GoblinStop

Hey folks, just wanted to let everyone know, I added a couple things to the site.  First off, I added 2 links to the “Blogs I Like” page.  One is to Troll in the Corner, an awesome blog and community for fans of all kinds of games, comic books, and fantasy sci-fi stuff.  The second is to WorkLoveLife, fellow Brazen Careerist member Holly Hoffman’s blog; it’s not D&D-related, but it is certainly social media-related, and she is an excellent writer. 

Additionally, I have now added a page called “Contact Me!”, which is exactly what it sounds like.  It has links to my email, my Facebook page, and my Twitter profile as well.  And speaking of Twitter, I have ceased use of the handle @GoblinStop, and am utilizing only my main Twitter account, @davidjdotson.  2 accounts with one cell phone doesn’t work very well, and often the tweets from the 2 accounts were redundant anyway.  It’s all about efficiency, so I can bring you more consistent, higher quality content!

That’s all tonight.  No other big news.  ‘Til next time!

Let me start off by saying that I realize that this video is a tech demo for Microsoft Surface’s gaming applications, and that this program is not necessarily under development for the consumer market.  Now watch this video.  WARNING: Have a change of pants nearby!  Yours might become soiled.

 [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-BTwHAEECs&hl=en&fs=1&]

When I see this video I get super giddy with excitement. 

And not just at the pretty animations and Minority Report-esque menu control.  I, as a lover of the art of DMing, get crazy excited about the game-enhancing capabilities of such a setup.  Or maybe I should say game-streamlining capabilities.  Either way, I know what I mean.

No more waiting for players to sit there figuring out what the range on their powers is.  No more triple-tracing my monsters steps to make sure they successfully avoid all hazards and opportunity attacks.  Players can see all regular options for movement, powers, magic items, skills, etc. right there on their gorgeous little touch screen menu wheel. 

And not to mention the incredible possibilities for downloadable published adventures: professional quality audio narration, video and artwork with background music to introduce NPC’s and set the tone and mood, and dungeon grids from which the DM can hide details and reveal them at his discretion.  Supplemental functions would be limited by the imaginations of the programmers.

And that’s where the giddiness stops.

When I see all this fantastic technology melding with the realms of RPG’s, from MMO games, to real-time Twitter campaigns, to playing D&D online through the Insider, I can’t help but wonder if all this is actually stunting our imaginations a bit.  Occasionally it feels a little like these various tools and programs are giving us less incentive to think outside the box, simply because they make thinking inside the box so much easier. 

Technology like this raises questions.  How will house rules be incorporated?  To what extent will the applications support user-generated content, like monsters, paragon paths, and magic items?  Will the DM have the option to override the programming to bend the rules a bit in certain situations?  For a moment, I get a little concerned about things like this.

Then I go back to squealing with glee.  Thoughts?  Opinions?

Does a Dungeon Master need a personal brand?

Well, usually no.  If you are perfectly happy playing your weekly game with your buddies, hardly ever bringing in new players (or losing current ones), and running adventures that get tucked away in a forgotten binder or thrown away after use, you absolutely have no need to establish a personal brand (D&D-wise, anyway).  But not all DMs are like this. 

Believe it or not, there are some Dungeon Masters who would benefit tremendously from consciously building their personal brands.  These are the people who want to DM professionally at conventions, play-test published adventures, or even write their own content for Dungeon Magazine/D&D Insider.  These who want to turn their hobby into some semblance of a profession need to set themselves apart from other DMs in the industry, and purposefully building a reputation for producing a specific type of high-quality adventure content is a great way to do that.

Here are a few suggestions for DM’s who want to distinguish themselves from their contemporaries:

• Decide what you are great at doing: Are your custom monsters consistently exciting yet level-appropriate?  Do your adventures seem to shine most at 1^st-5^th level, or 17^th to 20^th?  Would your long-time players tell you that you are better at running site-based or event-based adventures?  Figure out where your strengths lie, and you’ll often find they closely align with your preferred DMing style.
• DM for many different people, and do it often: You don’t necessarily need to have 7 game groups for 7 nights a week, but take advantage of your network of D&D playing friends.  Be a guest-DM for friends of friends, and exchange contact info with all of them.  Offer to DM adventures that fit your profile at conventions or store events for free just to get the exposure.  Get business cards printed up that clearly communicate what you discovered about your personal dungeon mastering style.
• Get your material in front of people: The people who can get your modules and content published need to know that you exist.  So don’t be shy.  Don’t be a pesky, needy leech either, but be confident and persistent.  When you submit your material to publishers, send them testimonials and play-test results.  Show them that your content will fill a specific need they have, and show them you are the best for that niche.

What other suggestions do you have for DM’s looking to build a personal brand?  Do you think DM’s looking for a career in hobby games even need to worry about a personal brand?

Since I initially started GoblinStop a few months ago, I’ve gotten a number of questions about the site, my topics, my motivation for starting the blog, etc.  However, the most common question I get asked is “Why D&D and social media?” 

I can see the cause for the blank stares.  To be completely honest, it was initially a test; a test of my writing skills, a test of my critical thinking abilities, and a test to see how well I could take two seemingly unrelated subjects and bring them together to create something of value.  You can read all about my adventures in starting and running GoblinStop right *here*. 

Regardless of how it was conceptualized, it quickly picked up more steam than I thought it would, and it became a project for me.  I ended up taking a hiatus from posting, and focused on investigating what GoblinStop could become.  And so now, when I get asked that same question, “Why D&D and social media,” I have an answer other than because “I felt like it.”

I continue blogging about the convergence of these two things because they are more meant for each other than most people are willing to look close enough to realize.  D&D is inherently an exercise in socialization, and not even just the in-game part.  D&D players form clubs, businesses, online forums, discussion groups, event leagues, conventions, campus activity groups, tournaments, and many types of social units, all focused around the game they love to play.  Social media can provide these players and businesses with countless ways to keep in contact, advertise, play in real time, build relationships, and find new group members. 

So after a couple of months away and some serious time at the drawing board, GoblinStop is back and ready for action!  Great plans are in store for the future, and some excellent posts will be coming your way.  If you are reading this, you are currently standing at the intersection of D&D and social media, and you won’t want to miss out on the construction taking place all around you.  In addition to reading posts and commenting here on the blog, remember that you can follow @GoblinStop on Twitter and join the conversation.  Thanks for stopping by!

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