The final post of #RPGaDAY for 2017. However, before I post a recap of the second half of the month, I wanted to take a moment to thank Anthony Boyd (Runeslinger) and the RPGBrigade for hosting #RPGaDAY again this year. Together they came up with this year's questions, hosted the site, posted the questions on the Facebook page, supplied back-up alternative questions for those who didn't like the question of the day, and (with the help of RPGBrigadiers worldwide) sourced translations of the questions into multiple languages to make it easier for gamers to get involved all around the globe.
Once again, Anthony and the Brigade, thank you for your help, support and enthusiasm, keeping #RPGaDAY alive for another year.
Another big thank you goes out to Will Brooks for his super-classy graphic design again, producing the cool infographic that you've seen just about everywhere this month. You're a star!
And finally, thank you to everyone who took part - spreading the word of tabletop gaming, getting people talking in a positive way about RPGs and posting blog entries, making videos, or just posting on Facebook or Twitter. I hope you've enjoyed this year's #RPGaDAY and are not too sick of it.
We've had four years' worth of questions, and it's getting tricky coming up with new ones, so I'm pondering something a little different next year. But that's a long way off. Don't worry, #RPGaDAY will return (hopefully) next year in some form or other.
Thank you again, and without further ado here are my last few responses.
We're already on Day 9 of #RPGaDAY 2017, and I've been absolutely blown away by the response. So many people all over the world posting, chatting, and discovering games new and old. It's been amazing. Thank you everyone.
Rather than bombard you all with multiple posts various things, I thought I'd just do a few recap posts so you can see any of the daily video responses you may have missed.
It's not too late to get involved, feel free to jump in at any time. Just go to this post to find the graphics, the list of questions as text, and the questions in different languages.
-
So, without further ado, here's the first nine videos I've posted for #RPGaDAY 2017.
It's August, and #RPGaDAY is underway. There seems to be a lot more people involved this year, with my Facebook and Twitter feeds filled with the cool gold infographic that Will Brooks kindly designed for us again this year.
#RPGaDAY was, as I mentioned before, a reaction to some of the negativity that was going around online when it came to our hobby, and gaming in general. Inspired by BookaDayUK, it hopes to get people talking about tabletop gaming in a positive way.
But there was another ulterior motive behind me starting this. It wasn't a conscious one at the time, but it must have been in the back of my head when I started putting plans into action. I wasn't busy besides the day job in retail, and subconsciously my mind was desperately searching for distraction.
2017 marks the fourth year that #RPGaDAY has dominated my head in August. Today, the 3rd of August, also marks the fifth anniversary of losing my mother. It seems to be the way I deal with things like that. When my dad died in 2003, it was just a week after I signed a contract with Eden Studios to write four 100k+ word books for Conspiracy X 2.0. He had been very ill for a while, and proud of my writing. I don't think he read any of it (after all, it was boring roleplaying rules) but it didn't stop him taking a copy of them with him to show various relatives, or showing my books off when there were visitors at home. I think the last few things I told him, was that I was going to be writing some books for a company in New York, and that Debs and I had gotten engaged. I dealt with his passing by immersing myself in writing, aliens and conspiracies, seldom coming up for air. The real world just hurt a little too much.
Me, my mum and dad, at my graduation in 1995
When mum died, five years ago, there was the initial busy-ness of sorting the house and moving my remaining belonging out of my childhood home. When it was sold, there was a strange double sense of loss. Not only had I lost my mother, but the house I grew up in had gone.
The idea of #RPGaDAY spreading a little love around the world, getting people talking and communicating in a positive way seemed to be a great plan. I didn't consciously think "Oh this is a great distraction," but somewhere subconsciously I think my brain welcomed the rush of activity. And while I don't think my parents would have understood half of what I was doing, they'd have been glad to see that I was encouraging people to talk in a positive way with each other.
So, in essence, this post is a thank you. Thank you everyone who has taken part in #RPGaDAY in the past, and this year. Thank you for filling my head with tales of adventure and excitement. Fantastic quests and daring escapes. Reminding me of a time when I gamed with my old group in that childhood home (I think my parents really liked that I was playing D&D rather than becoming a drunk layabout).
Thank you for spreading the word of how much fun our hobby can be, and how we can make friends through gaming that can last a lifetime.
And thank you for taking my mind off of the real world for a little while, just when I need it.
Above all, thank you. Keep writing those blog posts, recording those videos, and sharing the fun. It means a lot to me.
A few years ago I felt there was a negative undercurrent in our hobby. Sorry to say that, but I felt it was there, and inspired by one of those "aDay" things for bibliophiles I thought that I could try to get the world talking about tabletop RPGs in a positive and encouraging way. I know, it's sappy and you probably think I'm being ridiculous, but it's all positive and it's a bit of fun - just trying to get people talking in a good way about tabletop gaming. After all, it's a great hobby that gets us talking in person, socially, without staring at a screen. It stimulates the imagination, forms bonds and friendships that can last a lifetime, and gets you thinking outside of the box.
So, I came up with a list of 31 questions for August (GenCon month, seeing as I couldn't go and I wanted to feel involved in some way), and the internet joined in. Well, a few did, anyway. All over the world, from America to Australia, from Brazil to Berlin, people were joining in the conversation, hashtagging everything #RPGaDAY so you could see what people were saying on the various social media.
If nothing else, it got people blogging and vlogging.
The following year, I thought I'd run it again with new questions. I also managed to get cool people from the gaming industry to join in on my daily videos, and it was great.
Last year, I was a little busy. I thought about not doing it, but Anthony Boyd and the RPGBrigade stepped in and said they'd run the event for the month. It gave them some publicity (which is great, as their BrigadeCon raises money for charity) and the few posts I did do that month reached a lot further than I could alone.
So this year, while I'm not massively busy, I thought I'd let Anthony and the RPGBrigade run things again. Hopefully I'll join in as much as possible.
I recorded some video footage to join with Anthony's to announce this month's event.
You can download the infographic, brilliantly designed again by Will Brooks, from the images below... (click the images to embiggen them!!)
There's also a high definition if you it find easier to read -
