Dice Chucker...yes it is still alive

[oversoul]

Hey all
Remember me the guy who wrote Dice Chucker and then never posted again...er well till now I mean. I am bad about keeping up with forums but I am going to make a concious effort too from now on. One of the reasons for posting (and there are many....) is I have been thinking hard over what to do with Dice Chucker, one is I think it needs some more tinking and two, I was debating over if I should try and sell it. The second part is not important at all at this time. However I would like to bounce a few ideas off the walls here to see what yall think, I would also love to hear any independant input or general ideas anyone may have on how to improve it or just something nifty they came up with. I guess my first questions would be does anyone have an opinion on it's concepts, layout, mechanics, mood or whatever. I always get to a point in creating where I begin debating is it worth pursuing or not?
I am also keenly interested in developing some ideas for settings, as well as go over a few I am toying with. I have been in contact with Penbot, my online game/setting Red Moon. We are just getting started in the actual adventure, but character creation went fairly well. There was a little difficulty in clarity but I think that was about it.
I would love to hear from anyone on this and striking up a good thread will be greatly helpful in getting me inspired and off my tail to write something.

Bobby

[Rob Lang]

Hi Bobby,
Great to see you back on the forums! I really like dice chucker, I think it's fab. The only thing it really lacks is a solid setting but this can be easily rectified. As an entry level RPG, it's very good indeed.

I was in your position after I published version 3.4 of Icar. There was a lot of pressure on me from people to sell it. I didn't in the end, it remains mine and free. I'm not saying this is the best course of action but shows my obvious bias. Here's a few questions I asked myself, hopefully they might help you too:

Why did you start the game in the first place?
Do you really want to make a job of it?
Will selling the game be worth the money?
What benefit will there be in selling the game?
What novelty does your game bring to the hobby / why would people buy yours rather than something else?

Now some doomsaying:
I used to have a friend online (he's since disappeared from the RPG community) who wrote a very simple little game with a fab Film Noir setting. He decided to get it published in his spare time. The was good quality but not really industry standard. Lots of people got on his case for this product that they have bought in good faith that has errors in it. He ended up spending more time in supporting and marketting the game than he did in running or writing for it. The thing her enjoyed was writing for the game and now he barely did any as his main effort was in the selling side - it just demanded so very much time. He also lost a little control of it to the publishers and they eventually dropped it. Fiscally, I think he made about $500 over 4 years but this does not factor the hours he spent chasing people up and answering questions. Take this as a warning, turning your hobby into work does not always work.

About the website:
I really like the website too, it's a cool portrayal of the game. Gives you a feel for it. The adverts are really really intrusive though, I'd have a look at some other free hosting sites. There are some out there that won't stuff ads all over the place. Says in your journal that you're looking for a pay host. I think that would be a great step forward.

I love the design journal. From a designer's point of view, it's wonderful to read other people's thoughts on things.

I love the progress-o-meter, although it would be cool to say what you're working on.

Generally, across the site it needs to be proofread, if people see all sorts of typos, then they're less likely to buy the actual product.

[oversoul]

Thanks for all the kind words Rob, lets see if I can tackle some of your questions and give a few reasons for why I do things the way I do.

When I created Dice Chucker it was with the intention to setting-less. I planned on writting up several mini-settings to fit with the rules. This is mainly to fit my very loose train of thought. I tend to get on kicks and did not want to be tied into one setting for fear I may become disenchanted and even dislike Dice Chucker.

I am already heading into the game design business. I probably should have mentioned that. I love paper miniatures and have written some mini rules (also free)and am designing downloadable paper armies. As you can tell from Dice Chucker I love to cartoon, and I design miniatures in that style. My first set, Tortoise vs. Hare, will be out in a few months. Selling Dice Chucker would have been just another branch.

I would love a free website that did not use ads. I also need some decent bandwidth. I had two others that where ad-less but the shut up shop. That bothers me, so I went with 0catch.com, till I can aquire enough cash for a pay site. I am looking at a few cheap one but they want a 2 year agreement.

I think journals and forums are great things for designers to use. They make you real for the consumer. They let them access to your mind, your plights, and achievements. I wonder how many people will take a look at Dice Chucker just because of this thread.

Hehe the progress-o-meter was a stroke of creative silliness meant for v2 of the rules, I just have not updated in awhile. It will probably be reincarnated for various future projects.

Prufredding is my weakest point That is why I had to get Keeton to go over it.

I have a few questions I would like to pose but I have to run so they will have to wait till later!

Thanks

[Juicetyger]

If you're thinking of going commercial, you may want to look into the free banner advertising promo we're doing. You can find details here:

[Praetorian]

[Juicetyger]

I agree with Chris that you need a domain name and webhosting, but I disagree with the budget estimate. If you're willing to work hard a wait for results, you can build a successful website for your product for less than $250 a year.

Of course, you'll need to focus on free advertising on sites like ours, in other RPG forums, and search engines, but it can be done. . Also browse the articles section for some pieces on general promotion and presentation.

The biggest thing to take advantage of in the RPG world is the community aspect. You'll be surprised at how many people are willing to help you launch your game just because they think it's cool.

When you're ready to register a domain name and get going, e-mail me. I'll give you some pointers.

keeton at 1km1kt.net

Keeton


Side note - be careful with the free webhosting sites. A lot of times you agree that by using their service, you reliquish your copyright to the hosting provider on anything you upload for all time.

[oversoul]

[Penbot 2004]

[oversoul]

[SlickBlueSkin]