The Pub: Five Years On and What I’m Thinking…

[Nobby-W]

TristramEvans can post all the naughty cosplayer pictures. But then Tulpa Girl might load it with beefcake sausage.

More likely, we'll get a contest of who can gross us out the most with Aztec Sling Mentzer type pics.

We're equal opportunity pervs here. Red Sonja only goes so far.

 

[Brock Savage]

The second thing metafilter does is require a one time fee of $5 to be a posting member. You can read for free but if you want to be able to participate in the conversation(s) you gotta pony up that $5. A one time fee of $5 is a trivial expense but it seems to be an effective solution to weed out bots and folks who just want to shitpost.

I have to admit you make a good point. A small fee is great for weeding out the riff raff- I happen to belong to a paid board and the discourse is polite and there is no shitposting.

 

[TristramEvans]

Lots of random thoughts, so rather than trying to put them into an overall cohesive whole I'm just going to list them stream-of-consciousness:

*I've been working on an "Introduction to The Pub" for new folks to the forum that is pretty extensive, going through our unique terminology (Swo, Threadfall, etc), our approach to moderation, but most importantly addressing our "No Politics" rule and what it means (or maybe more importantly, what it doesn't mean). I keep getting distracted by real life, school, and my incremental bursts of activity regarding Phaserip, but I really need to hanker down and finish it. I'm just being very precise & careful with my wording. It'll debut in a stickied thread in the main forum once I've shared it backstage and the staff approves it

*I think expansion is a good idea, but I share the trepidation of others regarding acquiring too large/mainstream an audience. However, The Pub having a "front page" like RPGnet that has hobby-related news and reviews I think is a good step. I think looking to the early days of RPGnet, when the forum was focused around the reviews isn't a bad idea - not that I think the forum should change, just that the method of dropping reviews on a specific day and opening connected threads to discuss them would be great.

*I think that the appeal of a place that is free of politics appeals to a wider audience than those who want to always discuss politics. I don't think this is something we need to address, h8ters gonna h8te, that our actions will ultimately speak louder than a vocal group of ne'er-do-wells. As always there will be RPGs that are created for political purposes, but I don't think news coverage or reviews of them require us to drop our rule.

*I always thought the newsletter was a good idea - a place that collated the actual gaming stuff that appears in random threads here - we have many experienced and talented game masters here, and a lot of great advice and tools for gaming gets posted to The Pub - a way to archive that and present it to a wider audience I think has quite a bit of value. It could even earn money for the Pub (and by extension the authors) by being a subscription service. The thing is we need an editorial staff to take the reigns, oversee and direct a project like that

 

[rumble]

The second thing metafilter does is require a one time fee of $5 to be a posting member. You can read for free but if you want to be able to participate in the conversation(s) you gotta pony up that $5. A one time fee of $5 is a trivial expense but it seems to be an effective solution to weed out bots and folks who just want to shitpost.

I'm a bit of a skinflint. A subscription would deter me, but a one time cost this low would be tolerable.

 

[Black Leaf]

While RPGs should obviously be the focus, I do think there's a case for having other content of interest to RPGers. Wargames and boardgames are the obvious candidates. Video games, music, film etc. is possible, but obviously there's a lot more sites already covering that content.

I will also say that I don't think this is going to work unless you can get a significant amount of content, not just at the start but ongoing. If you're going to get eyes on this kind of internet content 3 posts a week is the absolute minimum and 5-6 would be better.

 

[Endless Flight]

I'm a bit of a skinflint. A subscription would deter me, but a one time cost this low would be tolerable.

I’ve never really considered charging people to post on the Pub. I do think maybe having extra content for the Patreon would work though. You would get more bang for your buck supporting the Pub that way. Early access to reviews too, perhaps.

 

[Endless Flight]

I think part of the reason I want to have a place for reviews is something TristramEvans has advocated for a long time now. I think a blog type format is the best way to present them and we can still link to a discussion on the forum.

 

[Fenris-77]

It could also be a fun and interesting place for some small designers to get a little spotlight time too. We have a pretty diverse group here, interest-wise, and I know I for one would like to see review of smaller press stuff as well as the big boys. There's a lot of great stuff coming out in Zine format these days for example. Anyway, grist for the mill.

 

[Mankcam]

I don't mind the pub going on Social Media, but that's going to remove discussion from the Forum. Every form of Social Media is vastly inferior to a forum as a means of discussion.

