community

[Venatus Vinco]

Hello everyone,

Hope you are enjoying your summer!

We had a quick brainstorming hangout for ways to help build our community. The talk centred largely around a blog or podcast.

So the poll is; which do you think would be more attractive to potential gamers?

But also, please chime in with topic ideas or entirely different proposals!

One idea from the hangout I liked was a regular blog featuring a community created IF or other savaged Rift ideas (our tattoo magic and ares framework might fit here too).

For a podcast maybe more crunchy stuff like encounter building, session design, and tips for PBP vs tabletop.

What do you think?

VV

[Deezy Klatta]

I'm liking the blog idea more. For two main reasons:

1) I am more fond of reading and writing this kind of stuff.

2) It's much harder, in my view, to make 'performance' material like podcasts and videos that aren't cringey or awkward. I mean, we have a fairly big group here so for all I know there's some great scriptwriters and actors/orators who could do a great podcast. But my experience of such things is that doing a performance presentation adds another point of failure to the process. Even if the subject matter is good and interesting, if it's not performed well then folks won't listen to it. Wheras with a blog we only need to be concerned with the writing.

Furthermore, we're all writers of one stripe or another here, because it's a PBP site. So the talent pool is bigger.

[Icosa]

I agree. Podcasts are really hit and miss, and harder to save material from for use in games.

A blog would be more gamer-friendly as a result.

[Vela]

Both of the previous two comments are spot-on. I'm really impressed by how many super-smart and amazingly talented people we have in our community!

A blog is definitely the best way to add value to the site and attract traffic, if for no other reason than it will appeal to literate folks who like reading...who are more likely to like writing...who will be more likely to be interested in playing here!

[Freemage]

Another vote for blog, for the reasons already mentioned.

[High Command]

If we could talk Eric (over on EU) into another dramatic reading, but this one Savage Focused, I think a Blog could work. I could see Timothy's reports working well, or something like them.

[Pender Lumkiss]

Both.
-Blog would be sweet for reading, we have a ton of great edges custom IFs, and ARES that enhance the setting. I could see the blog being a great space to bring that too, as well as a weekly savaging your favorite rifts idea.
-Podcast to discuss the rules, trappings, and other perhaps more crunchy stuff appeals to me. There are enough to be discussed if hangout questions and pms are anything to go by. I am a big fan of the savage worlds gm hangout where they tackle a topic or two each week and it is really just a round table discussion.

[Timothy Hernandez]

I think two fold, a cartoon of our adventures and possibly a you tube vlog.

[Markus Berger]

Unless someone has the equipment and experience for a Podcast or VideoLog, I would say a normal good to earth blog is the way to go.

[Maximilian]

I vote blog. Being able to utilize things shared is easier when it's in print. Plus, as has been said, growing a PBP community is going to appeal naturally from a blog.

[Bane]

I don't see why the crunchy stuff couldn't be talked about in a blog.

[Kidemonas]

I voted Blog. While I love podcast they usually Pier out as people run out of things to talk about it rely to heavily on schedules.
I have listened to a lot of them that only make it to episode 12 it so before collapsing.

Other than that I do not have a lot of useful feedback.

[Langdon Steed]

Another vote for blog. I prefer reading over listening/watching and it would be a good place showcase new IF/MARS/ARES/RCC templates.

[Penny Wise]

Personally prefer blog, for reasons that are definitely unrelated to the 10 or so podcast episodes in my phone's podcast queue.

[Jasper Maddocs]

Blog is by far the best way to try and focus on the creative aspects of the community and the work done for the Savage Rifts.

However, I think a podcast every once in a while might help, especially if like HC mentions we can get Eric to lend his voice for when something cool or epic happens in one of the groups. Someone could write up the scene in which it happens to make it work better as a read story, and with Eric's voice it could be pretty cool.

[Augur]

I think Savage Rifts players ought to get their voices onto Radio Free Merctown and thereby make the podcast more inclusive of the overall community.

Hell, I'd love to have a few Savage players on for a podcast or two wherein I play the role, truthfully, of the curious but ignorant player who asks questions of a panel of knowledgeable Savages.

Have your own topic ideas for the next podcast? Post your ideas as a reply to the most recent episode.

Let's start making Radio Free Merctown a bit more savage!

[Venatus Vinco]

Augur,

Maybe we could dedicate 1 RFM a quarter to Savagery? If we do it each quarter end there could be a basic structure of:

Quarter in review
Highlights from a couple of groups
Compare/Contrast one element of Savage Worlds vis. Palladium

If we end up doing a blog we can also, of course cross post and link to these episodes.

VV

[Maximilian]

Augur,

Maybe we could dedicate 1 RFM a quarter to Savagery? If we do it each quarter end there could be a basic structure of:

Quarter in review
Highlights from a couple of groups
Compare/Contrast one element if Savage Worlds vis. Palladium

If we end up doing a blog we can also, of course cross post and link to these episodes.

VV

I like this idea.

[Kidemonas]

I am not sure about comparisons.
Too often they are done with subtle insults to systems loved by other players.

Just ensure the comparison is respectful to both systems.

For example my favorite system has always been Hero. But The number of people who complain about the complexity or math can be frustrating when they turn to insults rather than just saying it is not for them. It is a real turn of that normally ends with me losing interest in the podcast.

[Pender Lumkiss]

Loved Hero 5th ed!

[Kidemonas]

Loved Hero 5th ed!

You sir are obviously a man of God taste.

[High Command]

No, comparisons are germaine, especially from GMs of both systems. One of the things most who still have reservations is they feel Savage Worlds is far too simple to effectively simulate Rifts. Of course we know that to be baseless, but the simple fact is that the perception persists. The difference, of course, is that it gets thousands of miles out of trappings where Palladium had to whole cloth create rules. A case in point is the intimidation factor of naruni weapons. There is literally a bonus for having the biggest gun in a test of will. Unless you are pouring over the rules, that's not likely to come out. So when converting Naruni weapons, we just mention that it takes a really big weapon to be more intimidating than a Naruni weapon and we reference the rule page number. Boom. In Palladium there are two separate mechanics, via two separate die types, that relate to this.

I'll probably end up writing a comparison blog post at some point.

[Venatus Vinco]

Hello,

I think Kid's warning is a good one. By comparison I mean more like a "how did they handle x"?

RFM is mostly Rifts players so I see it as a way to demonstrate how some of the main concepts remain in tact.

VV