The Good Stuff
Everything I do, I do it for you internet people. This is my blog about it.
Warm Up Your Dice For This Weekend!
TTRPG Pickup Con XVIII Is This Weekend!
Only five days remain before our first games kick off on Friday evening.
NOW: Player Registration Is Still Open
1/21-1/23: Game Time
Only a few games have seats open. Act now for space in Call of Cthulhu, All Out Of Bubblegum and Monster of the Week!
These are awesome games led by some of our best game runners. So, even if you’ve never played, know that you’re in good hands here.
What’s Available to Play?
I’m glad you’ve asked. There are a few seats here and there in other games but these are the games with more than one seat available.
Call of Cthulhu: Rumblings in Personville's Crossroads
The Witch’s Jug - A Shudder Mountains Tale (DCC)
Interstellar Isolation - An “All Out Of Bubblegum” Space Horror Game
Mystery Inc. & The Haunted Estate (Monster of the Week)
Support the Con?
If you’d like to help keep the con going or help me add more features for future iterations of the event, you can now buy merch! The amazing Dredgen_Greed made this excellent design for us and Now you can get it emblazoned on the mug, sticker or apparel of your choice through my Redbubble shop.
Check out the Indecisionist Shop
You can also support the con directly through ko-fi.
The most important thing you can do to help out is share the event around with your friends and networks. Let them know what you like about the TTRPG Pickup Con and encourage them to give it a chance. There’s room for everyone!
Finally, If you want more of the stuff I produce, the same website that hosts TTRPG Pickup Con can also link you to my podcasts, photography and other events! So have a wander around. You might just find something you like. Staying up to date is easy. Join my mailing list, follow me on Twitter @indecisionist and get in on the good stuff.
TTRPG Pickup Con XVII: Post Event
Thank you!
We had another strong month with loads of games available. I was blown away to see so many options available all weekend long. We, unfortunately, did have a few cancelled games, which was too bad to see. I always hope to keep bringing in hew players and game runners at the same pace. To help with anticipating how we can best optimize timing and availability I’ve put together another feedback form. It really is a huge help to have your input on how things went for you and how I can improve for the months to come.
Ad-Hoc Gaming. I’ve opened up space for our game runners to host games throughout the month whenever they would like. I will post these games as they are submitted to me and reservations will be open immediately. So, keep a close eye on the @Indecisionist Twitter feed/ the #shamelesspromotion feed on Discord where you will see them as soon as they go up. This is an experiment and administering things this way may also open us up to more ad-hoc gaming or individual campaigns hosted on the TTRPG Pickup Con platform in 2022. Game Runners, if this idea excites you, reach out. Let’s talk about getting you hooked up with some players and a space on the server!
Questions? I had a feeling. I’m available via the contact form, email, and Discord.
Pickup Con XVIII is set for January 21 through 23. Sign Up Day will be Saturday, 1/8. I will open the signup forms at noon central time. So, mark your calendars and keep an eye on the Discord. Game Runner Sign Ups are open for this event already. You can also follow @indecisionist on Twitter for live updates as games get added to the schedule.
It’s Sign Up Day for TTRPG Pickup Con XVII
Timeline
NOW: Player Registration Open11/13: Game Runner Sign Ups Close11/19-11/21: Game Time
Register to play now!
More than a dozen games are available already from systems like FATE, DCC, D&D, Call of Cthulhu, Rupture and All Out of Bubblegum!
The most important thing you can do to help out is share the event around with your friends and networks. Let them know what you like about the TTRPG Pickup Con and encourage them to give it a chance. There’s room for everyone!
What’s Available to Play?
I’m glad you’ve asked. These links will take you straight to the registration page for a specific game.
The Chosen Few https://app.squarespacescheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=21667237&appointmentType=27983966
A Penny For Your Thoughts https://app.squarespacescheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=21667237&appointmentType=27983875
The Warden of the Woods https://app.squarespacescheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=21667237&appointmentType=27066124
Tomb of Rancala the Wind Queen https://app.squarespacescheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=21667237&appointmentType=27984029
Call of Cthulhu: Statue of the Widow https://app.squarespacescheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=21667237&appointmentType=27983999
Raptor Peak: Wish Carefully https://app.squarespacescheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=21667237&appointmentType=27983902
Official D&D5e Adventurer's League!Dark Tower - Playtest https://app.squarespacescheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=21667237&appointmentType=27983930
MASKs: The Fall https://app.squarespacescheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=21667237&appointmentType=27983977
The Brimstone Cradle https://app.squarespacescheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=21667237&appointmentType=27983845
The Quiet Year https://app.squarespacescheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=21667237&appointmentType=27984745
Interstellar Isolation - An “All Out Of Bubblegum” Space Horror Game https://app.squarespacescheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=21667237&appointmentType=27983809
Bleak Friday- Surviving the Hordes https://app.squarespacescheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=21667237&appointmentType=27984048
Support the Con?
