Arduin made a comment on the last post, the wiki post, that the bar for content for the Wiki has been set intimidatingly high. Is this true?
If so, what is it people need me to do, in order to generate more interest in putting more stuff on the wiki? I believe that there is personally created RPG material of sufficient quality on the net, if people would step forward. So should I remove material, if that will reduce any intimidation?
Please tell me. What is needed to inspire others?
Personally speaking, I've got material that just needs to be touched up and slightly expanded, but I've been creamed by extra long working hours since the new year. I will get it up soon as it all calms down.
ReplyDeleteI see no reason to take down anything of yours. Just because the Mona Lisa is in the Louvre doesn't mean they can't find space to cram anything else into the building.
ReplyDeleteI'd have to guess that the number one problem is that people are lazy like me and haven't gone through their piles of self generated stuff to see what would be presentable to an audience wider than the five or six people that they game with. It's not having stuff that is good enough, it's incentive to get off our rumps and actually find and send it.
There is much talk about carrots and sticks, but many people seem to be satisfied with their name up in lights for a few minutes, or maybe a blog link.
Giving it some thought, perhaps some organized prompting might be in order. Like "This week I'm looking for randomized lists articles of clothing separated into gender and social station." Or whatever. And maybe 1st place, second place, honorable mention kind of thing. Or if you don't want to get competitive, just a big thanks with the name in BLINK tags.
Organizing gamers is similar to herding cats - but it's not impossible. Otherwise we'd never get a game going.
- Ark
Well, the reason I haven't submitted anything is A. I don't think any of my stuff is really that great, B. I'm not sure what you need, and C. I don't know what of my stuff would fit the setting.
ReplyDeleteOh, and as Arkhein said, there's no reason to take down any of your stuff.
ReplyDeleteWow, that comment certainly backfired on me.
ReplyDeleteI certainly would never have suggested that you post less or lower the bar you've set, albeit unintentionally.
I only meant to point out that the wiki, to me, deserves a better authorship than anything I've got yet.
As has been echoed above, most of my custom stuff would only interest my group. The logic of it is entirely in my head, and it changes depending on newly unearthed knowledge of how a given thing works.
Seriously. Just keep doing what you do, because it's great.
When I've got something, I'll submit it. I'm pretty sure others will too.
It's only been a couple of months. Most sites take years to really get rolling. Be patient Alexis. This fretting is making you question yourself on something that you really shouldn't.
ReplyDeleteDon't apologize for the quality of your materials. You've had over 20 years to build this stuff up.
Maybe you could post some links to things you've seen elsewhere that--perhaps cleaned up--would fit.
ReplyDeleteOr--if you say you can't find anything--then maybe that will explain to you why people find it intimidating.
You do spend an awful lot of time saying how useless stuff you see around is. This may make people scared to submit.
Not that I'm suggesting you should stop, just that that may be more of a factor than the tables and maps themselves.
ReplyDeleteLike when they guy who wrote this:
ReplyDeletehttp://tao-dnd.blogspot.com/2009/10/new-monsters.html
asks if you want to submit a new monster, I'm betting a lot of DMs are looking at each other going "You first"
I mean, I get your point in that post: A ghoul immune to arrows is not a "new monster". But it is rather defining what you want by describing what it's not, which makes people a little more unsure than defining what you want by saying what it is.
Jesus people, just let it rip and post something already. If Alexis hates it, screw Alexis. If Alexis hates it and posts it still, then still screw Alexis. If Alexis loves it and adopts it for his own game, scr.. you get the point.
ReplyDeleteThe point of the wiki was to have a place we all could go to for ideas five years from now rather than the histories of 200 different blogs. That Alexis thought of it and essentially presides over it is a good thing. If you submit something close to being ready and he tells you "this isn't ready yet, do this, this and this" then take his advice after you think "screw Alexis". Or just screw Alexis.
Don't change a thing Alexis.
@James C.:
ReplyDeleteYou said:
"Jesus people, just let it rip and post something already."
My question is: Where do we post it? In comments? It seems a bit rude to suddenly dump a new spell or something into the middle of a discussion, or even post a comment completely unrelated to the topic when no-one else has commented. To edit the wiki, you have to be a member - meaning you have to have demonstrated that you can provide good content, so having us post things there is arguing in circles isn't it? "To post on the wiki, you have to show that you can create good content. To show that you can create good content, you have to post on the wiki". Where are these supposed to go?
Alexis's e-mail is available, start there. He's been encouraging readers to do so over the course of a few posts now. Contact Alexis and say you want to contribute to the wiki. Send a sample of something you'd like to contribute.
ReplyDelete