Dungeons and Dragons campaign Idea: Sword Art Online survival of the fittest style campaign/event

No art for this, I just had a random idea ...

What if, as part of an area wide campaign, you took a sign in registry of all the players who wanted to play in one grand campaign.

You then create one list of random encounters drawn up for all the GMs to use at each level of the overall map.

Everyone makes up first level character.  All seems normal.

Until ...

Each session you rotate GMs, with each using the random table for that level, as well as running a homebrew adventure of their own devising for that level.  Neither the GMs nor the players know who will be running/ playing what until you meet up that week.

Every time a character is killed, that player is removed from the event.

As players are removed you reorder the groups, to fill in gaps.

The campaign ends when the characters have survived a fixed number of sessions, or you are down to one group of six or fewer.

When the campaign ends, the final test is to send those player characters through a high level dungeon.

I think this would be awesome!!!!  Something you would stream for posterity.

******

Game design / event  thought of the day...

Fun things you learn when you let people see a preview of your new KickStarter campaign

Screen capture from the KickStarter campaign for : The Steel Road
This image was grabbed last night while I was working on the page

Hello everyone!

I'm about to launch my fifth kickstarter campaign.  With my fourth campaign I had made previews of the campaign available to some bloggers I'm acquainted with, and ran the information by some friends to look it over.  It was helpful.    For The Steel Road I wanted a broader spectrum of people to take a look at the campaign prior to launch.  I was looking for feedback and I got it!

Things I had pointed out to me from the earliest of drafts were that I had too much text. Really, I had written to much, put forth a lot of detail, and had pretty much made the page read like installation instructions.  That kind of format is no fun to create, and no fun for the people coming to the campaign.  So, don't over do it, be honest and sincere, and don't worry about things that people are likely to already know.

Also from The Steel Road Kickstarter page
This  capture shows the pledge level for pdf and pod after the early backer tier expires

The next thing that was pointed out to me, was that I needed to tell people what the book was for.  Somehow, in all the excitement and in the process of putting words to page, I had forgotten to indicate the book was for the 5th Edition game mechanic.... oops?    So I did a bit of work to clean that up.

I cut down the extraneous matter (still clipping that back a bit), and tried to stick with just the meaty bits of the thing.  Its a book for your 5th Edition game, it has a bunch of weapons, all are illustrated, please support it... that kind of thing.  I found it was much more fun to read through, easier to digest, and people didn't have to try to interpret things.  All good things I believe.

Page from: The Steel Road
Art by: Zack Viola

Stretch Goals:  

Everyone seems to want more stretch goals.  I've been torn on this point as I don't want the project to get out of hand, but then something great happened.  One of the people looking at the page had been a backer of a prior campaign and he made a suggestion about something he would like to see as a stretch goal.  Its easily done, and I like the idea, so I'm checking the math to see if its feasible. Thank you very much Alexander for such insight!

My position on stretch goals is that they should always be something that makes a great contribution to the project.  Additional art, more content, better quality materials, and things in a similar vein are what I like to see.  As a creator though, you must balance these ambitions against your costs.  It is critical if you are to succeed in the business side of things and be able to afford to create new projects in the future.

So for all of you who are planning campaigns, be mindful of your stretch goals!

original page art for The Steel Road
Art by: Zachary Viola

Audience  

I talk a LOT about how to treat your audience when you are a crowdfunded creator.  I always encourage people to do all they can to make the best products possible, in order to give their audience the best value.  Yesterday, I was reminded that people appreciate the effort.  I'll not get sappy about it, but I received some very kind words from a few backers of my last KickStarter (for Tarot Adventures, Book Two:  Comet over Echo Rock) which had its fulfillment running late (two weeks late as of this writing, but fulfillment is underway).

Once again, I'll recommend that in all dealings with your audience be honest, realistic, and put forth your very best effort.  I hope that in your creative endeavors you receive the same kind of messages I have.  They really do mean a lot to me because they are encouraging and really make all the work more worthwhile.

