"You don't support your games!"
Hello, everyone! I thought I'd discuss something with you guys, because I think it's best if everything is out in the open so we don't have any misunderstandings on why I do things. Lately I'm getting quite a few comments that are essentially different variations of this post's title, but that can be summed up as: "you keep releasing new games and don't support your existing ones with new expansions". And to a certain point, this is a totally fair and valid sentiment. I don't completely agree with it because this only applies to Ruthless Heavens, Boundless Fate, Carnage & Aether, and Salvage & Sorcery. I suppose Riftbreakers, Across a Thousand Dead Worlds, and Warlord Ascendant could be on that list as well, but Riftbreakers and ATDW are getting an expansion soon, and Warlord Ascendant has basically just come out so it's still in the air.
Now, I want to leave this very clear: I love all my games. Like, I really like them. I only write stuff I want to play, because otherwise I can't get excited about the process. This is precisely why I have such a big problem working on other people's projects; even when I find them super interesting and cool, I can't get as hyped. I guess that proves I'm an egocentric bastard, but that's a different post. My point is, if I write a game, something that takes me months to do, it's because I want to play in that world. Of course, I have my personal preferences, and I'd always choose to play in a setting like Sacrifice's or Ker Nethalas' over Riftbreakers or RHBF, but even so, games like Riftbreakers or RHBF have stuff that is there mostly cause I think it's cool, like deep character customization or expansive, open world settings. So when I work on a game I'm not thinking "oh well, this is it, can't wait to move on to the next one!"; no, I usually have pages and pages of additional content I want to add to it. The only exception to this is RHBF, where I really went all in and left absolutely nothing out. Did I have (and still do) mapped out potential expansions, to explore different corners of the rich setting I spent almost a year of my life working on? (and yes, that is a very long time for me to work on a single game, because we're talking about 12 hours days from Monday to Sunday, fully dedicated to that one game). Yes, I did. Was I super bummed out by the little traction the game got when released? You have no idea. I still think it's one of my best, most complete games, and it was one of the hardest ones for me to write, so to see people didn't click with it sucked.
This happens now and then, and it happens to every single indie author. We put all our hopes and energy into a game, and then it just doesn't click with people. It's a sad thing for a creative person to see how others just don't care about something you've created. I've gotten used to it over the years because I'm also a musician and I put out albums all the time (or did, before RPG design absorbed my whole life), so I know that sometimes, you'll pour your soul into something, and it will still not work out. The thing is, I am running a business (even if it doesn't look like), my life depends on the decisions I make (dear god, I'm screwed), and sometimes I have to put on my business hat instead of my usual over-enthusiastic fanboy hat, and realize that it is not smart to keep supporting a game (a "product") that is not selling.
Sometimes I go against this business-side of things because I'm super enthusiastic about a game, and I screw up. The most recent example of that is Choir of Flesh. I love the game, I think I came up with some really cool, unique mechanics, the setting is fun, and the art is just insanely good. One of my best games ever, for sure! The Kickstarter did fine (and by fine I mean I essentially covered expenses, but barely so; yes, the goal was lower than what I actually needed to produce the game, we all do that), but after that, sales trickled down to basically nothing. As part of the Kickstarter, we had unlocked a series of stretch goals that I wanted to compile into a zine (Apocrypha). We didn't reach the big, last stretch goal, which was a playable scenario, but I still went ahead and included it, because I had hoped that the game would sell enough to cover it. Producing Apocrypha was not cheap; it has a lot of art, and I hired a writer (the talented Richard Kelly) to help me with it because I am always working on a million different things at the same time, and I needed the help. So I spent thousands on a zine that I then gave for free to the only people who seemed interested in the game, the Kickstarter backers, because that's what I promised I would do. And then the zine came out, and it's been out for a few months now, and it has sold the incredible amount of 60 odd copies. Don't believe me? Check out this screenshot from DTRPG:
(You'll have to click on it cause it's tiny, I know). So I've made 300 bucks on a book that cost me a few thousands to make (I can't remember the exact amount, but I think it was around 3K). So yeah, clearly not a very smart decision, in hindsight.
I am not rich; far from it. I doubt any indie RPG creator makes a killing with their work. I can handle this type of blunder, economically speaking, but not often, just a couple in a row like that, and I'm out. This type of thing forces me to slow down, lick my wounds, and focus on the stuff that works. I can only have the luxury to experiment and work on new stuff because of the couple of games that actually make me money. I should honestly just focus on those, as all the larger companies do, but I get carried away and love trying out new games. Furthermore, we, as a community, have been conditioned to always be chasing the shiny new thing, and the whole industry (at least the indie side of it) is built around that notion. People get excited about new games and are willing to buy almost anything, but only the hardcore fans are truly interested in expansion material, because at this point most people are collectors, not players, and if the choice is between a new game, or an expansion for a game they haven't played, they choose the new game, always. Just take a look at any other's indie publisher catalog. If they're lucky (like me with Ker Nethalas), they'll have one game that has managed to be successful, so it gets lots of support. The rest of their catalog? Game after game with no expansion or additional material.
So when you point out that I don't support this or that game, please be aware that it isn't by choice. If you want to see me supporting a game, then please help me spread the word, discuss the game with friends, recommend it to people, get others excited to play it. This happened with Ker Nethalas, and it's why I keep writing stuff for it. I wish this happened with all my games, but I know it's not going to. In other words, give me an excuse to work more on your favorite game! But please remember that if I don't it's not because I just want to move on to the next thing, it's because I am forced to do so.
