#I'M KIDDING

[cursed-minus-seventy-five-points]

The real question: How can we get losers to stop making bad rpgs and stealing all the oxygen that rightfully belongs to Jenna Moran?

Let’s Grow the RPG Hobby

Inspired by this post and the conversation surrounding it.

So the RPG world is facing a multitude of interconnected problems. Let’s talk about them, shall we?

---

1: The Problem(s)

Writing this, I find it hard to pinpoint a way to frame the subject of this post as a single thing. But it’s also impossible to treat it as it it’s a collection of separate problems. In reality, the issues facing the indie RPG world are A Hydra; a many-headed conglomeration of related issues, which each require organized, dedicated work to solve. A few examples:

The Normie-Indie Divide

A problem close to my heart, The Normie-Indie Divide describes the gradient between the mainstream of an artistic hobby and the really independent stuff. I compare this to movies a lot, but the more apt analogy is video games. The N-I-D in the videogame industry is so small as to be virtually nonexistent.

We can see this via a number of factors – one example being that the same outlets which cover massive blockbusters & sequels like Assassin’s Creed and God of War, also cover popular indie titles like Celeste and Hollow Knight. Then, freelance journalists who write for those publications (Jacob Geller is an example) go on to cover much smaller games on their own time, and so on. There’s a smooth gradient between the media coverage of the huge stuff, all the way down to a thriving (if still underserved) super-independant industry.

The N-I-D in RPGs feels uncrossable. The most well known RPG is so big it’s currenly riding the high of its second major hollywood adaptation in 20 years, and the second most popular – Vampire the Masquerade – is an unknown even to some indie RPG fans.* This hobby is shockingly impenetrable, even to those of us who spend our days swimming in the deepest end of the pool.

The Supply & Demand Problem

This one’s simple: People are pumping out RPGs by the truckload, and there are just too many! Not only does this make it hard to sift through everything to find the thing you want to read, play, or review, it also makes it nearly impossible to get anyone’s eyeballs on the cool thing you just released!

As others have pointed out, this problem is exacerbated by the fact that relative to some other art media, it’s pretty quick and painless to whip up your own zine or one-pager and publish it on itch. This disincentivises even the most invested of us from looking at a ton of new games, and means that sharing your work can feel like you’re being ignored by a huge crowd.

A Road To Solutions

If all of that is making you feel pretty bad for the future of this medium, you’re not alone. It can feel pretty hopeless facing all of these problems as an indie designer when all the tools you have at your disposal are a tumblr account and a few indie friends to complain to.

But the truth is, I think that this Hydra is eminently slayable. I just don’t think we can do it alone. That in mind, I’ve spent a large portion of my day putting together…

The Call to Action

I think there needs to be organized, persistent effort put into the future of this hobby and this industry, and I think it needs to start the way all good movements do: with a lot of petty, semantic argumentation over definitions and implementation. And to kick things off, here’s my step zero: If you’re reading this post because I’ve tagged you in it (or because I’ve sent you a link to it), my Dms are open. I want to put together a discord group chat† of my peers within RPG tumblr who are invested in tackling The Hydra, such that we can start brainstorming plans of attack to disseminate into the wider community.

The issues I wish to address are these:

The Normie-Indie Divide: How do we go about cultivating a casual audience of indie RPG fans who can bring sustainability and longevity to the industry?

The Supply & Demand Problem: How do we minimize the cognitive load of sorting through the huge volume of work extant in this medium, and more generally encourage peer-to-peer interaction within the community, like news coverage, reviews, and marketing?

The Cognitive Frontload Problem: How do we make it easier to actually engage with a given RPG, considering the amount of cognitive & temporal investment needed? Further, how do we make RPGs, both general and specific, more accessible to readers with a wide variety of abilities, preferences, and available time?

