Saturday 5 March 2011

YOU CAN DO BETTER

I'm sick of the complaining. Yes, there are plenty of tired ideas out there and hard sales techniques. Why is it so hard to challenge them constructively, or challenge ourselves?

If you don't like what a particular producer is doing, don't buy the products and services. If you think it's so bad no one else should be buying it either don't give them publicity. Be positive and point to alternatives. If you can produce something better, do it. 

I'll support you.

I'll link to your idea to help give it maximum exposure. I'll review it too. I'll try to show what it is in itself, what it has that's fresh. I'll even rearrange this blog to give it and other works like it pride of place. This goes for everyone, whether games designers, writers or sculptors, anyone at all creating. Just comment here or email me.

Everyone knows the kind of producer being talking about. They're the subject of chains of rants criss-crossing the blogosphere. To my mind we need to get to a point where every unit of every currency spent on the hobby is spent on small teams and individuals like you, with no dividend siphoned off to pay shareholders who take little risk and do little work, or packages for a board of executives who can add little value I see beyond maybe tightening the grip on minds and pockets the company already has.

Yes, a monopoly can innovate. But I'd prefer a wider choice than that. Much wider.

People like Gygax and Kaye had to struggle to find the funding. The creative people of today don't. We have a well-developed network here, and easy means of publishing. Overheads are almost zero. Time and energy will do it. Again, I can help out and so can many others. We can help a constellation of successful small studios grow right now. Just people with passion using a talent to support themselves, family, community and interests. The hardest thing to shake is the bizarre feeling good work should be free.

If this is your dream too, don't wait. We're stagnating here.

11 comments:

Pontifex said...

I assume you are not talking to me. :)

Zanazaz said...

You make some good points. It's never been easier for a person to get their ideas into "print" whether it's a PDF, book, card game, etc. The Internet and POD ( publish on demand )is amazing.

Porky said...

@ Greg Christopher - There's nothing I can say to you about this! Your work is a case study in how to go about it.

To anyone reading this unfamiliar with Greg's games, it's a perfect time to check them out. The standard is stunning, in concept, writing and presentation, and well above what I think most of us would expect of something produced outside of a large organisation. The four blogs, one per game - Cascade Failure RPG, Errant, Synapse Design Blog and Statecraft GSRPG - are all in the fourth blogroll down ('ROLEPLAYING') in the left-hand column.

@ Zanazaz - Good to see that avatar! I hope you're planning to blog on. Your thoughts are always worth reading, and I'd bet you have a game or three in you too. It really is amazing what can be done nowadays, and the quality even one person can achieve in the various roles.

Paul´s Bods said...

I already do it with my Alex´s sculpts section I do. he is a genuine great sculptor with vision...not a run of the mill 12 poses 48 bods in a box sculptor..although some of them are good.
IMHO he deserves all the publicity I can give him and his work.
I´ll do it now :-D
http://paulsbods.blogspot.com/search/label/Alex%C2%B4s%20Sculpts
I wish I could sculpt...I have tried but I´m not in the least gifted with this skill, I struggle to paint well at the best of times and kep up with some of the great paintbrush artists I regularily see on the various blogs and forums.
I also "advertise" a couple of traders who deal in small "kitchen sink" producers...Winterkamp and frederix rex for example, they can be expensive per figure but that´s the price for quality and originality.
Whatever you can do to promote the "little" guy/gal then I´m with ya all the way mate.
Anyway...you just did with this thread...I´m off to look at gregs games now :-D
Cheers
paul

Porky said...

Bat in the Attic has just put up a post on the subject too. A good read.

@ Paul's Bods - When I wrote the word 'sculptor' I was thinking of you and Alex. I feel the same way about it and would be glad of half his talent. His minis have a magic, and not only those witches. Promote away here.

On the subject, if anyone can suggest obscure small producers of the kind Paul mentions - miniature-related or not - please do. I'm more than willing to have a look and at the very least list them.

Paul´s Bods said...

I´ll add to your list...Phersu miniatures
http://sites.google.com/site/phersuminiatures/Home
...this is definately another one man bod maker...
leonardo mainly converts mainstream available bods into something really original and special...another guy with a good eye for the wonderfull. I have also promoted his stuff...though shamefully on my part not enough...I will certainly do more for him in the future.
Cheers
Paul

Porky said...

Thanks - it's there. The posing is very impressive.

GEM Team said...

Well it's a gr8 idea. I don't sculpt figures but acessories and buildings yes. It is difficult to get abroad to sell my products. And I find that the bloggers support as well as in forums are great. The difficult part is to get the shops to reply to my mail and inquire. Cheers

Porky said...

It's true that word-of-mouth - or 'word-of-key' in our case - is very important. What Paul's Bods did today was wonderful in this respect. I think we need to talk much more about what we like and link to it where possible, and this also helps in being able to find things which may not be available through major outlets.

I'm glad you commented here too. Your blog is supposed to be duplicated in the new list, but it's not. I'll put it there now.

If anyone else thinks their blog should be added, let me know!

Paul´s Bods said...

See..I said I would forget someone...sorry GEM...
Cheers
Paul

kriz said...

YOU THA MAN! ;)