Yesterday I was told that my work mattered, that people are looking forward to my next book, and that they have fun with their friends as they play through the adventures I've created.  I can't think of a better reason for all the hard work, than knowing that the people supporting my kickstarter campaigns, my audience, are enjoying what I do.

(Thanks folks, you ladies and gentlemen have been the best!)

Your audience makes your creations possible.  Cherish them all.

*****

Thank you for joining me once again on this adventure into game design, writing and self-publishing.

I'll be continuing the countdown toward the KickStarter campaign for The Steel Road with a new entry tonight.  

I do hope you will share this entry with others to help fellow creators.

Adventure awaits!

KickStarter fulfillment for Tarot Adventures, Book Two: Comet over Echo Rock

I received proof copies for Tarot Adventures, Book Two: Comet over Echo Rock today!

Cover Art by: Brian Lee

This was pretty cool, but I did discover a formatting problem and a few text problems that had managed to slip past our editing.  So I'll be correcting those issues through this week and will begin fulfillment once the updated interior files are complete.  So backers for this KickStarter campaign will begin receiving their rewards next week.

This adventure is released under the Open Game License, and is designed to be a difficult to deadly level challenge for characters of second through fourth level of experience.

Some of art going into that adventure:

Art by: Alexia Veldhuisen

Art by: Kelsy Cowan

Art by: Christian Martinez

Art by: Jake Ochoa

Art /Cartography by: James Lee

Background/border art by: Nick Caponi

 You can see more of Nick's work by checking out his web comic SANDI on Tumblr

*****

Whether you are new to the Tarot Adventures, or a survivor of The Draw of Glenfallow, you and your friends will enjoy this brutal adventure!

What is going on in this book:

Monsters remain in the Echo Rock silver mine.  Pieron wants your group of brave adventurers to rid the mine of its monstrous inhabitants to avenge the deaths of those who have tried to reopen the mine before you, as well as to bring the wealth from the mine to help continue the growth of Glenfallow.

Survive the climb into the northern mountains, brave the depths of Echo Rock, and rid the mine of its infestation.  There is wealth to be had, political clout to be earned, and monsters to kill.

Packed with several full page illustrations, a selection of six (6) pre-generated characters, example dialogue, a selection of example skill results, and pages of NPC and setting data, this adventure is full of material for the adventure at hand as well as material that easily adopted for expansion.

*****

As a final note, I do use KickStarter to fund my various projects.  There are some neat projects on KickStarter right now and I want to point a few of them out to you.

Here are some of them:




At the time of this writing there are two days left to support the Coronary campaign.




At the time of this writing there are twenty-two days remaining to help fund Shinobi: Ninja Princess
Disclaimer:  I don't know the people responsible for Shinobi, I just think it looks like a cool project.






Gadget, another project that I saw that really just looks cool to me.  It is early in the campaign and could use a LOT of help in reaching its goal.  I haven't backed this comic yet, but I'm planning to in the final week of its campaign.  Give this campaign a long look, the numbers look realistic and the concept seems really cool to me.  I do wish it had an electronic copy only option or an option for print copy only.  I've messaged the creator to that effect as well.   It's the creator's first KickStarter campaign, at least that is what KickStarter says, so lets share this around and help make it a great first time experience.





Finally, one of the most exciting KickStarters that is running right now (to me anyway), I was looking into developing something similar but I just don't have the coding chops to make it work.  If there is any RPG themed KickStarter you are going to support right now, this is it!

How cool is an Augmented Reality monster?  Just check out their visuals to see.


Thanks for joining me today as I explore writing, game design, and self-publishing. 

I hope I'll see you again next time!

W.S. Quinton

Game designers, publishers, and writers: Treat yourself!

Map by: James Lee
For: Tarot Adventures, Book Two: Comet over Echo Rock

Map by James Lee from the soon to be released 5th edition adventure,
Tarot Adventures, Book Two: Comet over Echo Rock.  (Early version of the map)

*****
You wrote your book, illustrated your comic, created a great game, funded your project, managed your printing and production, marketed your product to garner attention and now people are reading it and/or playing it.  Congratulations!


