Sunday, January 30, 2011

Is LPJ Design's CwF + RtB=$$$ as strong as it really should be?

For those that don't know, CwF + RtB=$$$ means Connect with Fans (CwF) and give them a Reason to Buy (RtB) equal Success ($$$), but I have to wonder am I doing enough CwF?  I mean, I know I have RtB section covered.  That is something I personally think I excel at.  When I make products for LPJ Design, I am always making things that I would use specifically for me.  Obsidian Twilight is my vision of how I would do a survival horror and post-apocalyptic setting.  Pirates of the Bronze Sky is my vision of a steampunk and pulp setting.  NeoExodus: A House Divided is my version on a neo-modern influenced fantasy setting. Here is a little secret about me that you might not know, but I am horrible at doing and designing game mechanics.  No really, I suck. No bullshit.  Game balance has no meaning for me.  I just make things I like, rules be damned.  But since I want to actually make balanced races, classes or what ever I usually ask people to help me with the gaming mechanics on my work.  Hell, the main reason I created the original Race Creation Cookbook and the Pathfinder edition is because I NEEDED a book to help me create races.  Same thing with the Prestige Class Creation Cookbook.  These products are my RtB books.  But when it come to CwF, am I doing enough?

My friend Steve Russell over at Rite Publishing is a grand master at CwF.  His business model is based off of CwF.  The same thing can be said about Wolfgang Baur with Open Design and Kobold Quarterly.  Gareth Skarka of Adamant Entertainment has been doing CwF for the last 10 years and he has proven it works ands works well.  Some people are very good at this and these are all people that I emulate when I want to do thing to help me connect better.  I am a better in-person, one-on-one kind of person.  Over the internet some of the nuance is lost and that is where I suffer the most I think.  Now don't get me wrong I can and HAVE been an ass. Sometime with reason and sometimes just because I need to be a ass. As with the personal mantra I use, "When I have to decide which is mightier the pen or the sword, I let the situation dictate;" it all depends. The internet has made it possible for the message that people want to get out to be heard by millions if not billions, I just don't want to what I do be just more "noise versus signal". So my focus this year will to become more CwF.  What does that mean for those who are not out fans yet? I guess you will have to wait and see what we do. But as always if you have some good ideas, let me know.  Talk to you later...

1 comment: