Sunday, May 1, 2016

Reader Feedback Wanted!


A Sort-of-Survey


Hi there readers!  

I wanted to take a few moments to get some feedback from those of you who swing by my blog from time to time.  It's been a little over two years since I created this blog, originally designed as a simple repository for session reports and adventure summaries.  Actually, the original name of the site wasn't even "Living 4 Crits", but instead "The Singing Flagon's Verses", an homage to a weird magical oddity from an old Dungeon Magazine adventure.  Over time I added light reviews, commentary on gaming, and the occasional oddball post about a new car.   

We've even got some stuff over on YouTube, with a small but growing group of subscribers.

I give a lot of consideration to comments and feedback, so I wanted to reach out and test the waters.  If you are a reader of this blog (or viewer of the YouTube channel), and have a few minutes to share your thoughts on one or more of the following, it would be much appreciated!

PS:  I'll keep these short!

Systems


I've never shied away from the fact that I write about my favorite games.  Since the beginning of the blog I've posted a lot about the Cypher System (including Numenera & The Strange), and Savage Worlds, but in the last year Dungeon Crawl Classics has captured my interest as well.  I'd love to learn and try new systems, but both time and money are limiting factors.  

If you follow my blog for a specific system, would you please let me know which game?  

Are there any settings that I've covered in recent years that you'd like to see me dust off?

Are there any new systems or games that you think I should try and review?  Would you be interested in more "player-perspective" posts?    

Content


Play reports, reviews, new rules, commentary, I tend to rotate through topics fairly frequently.  Often I like to combine the reviews and comments in my play reports, since I might as well just write it all in one place.  But sometimes those posts get a little bloated.  Many are topping out above 1,500 words, with some approaching 3,000.  Play reports, while great to go back and read later, can be a challenge as my other responsibilities have grown.  The time it takes for me to write the recap now exceeds the time I spend at the table playing the game itself!  I've actually been toying with more of a "bulleted" recap, with highlights instead of a full "play-by-play."  These have been much easier to write!

What kinds of posts do you like to read on Living 4 Crits most?  

When I combine commentary with the adventure summaries, do you actually find the summary interesting and worth the read?  

How would you feel about more posts with much less content, perhaps closer to 500 words or less?


Other Media


Right now we have the Living 4 Crits blog as well as the Living 4 Crits YouTube channel.  Both receive a fair amount of traffic, and I'm pleased with the development, but not blown away.  I'm always looking for another level to attain!  

Have you checked out the YouTube channel yet, and if so, how would you feel about more actual play videos?  Should I be considering another venue for this, like Twitch?

I've been kicking around the thought of doing a podcast in lieu of YouTube (sorry, there's just one of me, and I do have to sometimes do my actual job and take care of the family... you understand I'm sure).  I've received several comments from folks who are already just listening to my actual play videos while at work, so why not take the whole format off of G+?  

Finally, I may have caught a bit of the adventure writing bug after completing Metal Myk's Mercs for the CypherCaster #5 that released in March.  I've now got some ideas cooking for future CypherCasters, as well as a strong desire to write some OSR or OGL stuff.  Unfortunately this may come at the cost of some of the blogging, but I feel like I'd be okay with this shift.  Would any of you agree? 

Thank You!


If you've made it this far, hopefully you'll be open to leaving me a few comments and thoughts.  I'm certainly open to any and all feedback!  While in the past I've been okay with spewing out thousands of words, as my time constraints and job/family responsibilities grow, it is becoming ever-important to keep my time spent writing as effective as possible.

Thanks again for reading, subscribing, and sharing!  

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