If you’d like to help keep the con going or help me add more features for future iterations of the event, you can do that directly through ko-fi.
Support
Finally, If you want more of the stuff I produce, the same website that hosts TTRPG Pickup Con can also link you to my podcasts, photography and other events! So have a wander around. You might just find something you like. Staying up to date is easy. Join my mailing list, follow me on Twitter @indecisionist and get in on the good stuff.
TTRPG Pickup Con XVI: Post Event
This was an amazing month for pickup con. All of our games met their player minimums and were able to run. It was excellent to see more chatter on the Discord channel, more folks joining in and a lively discussion in our first panel presentation as well. Huge thanks to everyone who participated! You make this all worthwhile.
I’m thrilled to be launching into another con for November which will be our last one for the year. As we’re in the prep phase for that, please take a couple of minutes to fill out the feedback form linked below. It helps so much to know what worked and didn’t work for the community, including those who weren’t able to join in the fun this month.
Feedback form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeU9hgvRiln2XGfZrzGdvamCiLTNMzFtjNZEQN7XL4S1AVoog/viewform?usp=sf_link
What’s Next?
Pickup Con XVII is set for Nov 19 through 21. Sign Up Day will be Saturday, 11/6. I will open the sign up forms at noon central time. So, mark your calendars and keep an eye on the Discord. You can also follow @indecisionist on twitter for live updates as games get added to the schedule.
Links
Registration is open for game runners
Share Pickup Con XVII on Facebook.
Discord Reminder
If there is a game, panel or learning session you’d like to see, we also now have a dedicated channel for those suggestions. Check out #game-and-panel-wishlist to see what others have recommended and see if there’s anything you’d like to add.
Please also take note of the new identification tags which are there to help everyone know what your pronouns are as well as what you’re interested in as part of the con.
Mea Culpa
A few days ago, I was on Facebook and saw a posting from someone regarding the recent uproar around Dave Chapelle’s anti-trans comments. This person lumped in JK Rowling, of course, but then I saw a name I wasn’t expecting; Terry Gilliam.
I quick google of “Terry Gilliam controversy” revealed that the director (who I celebrated just a couple of months ago as the main focus of promotion for this event) made some troubling comments about trans identities, the MeToo movement, and white male privilege during an interview in January of 2020 which are very much not in keeping with the values of TTRPG Pickup Con. You can read the Independant’s interview here. He also took a problematic stand regarding race following the release of Black Panther.
I want to apologize if anyone felt alienated, offended or excluded by the use of Gilliam’s work and name in connection with TTRPG Pickup Con. It was a blind spot which I should have checked before making my choice of theme. That fault lies with me alone. While I doubt any future themes will be tied to individuals, I’m going to vet future themes and promotional materials more closely. It’s my duty to you to make this event open, inclusive and inviting.
I am sorry for my mistake.
As always, please reach out through the site’s contact form (which can be anonymous), via email (Ansel@Indecisionist.com) or on Discord (TheCaptain#7281) if there is anything I can help with or if you have ideas to share.
I Am Proud of Myself
I want to take a moment to talk about two things I’m working on at the moment. TTRPG Pickup Con VII and a collaboration with fellow YouTube channel, BadAstra.
TTRPG Pickup Con has been going on since mid last year when I first put together an event that was as close as I could get to the glut of gaming events I loved from my college’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Association (BSFFA). It is part endurance gaming ( we called it Dairyland and it was amazing ) and part organized game clearing house. The idea being that people who want to run games always have trouble getting the group together to try something new. Heck, it’s a challenge to get a regular group together on an ongoing basis. Furthermore, there are always plenty of people who want to play but don’t know anyone to run a game or maybe the specific game they want to try. This event hopes to solve that.
I first put this thing together before branding myself, building my own website and producing content from here. So, it had its own website and everything. Well, this month I’ve brought it into the fold, as it were. TTRPG Pickup Con is now produced by The Indecisionist. What does that mean? It means I moved the website and domain over to this website. This website is the place to go for the Dungeon Barkeep, my VO reels, my photography and now TTRPG Pickup Con.