Yeah I agree, the discussions will be dispersed across various social media platforms, rather than being here in one place
I think it's a bad idea going into social media too much, everything has to lead back to this site

I am definately over Twitter, Instagram, etc. I have stepped away from everything except for FB - it is still a handy way to keep in contact with rellies overseas, although I would like to ditch even it at some stage. I'ld much prefer several independent Whatsapp Groups, but that's not gonna work for some of my family and friends at present, so FB still fills that niche for me. I am attached to various hobby groups on FB, but I am slowly culling this, I really want to cut down all the static these days.

In regards to my hobbies, there's something much nicer about actually purposely going to a website to check things out, rather than the never-ending updates of feeds and whatnot on social media. It may have seemed cool a decade ago, but I'm happy to leave it now and greatly prefer checking forums like this when I want to, as well as feeds from various Youtube posters, that's all I am into these days.

 

[Black Leaf]

Yeah I agree, the discussions will be dispersed across various social media platforms, rather than being here in one place
I think it's a bad idea going into social media too much, everything has to lead back to this site

I think the sole use of social media in this context would be to point people towards pub content, not have discussions.

 

[Agemegos]

There are plenty of places on the Net for people to vent the controversial views they call politics, and either to indulge themselves in vituperative quarrels or mob whomever does not agree hard enough with their preferred orthodoxy. I don't see any value in making this another. And I would be very disappointed to lose the last place I know of where I can chat about RPGs without being subject to vicious denunciations.

I don't expect anyone to care whether I stay or go, but for what it's worth I reckon that if the rule were repealed that we don't air views that we know are controversial, and abandon conversations that turn heated, within six weeks I would find this forum as uninhabitable as all the others.

While RPGs should obviously be the focus, I do think there's a case for having other content of interest to RPGers. Wargames and boardgames are the obvious candidates.

There is a case against, too. One of the blessings of the InterNet is that a person who happens to be interested in RPGs, boardgames, and wargames can easily get all the discussion they want in specialised forums for each subject. If you want to talk boardgames, you can do so with all the boardgamers in a boardgames forum, instead of with just those who happen to be both roleplayers and boardgamers in the boardgames subforum of an RPG forum. And that is better. There are no economies of scope to be exploited by combining subjects. While on the other hand the RPG discussion group at tekeli.li lately threw itself open to fans of the boardgames review site Shut Up and Sit Down, and has been so swamped by boardgames discussion and insider chit-chat that virtually no discussion of RPGs takes place there any more, because few of the boardgamers are roleplayers.

 

[Picaroon Jack]

I never received my share of the t-shirt money. Once we move past that I will be 100% on board.

 

[Tulpa Girl]

I'm a bit of a skinflint. A subscription would deter me, but a one time cost this low would be tolerable.

Likewise. I'm Cheapy Ms. Cheapcheap, but even so a one-time cost doesn't strike me as unreasonable.

 

[Endless Flight]

You mean a one-time cost to register or maybe a yearly subscription for a couple bucks.

 

[Supervisor194]

Heavens to Murgatroyd! My five year anniversary with The Pub is also this year in September! What do I get? What do I get?

 

[David Johansen]

Legalize politics, troll like mad, put the flame wars behind a pay wall once they're good and hot, PROFIT!

 

[ReluctantGM]

You mean a one-time cost to register or maybe a yearly subscription for a couple bucks.

Metafilter does a one-time $5. It's not so much a money maker as a really cheap way to keep out the spam bots and shitposters. That was more of what I was suggesting for here.

 

[ReluctantGM]

I saw a mention upthread about a Patreon. Is there a rpgpub Patreon?

 

[Endless Flight]

I saw a mention upthread about a Patreon. Is there a rpgpub Patreon?

Yeah, there is.

RPG PUB is creating a community for tabletop roleplaying gamers. | Patreon

Become a patron of RPG PUB today: Get access to exclusive content and experiences on the world’s largest membership platform for artists and creators.

www.patreon.com

 

[Endless Flight]

Legalize politics, troll like mad, put the flame wars behind a pay wall once they're good and hot, PROFIT!

Oh, like have a forum for politics but charge like $100 for people to be able to access it? Then I take that wad of cash and pay off the moderators?

 

[Endless Flight]

Metafilter does a one-time $5. It's not so much a money maker as a really cheap way to keep out the spam bots and shitposters. That was more of what I was suggesting for here.

Doesn’t SA do the same thing but it’s like $10?

