Bards, Traders, and Commoners: Turning Gaming in to Commerce

After spending some time interacting with the community, it seems like there is this universal sentiment that making money through developing a game, role-playing system, or associated art, is inherently evil. There are the haves and the have-nots, and those in the latter category can’t imagine themselves as a money-grubbing sellout. My mission has been and continues to be one that helps to break down this misunderstanding, and show how with modern technology this doesn't have to be the case.

In a classical publishing model, large companies capable of handling demand for physical products scour the landscape of starving artists to find one that will play by their rules. There are production schedules, contracts, and obligations that must be met in order for the gears of the big publishing machine to turn. The writer or designer is just a small part of a huge value chain which has the potential to reach the entire target market.

Most gaming writers and designers I am in contact with couldn't imagine operating in this framework. They are independent, self-motivated, and will create when they are inspired instead of feeling forced by a contractual obligation to produce. Many I know wouldn't even want to write or create full time, but most share the urge to attract others to their personal game sessions or systems of choice.

What’s the solution? I want a company that has no vested interest in specific game platforms, play styles, or artists beyond a positive, open market relationship. As a neutral platform, I will incentivize my company and community to support all gaming projects and their associated art with fervor, showing no underlying bias for one game or another. Employees and owners alike would be encouraged to support their favorite projects through their votes and their dollars, but no matter your position, you have one vote. The market will decide who is popular, who is not, and for what period of time they are relevant.

The barrier to entry for even allowing someone to put up a creation on the Google Play store and other similar platforms is criminal. I want to pursue a model where anyone can put up any of their creations up for sale, while having a system in place to ensure the quality of a project and highlighting those who have submitted for approval. Although the endorsement by our company would not be required, it would definitely be worth it for designers to assure the quality to an adequate level before spending their money on a mostly unknown and untested game or piece of art.

This philosophy will also extend over to our tournament organization, management and retail platforms. We will strive to have exciting, large scale tournaments for every game possible, grouping smaller communities together if needed to still allow for efficient use of resources. There are also some amazing non-profit initiatives with gaming at their core, such as Child’s Play and the SDA (Speed Demos Archive) community and their charity marathons. These initiatives deserve to have their efforts recognized by an even larger audience, and we will drive more awareness and donations to those organizations with pride.

Gamers United!

Cavin “Pox” DeJordy

Child’s Play: http://www.childsplaycharity.org/

SDA Charity Marathons: http://marathon.speeddemosarchive.com/

Tavern Keeper: Hospitality at Its Finest

It is a common fantasy role-playing trope for the bar or tavern to be a center of strategy and planning for countless adventuring parties. For game leaders and those character’s controllers, the paperwork and record keeping involved can always be a challenge to keep updated and organized. Why not collaborate with your Tavern Keeper and let him do the mundane so you can focus on the story?

On Sunday, Kristi and Bill Centinario held an open Q&A for Tavern Keeper, a campaign advertising platform for game leaders with bookkeeping and game session support. I had an opportunity to learn more about their current beta version, as well as their Kickstarter plans, stretch goals, and licensing opportunities with game designers and producers. The passion for their product is evident, and they've already laid the groundwork with initial product development and community outreach. A Tavern Keeper is out of work without a tavern to work in and happy, engaged, and repeat customers. Fortunately, their initial users who have listed their games on the beta website are these first few happy patrons, proof of concept, and will be the first to enjoy the improvements as this project is funded and developed.

Currently, Tavern Keeper Beta is a solid backbone on which all of the functionality will be built. There are already plenty of games being advertised through the system, and the generic character sheet is still a great start for rules light systems like FATE and Numenera. The functionality I’m most excited for is their plans for Dynamic Character Sheets, which would allow the sheets to derive and look up all of the stats and bonuses associated with base stat, race, and class choices (ex. D&D stat modifiers, Initiative, Attack Modifiers, etc.). They also talked about some great ideas for a game leader display which would make finding any system information a snap.

One of the toughest things I've found about my new venture is that I’m trying to do everything and anything to improve gaming experiences. This is overly ambitious, and without a more narrow focus, is doomed to suffer feature bloat and countless delays. Luckily there are plenty other entrepreneurs in the Google+ community who are spearheading the development of complimentary products to my own. I’m looking forward to working with the Centinario's and Tavern Keeper in the future as we both help enhance the experience of our role-playing customers.

Gamers United!

Cavin “Pox” DeJordy

Tavern Keeper: https://www.tavern-keeper.com
Discussion: https://www.tavern-keeper.com/#discuss

Stronghold: A Company By Gamers, For Gamers

Design and organization is seldom appreciated for the amount of work required. For most of us, art, experimentation, and exploration all come from a personal need to express ourselves, along with the need to collaborate and innovate with others who share our same passion. Even after all of that hard work there are plenty of regulatory and communication hurdles to overcome to make your mark in the entertainment industry. My aim is to offer many more opportunities to showcase talent, facilitate artist collaboration, as well as bring together a community that is ready to vote with their feet and their wallet on the project’s success.

Modern gaming is still an emerging market, especially when it comes to gaming competition and performance. Where previous artists worked in oils or clay, gaming artists work in the medium of Counterstrike, or Madden, or Dungeons & Dragons. This presents a host of challenges and opportunities which I aim to tackle with my new venture.

Over the next few days I will be writing a series of articles outlining my plans for creating a company which focuses on helping designers, writers, and performers meet, get their projects up and running, funded, and showcased on a digital stage that was built with interactive entertainment in mind. Everyone and anyone is invited to participate, contribute, and comment on this monumental undertaking.

Gamers United!

Cavin “Pox” DeJordy