This event has attracted almost 140 players and 20 game runners since its inception. Those are not huge numbers but all those folks have had a chance to meet each other, play games and make new friends. ~160 people making new connections even though there is a pandemic sounds like a victory to me. To make matters even better, I think this one is going to be the best yet. The numbers are already looking good. We have momentum and (as far as I am aware) there aren’t any major conflicts to derail this one.
What was the point of all that? I’m proud is what. I’m proud that people like it. I’m proud that it's still sustainably working with just a little bit of upkeep from me. It’s cool and it can scale 100x before it will become unwieldy to administer. That means I can keep it free for the time being and I don’t have to worry about getting sponsors (though I’m open to them) or setting up a transactional ticket situation.
Speaking of pride, I am proud to have been approached by a dear friend for a collaboration between our YouTube Channels! This is my first channel collaboration and it has been so much fun already. I am working with the team over at BadAstra who are making great science educational videos including ones on stellar death and why the sky is blue. You know, easy stuff. Their video essays are delightful, funny and (as a space nerd) really fascinating. They also have some really fun characters to bring disdain for late stage capitalism, art projects, pop culture references and poor choices into the mix. That’s my jam.
I got to design cocktails and a mocktail based around the characters and their tastes as well as one for the channel as a whole. We’ll be releasing them in two live streams and two edited videos. Eris and I will be tasting what space smells like on 1/8 live at 8:00 PM central on the Dungeon Barkeep channel. Astra and I will be talking about PH, combustion reactions and… guava nectar on 1/15 live at 8:00 PM central again on the Dungeon Barkeep channel. Science Tommy will relive his choice to drink glow stick fluid on 1/22 on the BadAstra channel. Finally The BadAstra team are going to put it all together for a supercut to be released on 1/30 again on the BadAstra channel.
Check out the calendar for easy reference of when things are happening and where to find them.
Tips for a great TTRPG over Teleconference.
We’re using teleconference software for a lot of new things these days and gaming is certainly one of those things. It’s still possible o get together around the virtual table and with a little prep work, you can make sure it’s as close as possible to the shared bowl of chips and ruffling of papers so many of us nerds are craving.
Re-Learning SEO
Of all the things I’ve been learning as part of my time between formal jobs, SEO is likely the one I’m most excited about. I’ve been doing copywriting as a side part of so many jobs and projects for so long that the time has definitely come to re-establish my skills. I’ve been really enjoying the various classes available on HubSpot which are especially interesting as they outline how they used the techniques themselves. Of course, that means that part of this blog post is to build my own SEO. That’s what blogs are for, after all.
I’m not about to regurgitate the entirety of the classes I took. I recommend trying them out yourself if you want the full logic behind what I’m outlining and how to re-create it yourself. For my purposes the most interesting takeaway is a shift in SEO from keywords to topical relevance. This is key as it means that there is more to be gained from including phrases like “How to build your SEO” rather than just shoehorning in keywords like “SEO, learning, Search Engine Optimization,” and so on. I always hated the keyword approach as it just felt artificial. This is a great development as I can write the posts with more natural flow.
The other big thing for me was a discussion of the concept of authority in a search engine context. This isn’t something I had given a lot of thought to and it explains the inner working behind some of the winning content promotion techniques I’ve seen bandied about over the years. Call me what you like for this but I really appreciate understanding why something works when I’m doing it. That level of depth motivates me and it hadn't occurred to me that there was a deeper level of theory which hadn’t been apparent to me.
In brief, the concept of authority in SEO is a measure of whether other people online are linking back to you as a source or reference. This is similar to the way you might build authority by being someone that your colleagues refer to when they need to know the right move to make. This is going to be the harder side for me. I need to decide for this personal branding project what I want to be authoritative on and then try to appeal to sites which need a source or corroborative illustration on.
Branding myself is going to be hard. Distilling who I am and what I offer to an algorithm friendly concept is going to take some doing. If you’ve looked at the rest of my site, you’ll see I do a lot of different stuff and aside from being “creative” there’s not a huge through line to it all. Luckily, I have an experimental project on hand for just such applications. So, what does the Dungeon Barkeep offer authority on? New Cocktails, Nerdy Cocktails, What Nerds Drink, Fantasy Drinks, Sci Fi Drinks… you get the idea. Now I need to figure out what people are searching in the gaming and RPG worlds and make my content relevant to people talking about how Moon Remix is coming to the Switch. How am I going to do that? I don’t 100% know. I’m still learning and trying stuff out but you can bet I’m going to get my cocktail stick into the mix and try some stuff out.