 

[David Johansen]

Oh, like have a forum for politics but charge like $100 for people to be able to access it? Then I take that wad of cash and pay off the moderators?

Nope just wait for politics to break out naturally, and then troll it a bit, get folks worked up, and then put the thread behind a pay wall so they have to pay to continue the argument.

 

[Raleel]

I've been a long time patreon, and frankly, I don't know what I'd want more. I also don't intend that to restrict in any way. I just don't know that I have any suggestions at all.

also, 5 years for me in a couple months. Wow

 

[Nobby-W]

Nope just wait for politics to break out naturally, and then troll it a bit, get folks worked up, and then put the thread behind a pay wall so they have to pay to continue the argument.

Genius!

 

[Stumpydave]

I'd join the Patreon but £72 is too rich for me! (I thought it was £40 - was there a coup by capitalist pig dogs whilst I wasn't looking?)
But a fiver's doable.

 

[Fenris-77]

I'd join the Patreon but £72 is too rich for me! (I thought it was £40 - was there a coup by capitalist pig dogs whilst I wasn't looking?)
But a fiver's doable.

You can pay as little as a buck a month if I recall correctly.

 

[Stumpydave]

You can pay as little as a buck a month if I recall correctly.

So this is an age vs tech thing. Me not being able to work Patreon.
I can program a VCR to record a weekly programme without Videoplus! I'm a goddamned technological wizard surfing the white hot edge of the future!!

 

[Fenris-77]

So this is an age vs tech thing. Me not being able to work Patreon.
I can program a VCR to record a weekly programme without Videoplus! I'm a goddamned technological wizard surfing the white hot edge of the future!!

Dont feel bad, I had the same issue you did the first time I looked at it.

Edit: I wonder if that's not something that could be changed? It might be preventing some people from patreon-ing.

 

[Endless Flight]

Patreon’s pretty simple, honestly. I believe in keeping things easy for technically challenged people but there are limits.

 

[Black Leaf]

Maybe a stickied "Patreon: How to" post?

 

[Fenris-77]

Patreon’s pretty simple, honestly. I believe in keeping things easy for technically challenged people but there are limits.

I think it was just a matter of what shows on the first screen, combined with some middle-aged ludditism. I thought it was just me that found it confusing.

 

[Stumpydave]

When I click on the link it gives me one option- pay Seventy odd quid. Doesn't say if that's a one off or monthly.

There's basic and then there's misleading. I'd have done a small Patreon ages ago if it had looked like there were different options.

 

[Endless Flight]

Patreon is a monthly subscription. If you want to PayPal me a one-time payment there’s a thread at the top of this forum with that link.

 

[Fenris-77]

Patreon is a monthly subscription. If you want to PayPal me a one-time payment there’s a thread at the top of this forum with that link.

See I know that now, but I thought the same thing Stumpydave did the first time I looked, that the listed cost ($70 or something) was the monthly cost, which is not the case. Other patreons don't display like that. IDK...

 

[Endless Flight]

I don’t see what you guys are seeing unless you are a talking about the patrons and the amount we already receive that’s listed at the top.

 

[Endless Flight]

OK, I removed the dollar amount because I can see how that is confusing. You can become a Patreon for $1 a month, just so no one is confused.

RPG PUB is creating a community for tabletop roleplaying gamers. | Patreon

Become a patron of RPG PUB today: Get access to exclusive content and experiences on the world’s largest membership platform for artists and creators.

www.patreon.com

 

[Fenris-77]

OK, I removed the dollar amount because I can see how that is confusing. You can become a Patreon for $1 a month, just so no one is confused.

RPG PUB is creating a community for tabletop roleplaying gamers. | Patreon

Become a patron of RPG PUB today: Get access to exclusive content and experiences on the world’s largest membership platform for artists and creators.

www.patreon.com

Thanks for thinking of the benighted and disadvantaged among us EF.

 

[Stumpydave]

And I've been able to pay something. Only a little something because I've two teenage girls who seem to think I'm a millionaire, but hopefully it'll help.

 

[Endless Flight]

I’m thinking if we expand there will be added tiers to receive extra goodies. Like if you put in $5 a month we will give stuff out like merchandise and access to things like reviews and articles ahead of time.

 

[Endless Flight]

And I've been able to pay something. Only a little something because I've two teenage girls who seem to think I'm a millionaire, but hopefully it'll help.

Thank you for the support, Stumpydave. I know how expensive a teenage daughter can be, let alone two! My wife and I just got the payment schedule for our daughter’s college loan…