Your work is far from over, as you'll be fulfilling orders (or overseeing such), promoting, managing the money (and taxes that follow the money), and going through all those processes which govern the business end of your work.  In other words, you're managing your sales pipeline and working a LOT.


During all this excitement it can be very easy to feel overwhelmed.  The problem this causes is that it can discourage you from creating new projects.  After all, who wants to add to their work load?  Stop!  Don't let the specter of more work dissuade you.  More work simply means that more people are reading your material, playing your games, and that you're making more money.  Don't be a one hit wonder.  Take a moment to recharge your energy, and to encourage yourself and your creative process.


The following are some things you can do, which I have found useful in re-energizing my creativity and in encouraging me to step up and tackle the next project:


1) Personal promotional appearances:  Book signings and speaking engagements (small panel or whole room).  It is great fun to discuss the work of writing with other writers, to talk about games and game theory with other game designers, and to encourage others who are aspiring to produce their work.  Take some time to speak with others who are experiencing the same labors you are.  Whether you develop a sense of camaraderie, friendly rivalry, learn, or mentor others; you'll find that the socializing your experience is quite refreshing. 


Making these appearances can also be quite productive for your business as well.  By building community, making connections, and providing the benefit of your own experiences you can learn others.  I would also encourage you to assist those in your community in their endeavors where possible.  You may have noticed that I maintain a link to featured crowd funding projects on this page now.  Doing so has yielded a tangible benefit to each of those projects by helping to expand awareness.  {As a side note, I want to convey my gratitude to those of you who have supported these campaigns. I don't receive any financial incentive for this.  It does benefit those creators whom I network with and there is a certain amount of reciprocal aid from those people as they share my project links around too.}


2) Physical activity:  Take a walk, go to the gym, or otherwise undertake some form of physical action you enjoy.  This doesn't have to be a life changing exercise.  It is healthy to get up from your desk, get your muscles moving, to take a break from your work.  Of late, I've fallen into the trap of toiling away at my desk.  Don't do that to yourself.  Get up and go for a bit.  I like to play with my children until they go to sleep then work after they are down.  If you have children this is a good option, but do make certain you are getting some physical activity through the day too.  It will help clear your mind and reinvigorate you.


3) Invest in yourself and your business:  This is very important.  Once you have revenue coming in from your product, use the money purposefully.  Do you need a new camera for your podcasts and social media activity?  Do you need a scale for your mailings?  Is there a tool or software that can increase your productivity, streamline your operations, or otherwise alleviate some of the burden of work?  If so, invest in it!


Hard work will get you far.  Working efficiently and completing your work with less strain, cost, and labor will afford you the ability to do more.  Whether you are investing in a better scanner/printer, subscribing to a fulfillment service, or otherwise optimizing your operation; you will improve your long term market ability by investing in your operation.


4)  Take a break:  Make time for family and friends.  Take a day off to rest and recharge.  This will help you to maintain a healthy balance between your work and personal life.  Don't let your work overshadow your happiness.  You owe it to yourself, and to your fans/customers, to have joy in your life.  It WILL show in your work product. 


Take care of yourself, treat yourself, and live a little.  Use your time and money wisely to grow your business in an efficient way.  Refine your processes to ease your work load.  Make a point to enjoy yourself so you don't burn out.  Use these simple points to keep yourself motivated and working toward your goals.


*****


Thank you for joining me today on my adventure into writing, game design, and self-publishing.

I am presently working to complete the fulfillment of the Tarot Adventures, Book Two: Comet over Echo Rock  Kickstarter campaign.  The map above was created for that book and the image is used with permission and under contract.  All rights are reserved.

In May of 2018 (next month) I plan to launch the KickStarter campaign for The Steel Road, a source book containing fifty exotic weapons from far flung parts of the world.  Each weapon is illustrated, described, and contains an illustration and description of an enchanted "legendary" version of each.  I hope you'll check that on KickStarter when it goes live and support that fantastic book!

As always your comments and questions are most welcome.

I hope you'll join me again next time!