-Alex
Comments (18)
Hello, Yes, chiming in a bit late, I wanted to express my feelings. First of all, I don't see you not supporting your games. There is regularly new content, and while it often is for the titles I am not that interested in, I know that you will get around to my favourites eventually. However, there is one thing that causes me grief - reprinting my stuff. I find it easier to print my books and then use physical copies than to rely on (much too small) screens. So, if you update your core rulebooks or relatively quickly release a new edition, that causes me some headaches. Personally, I am a bigger fan of expansions/supplements that add to the core material, give in-depth stuff on details of the world, or offer options/variations of the rules. But so far, I am fine with things. Just a pity about your two great games you lost to that lousy deal in the beginning (Disciples of Bone and Shadow, Seekers beyond the Shroud). They are still special to me, although Riftbreakers and Ker Nethalas touch upon the same ground as Disciples.
I know updates to existing books are a real PITA to deal with, which is why I try to condense them as much as possible and not constantly upload new versions. But I feel like I sometimes must do so, since there are issues that only come to light when a lot of people start playing a game, unfortunately. I've been thinking about Disciples and Seekers lately as well, and yeah, it's a pity things ended as they did. I feel I must really work on a second edition of Broken Shores to turn it into a proper inheritor of the Disciples crown, and I've been thinking about how I would approach a game like Seekers nowadays. Unfortunately, I have SO much stuff I must finish first, before I can get around exploring those ideas...
Hi Alex, thanks for sharing the ups and downs of running BOE. Though I haven’t bought CoF yet, I was struck by the theme and presentation, and having learned of your interest in the occult it makes sense why the game appeals to me. I’m sorry to hear that it hasn’t done well, and here’s to it gaining traction sooner than later. Since you mentioned it being one of your best, out of curiosity: if you were to rank your three favorite “best games” what would they be?
No worries, and thank you for your support! As for my "best" games, I'd say that they're usually the last three I've worked on, haha. I think I learn from my work, which is highly iterative, so probably it would have to be Warlord Ascendant 2e, Choir of Flesh, and either Riftbreakers 2e or the Gravebound Edition of Ker Nethalas.
People just never cease to amaze do they. How are you not supporting your games??? It's ludicrous tbh. Mostly because your games are finished products. They don't actually need an expansion. Any of them. Expansions are great, don't get me wrong, but are they necessary? Not really. The great thing about these games Alex is that you open up the imagination of the player....from there, they can take it anywhere they like themselves....they actually don't need YOU to babysit them and tell them where to go or what to do. You are much appreciated by the actual fans of these games......screw the trolls! Not worth your time or concern.
I definitely try to make my games as complete as possible, which is why people say they're crunchy. I always say, a rules light game is an unfinished game, haha. I could strip out half the systems and procedures of any of my games and it would still work, but I don't do it because I want to offer a full experience.
I feel like indie rpgs are more like British mini series than long form American tv serials. They get one or two books that have a tight focus and a very particular story they are trying to tell. While main stream rpgs are these sprawling kitchen sinks that just keep adding stuff to get the largest market share. You write deep and specialized games. Ruthless heaven doesn't need an expansion its a whole game that is contained in that book. I appreciate all the work you put in to these books. Don't let the trolls keep you down. Excited about the upcoming year. You have to make money so ker Nethalas sells so it gets a new books that makes sense.
Yeah, that's a really nice analogy!
As a fellow musician I relate to this so much. The dissonance between passion and necessity is the unfortunate truth of creative work. The stuff I'm the most proud of making and put the most love into, are failures by every measurable quality. And it's really hard to be productive with the things that excite you less, that's just how it works. You're definitely right about helping spread the word though. I think it's easy as a consumer to not realize the impact you have. Machine Gods is my favourite ttrpg of all time and the one I keep returning to, and while I don't go around whining about getting content, I'm pretty passionate about my campaign and the systems and I could definitely help spread that more. This post is a healthy reminder that things like that definitely make a difference. I also really respect how you're paying artists for work and not just filling the books with AI slop. I've seen that in many games, not mentioning names, and I would rather have no art at all than that shit. I assume it's a lot cheaper to just slop the books up, and I know many consumers don't care, but for us who do it's really amazing to be able to support these projects and see the outcome. More than anything though keep making good shit 👍
I'm glad you appreciate the fact that I work with real artists (and writers!), since it is indeed pretty expensive, haha. But I believe in human creativity, and I think that I have to resort to AI to produce stuff, then I've already failed as a creative person and a publisher. I really appreciate your support!
Pretty new here. I really don't understand trolls and that sort of behavior. I have delved into ATDW, Macine Gods and now the updated Ker Netalas, and two of those three are so vast in scale I am pretty amazed to be honest. I cant imagine the time spent creating all you create. Anyway, I would not sweat it, trolls will be trolls.
Haha, thank you!
Keep being a generous egocentric bastard.....the best!
haha thanks!
I don't really understand the comments about not supporting your games. You put out high-quality, truly inspiring games. I think it is probably more a lack of understanding around indie game creators, how much effort goes into these and how little profit there is. Appreciate all you do!
Thank you, it wouldn't be possible without your help!
I understand, this is something we all do, we go after the new shiny. Always. We come back to what we love because we know it has more to give out, until a new shiny appears. And after a time we do return, but shinnies continue appearing and robing out our time. I don't expect the impossible from Blackoath, only the improbable.
Haha, thanks!