Failing to Beat Them, Joining Them

This, as most of you will know from having seen them before, is a 360-degree video:



I draw your attention to it because of a comment that Zilifant made a few days ago, when I was discussing things I might do to build some interest in the blog and specifically my Patreon.  He suggested some actual video of me running D&D.

I brought that idea up to a friend of mine and participant in my offline campaign last night and received the answer, "Well you know, I recently picked up a 360-degree camera."

Now damn it, I find that very interesting.  It makes me wonder why no one has ever thought to apply the technology to D&D before, but we spent quite a lot of time discussing it last night and damn, if that doesn't sound like a really good idea.  As I write this, we're making some plans.

My friend has the techical side of it managed, so not my problem.  I have made some preliminary reach-outs to three people who run in my daughter's D&D world, but who have never run in mine or with me.  I say that because I'd like to make a video showing how I roll characters up for people, how I manage that dialogue in person and the general response players have at rolling and then having new characters.  Then I'd like to run them in a very simple adventure, which I'm contemplating, something that wouldn't last more than two hours.  Hopefully, we'd like to keep the whole video (probably put on youtube in parts) to under three hours.

I see it as an opportunity to demonstrate pacing and, obviously, at least one combat played out in real time.  That sounds like fun.  Still, I think that for a mere un-invested observer, it may not come off as exciting as hoped.  We'll have to see.

Here's the downside.  I would like to put such a video behind a pay-wall.  I could post it on public youtube and maybe get some interest, but my experience with youtube has not been positive in the past and I don't see much reason to go to a lot of effort for maybe 400 views.  Nor am I in a position to put up a youtube video of a campaign weekly.

Like the Masterclass, then, this content would be a BONUS over stuff I already make public.  And like with the Masterclass, I would post enough to provide at least some idea of the overall product: 20 minutes or so.

If I could count on a hundred viewers, that's not too bad.  I have asked my regular offline campaign if they'd accept being filmed in their doings and they've agreed.  This wouldn't be a one-off if it worked.  I might be able to encourage people to buy in for one month at a time, those months when I had a video to share.

Yes, yes, I know.  Critical Role is free.  But I don't have the money to raise the sort of capital C.R. does through t-shirt sales and other crap.  I don't ever expect to get famous doing this.  I have pretty much given up on anything I do being viral.  Nope, this a vanity project.  And just like putting on a play at a coffee house or a community center (which I've also done), it seems fair to charge a door price.

How much?  $1 makes it accessible to everyone.  $3 is comparable to the Masterclass blog.  $5 gives it cachet.  And $10 would seem to cut out a lot of people who might want to see it, but wouldn't be willing to go that far.

If blogger still did polls, I'd set one up; but they've stopped that feature.  So let me know in the comments, if you can be bothered to do so.