The Insular Community Problem: How do we better connect this hobby with itself, such that it feels a little less like several dozen cliques across 4-6 platforms, and more like the growing, evolving single hobbyist community that it is? Further, how do we make this hobby more accessible to newbies outside the influence of The Hegemons of the Coast?

And more. I’m positive I haven’t thought of everything, and that’s exactly why this needs to be a group effort.

As a last note: Please tag other people! The folks I’ve mentioned here are just those who I personally feel I know well enough to tag; let’s get the rest of the community involved! If you know someone who would be interested who isn’t on tumblr, they can email me: sabrinahawthornegames@proton.me.

*I’m not kidding. Multiple times within the last four months, I’ve introduced VtM to people who I would consider pretty in the sauce of RPGs. I’m talking folks who’ve played Heart: The City Beneath or Wanderhome. It’s bizarre.

†I need to stress that this is only a start. I’m not looking to start a big public discord unless that’s what a group of folks decide is the right call. By “group chat,” I mean “a chat which exists for long enough to hold 1-3 group voice calls to discuss and hash things out, before it’s dissolved in favor of the execution of whatever plans we devise.”

@theresattrpgforthat; @omophagic-beast; @ladytabletop; @rowansender; @monsterfactoryfanfic; @arsene-inc; @toyourstations

[k-martins]

We had SatoSugu

It's time for Itafushi <3

[hwang-inhosb1tch]

So, in fact, his only instructions were, "Stand there, stare at the camera, and show the people your beautiful chiselled features."

This man's digital footprint is crazy though. The behind the scenes is on yt.

[slamophile]

crosshair is a dry cereal eater but not a dry cereal enjoyer. he thinks he doesn't deserve the milk

[nyoomtofu]

max's infinite supply of god awful red bull caps that he refuses to take off 🤝 charles' floppy sun hat collection he's been wearing everywhere

[pikavani]

I really want to post more Artwork! I have many "unfinished" projects and yet I don't show anything because my anxiety has been rising the last few weeks and for some reason everything needs to be "perfect" (which is unreasonable ofc)

Hopefully I can clarify a few things in the near future! I'll try to gather the strength to finish anything!

As always, be patient with me, I'm stupid as fuck/j

[profilepicparadise]

Dual profile pictures for punk sapphics only ~♡

Original photo:

source: The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't A Guy At All (気になってる人が男じゃなかった, Kininatteru Hito ga Otoko ja Nakatta) - Sumiko Arai

[genshin-side-piece]

I would like to thank Hoyo for clearly demonstrating why Childe is desperate to be Capitano's wife.

[ad4m-bit-th3apple]

this took longer than it should've

also I checked this and Vincent is dead wrong lmao

[arthursfuckinghat]

Accidentally burned my hand earlier, currently -5° outside, feeling like Charles Smith in Colter 😔❤️

[zelda-the-sacred-realm]

Time really hates the rain 😅

Give him an umbrella please, so he doesn't despair 🤣

[awweshuuks]

Emma May being a botany major and was actually the plug for the entire campus at fiddlefords and fords college probably

[ghurab-alzilal]

Interviewer: What do you like most about Robin?

Raven: His smile.

Beast Boy: He is so funny.

Blue Beetle: He always has a plan.

Superboy: His girlfriend.

1 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6

[starlight-bread-blog]

Me, a girl, listening to No You Girls:

[yuesya]

Yuesya I'm sure as a loving author you wouldn't give Kiyohira his arm back just to kill him off, right? He can sit pretty as the Tobiume branch elder and not get killed on a mission. My trust in you is totally absolute after last chapter.

:D

[luvrrszn]

this is how you fall in love

BRADLEY "ROOSTER" BRADSHAW x FEM READER

summary just you and rooster, forever

warnings fluff fluff fluffy fluff not proofread !

a/n pls send me a man like rooster thanks

masterlist

the night bradley first met you, he knew one day you two would share a home filled with love and laughter.

despite the dim lighting of the bar and the crowd of people, you still catch bradley's attention from the very moment he steps into the bar. you're dancing with your best friend next to the jukebox, a grin plastered on your face. you're wearing a short red dress, the skirt of your dress swishing around you as you move to the rhythm to the music.

bradley can't help but stare. no one notices, except penny. she rests her forearms on the bar, leaning forward. she says, "she's single, you know. go shoot your shot." he smirks slightly, then turns to look at you, catching your gaze.

usually, when you're caught staring, you immediately look away. but with the help of a little liquid courage, you hold bradley's gaze, refusing to look away first. he stares at you and you stare back, even as he gets up from his seat at the bar and makes his way over to you.

"hey, gorgeous. i'm bradley, but everyone calls me rooster. can i buy you a drink?" he says, staring into your eyes. you'd be a fool not to accept. you were many things, but definitely not a fool.

"that would be wonderful." you tell him, smiling. you tell him your name and follow him to the bar.

throughout the course of the night, bradley learns your favourite colour, why you're in town, and most importantly your number.

"call me." you say, pressing your lips to his cheek after he drops you off at your doorstep that night. bradley replies with a "yes ma'am" and watches you fumble with your keys. his hands are stuffed into the pockets of his jeans as he leans against his car, waiting for you to make it back into your apartment safely.

only when you lock the front door behind you does bradley drive off.

—

the very friday the next week, bradley takes you out for dinner. he knocks on your front door at 630pm sharp, with ample time for you to make it for your 7pm reservation.

with a reservation at one of the best restaurants in town, you made sure to dress your best. you wore a long black dress, which hugged your body in all the right places. your hair was pulled back into a sleek low bun, your lips painted dark red. you looked pretty, and most importantly, you felt pretty.

bradley lets out a low whistle as you do a little spin for him. your cheeks flush as smile softly. you hold onto his forearm for balance as you put on your heels, and the whole scene feels oddly domestic.

strangely enough, you didn't mind. you had only met bradley once before, but the two of you had talked throughout the week, and you already felt comfortable with him.

"what are you smiling so happily about?" bradley chuckles, snapping you out of whatever fantasies you were thinking about.

"nothing." you reply, but your grin remains on your face.

—

the moment you realised you were in love with bradley was around the time where you were 3 months into dating. it had starting raining during your lunch date, so to shield you from the rain, bradley put his zip-up hoodie on your shoulders and used his body to shield you from the rain.

once you made it to the car, he opened the car door for you, and closed it behind you like a true gentleman. then, he walked back to the sidewalk. curious, you stared in his direction. you watched as he bent down and started picking things up from the sidewalk and moving them into the trimmed grass next to it. he was picking up....worms?

five minutes later, he came back running to the car.

"sorry for keeping you waiting, babe."

you didn't really know what to say, so you just replied, "it's okay. the worms...looked like they needed help."

"thanks, i knew you'd understand." he grinned as he started the engine.

—

the moment you knew you were going to marry bradley occurred when you were at mav and penny's for dinner. you had dropped something on the floor, and bent down from your seat on a chair to pick it up. without batting an eye, bradley put his hand over the sharp corner of the table, while continuing to talk to mav.

that very moment, you knew that you were going to marry him someday. you knew he was the one you wanted to spend the rest of your life with. being with him felt natural, like it was the way things were meant to be.

no matter what happened in life, at some point the two of you were meant to argue over whose apartment to move into.

the two of you were meant to squabble over what colour the bathroom towels for your new shared apartment should be.

the two of you were meant to walk down the aisles of a supermarket to look for the nicest-smelling detergent.

the two of you were meant to squabble over things like the toilet seat being left up. (bradley learnt his lesson after that fight. the toilet seat was always left down. whatever you wanted, you got.)

the two of you were meant to sit at the dining table with cups of tea, going over your grocery list for the week.

and that was exactly what the rest of your life with bradley "rooster" bradshaw was like.