DriveThruRPG Bonus Points!

Look what arrived today, at the tail end of a blizzard! 

I can't wait to review this one. Thank you DriveThruRPG and the USPS for a timely delivery. 

Top 20 Sales on DriveThru RPG - Part 2 - Swinging and... Hits?

In finishing this two-post series, I had to modify my thought process. To recap, every time someone clicks a link to DriveThruRPG I make a small amount of money. This occurs every time someone goes from a link here to a product on DriveThruRPG, even if it isn't the product I posted about. 

For example, on the left are links to my products. If someone clicks one of those links but ultimately decides to purchase a completely different product, I still receive a small amount of income. What started this two-post series was the realization that MOST people do not buy what I suggest. I shouldn't be surprised because a review should say why you might like something, not that you will like it. Add in the fact that authors also have varied interests, you will likely see something vaguely related to one of my reviews and enjoy that item more. 

As I mentioned before, this was actually a top 26. I removed my 6 products from the list. This website is dedicated to selling my things. Today that thing is this post, not my books, with the links off to the top left on every stinking page! Yes, I am bad at marketing and I am ok with it. 

To recap, within items 20 down to 11, I only reviewed one item and own only two. Let's count down from 10 to 1 with one hiccup. It seems that 4 of 10 books are part of a series, so I grouped them together. 

Number 10 was Savage Worlds Adventure Edition. I have exactly one post about Savage Worlds and it wasn't a review. The system was used for a Flash Gordon-themed game at a local con. It is a funny story though. Click here to read it. 

This is a jump to 8, as nine pairs with another title appearing high on the list. 8 was A Guide to Thieves' Guilds by Todd Leback. I own this and meant to review it but did not. 

Legendary Bloodragers was number 7. This is a Pathfinder book that I am not familiar with at all. 

Number 6 isn't a surprise to me, but it was not a topic I normally cover here. It was Shadowrun: Better Than Bad (Deep Shadows). This should be no surprise as Shadowrun hit its 30th Anniversary in May of 2019. There was a special banner for it and just a few months later COVID kicked us all and my web stats went nuts:

There was a bit of a lag in the data, there was a small uptick in March followed by that massive spike in May. I started posting daily between March and May which might explain some of it. 

Number 4 was Filling in the Blanks, which I reviewed back in March of 2021. I also fell in love with the cover art and end up posting about Jenna Drummond's artwork. 

Into the Wild was 3 and another excellent product that I reviewed. This one was special because we all received a preview of the product on Kickstart. It also features Jenna Drummond's artwork on the cover, which I love just as much as the other covers in the series. 

The last 4 items were surprising, the Game Outbreak. Nine was Outbreak: Undead Starter Kit Card Set, and five was Outbreak: Undead 2nd Ed - Pocket Book. Two and one were Outbreak: Undead 2nd Edition - GM's Pocket Book and Outbreak: Undead 2nd Edition - Survivors Guide. The card set and the Survivor's Guide don't seem to be available. 

This is a big surprise as I love The Walking Dead and zombie films in general but I have never posted about them here. Maybe I should start posting about these sorts of things. 

Anyway, thank you again for your continued support in this strange adventure. 

Top 20 Sales on DriveThru RPG - Part 1 - Swinging and Missing

When I start an idea, I often have an idea of where something will end or at least how it should go. Not so with affiliate links and such. I've bombed out affiliate sales so many times, I don't even know what to think. My website does not have a lot of traction with cross-sales, all my readers care about is gaming. They totally don't care about non-gaming books, movies, or Legos. 

DriveThruRPG is my most significant revenue stream. So, I must know a lot about it... 

Yeah, no. 

Here is the funny bit. I've reviewed hundreds of products from DriveThruRPG. It would be reasonable to assume that most of my revenue would come from these. It was easy enough to run a top 20 report and see how effective this tactic is. I actually had to run the top 26, to remove my own six products.

Obviously, a whole website revolving around my products is a good way to sell products. Even I know that much.   

With my products removed, number 20 was How to Hexcrawl. My Review of this can be found here. It was really gratifying to see that my reviews were moving product. 

Well, that is where my assumptions and hopes ended. 

19 was a product called Easy Settlements. I purchased it to do a review but for whatever reason, I did not. It's a really nice and helpful product, it packs a lot of details into just 14 pages. As an added bonus it is system and theme agnostic. It just rocketed to the top of my "To Review List".  

Next at 18 is Downcrawl. Never heard of it, but the description is interesting. It's a generator for open-ended adventures. As an added bonus, it comes in pdf and soft cover. Since I lost most of my books, this makes Downcrawl an attractive title. Maybe I'll buy it on payday. 

# 17 was Dishonored: The Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook. Again, I have no familiarity with this title. From the description, it sounds like it would be perfect for a Gray Mouser or perhaps a Thieves World Adventure. 

Again, this is something I find attractive yet I didn't write about it. 

The rest of the list goes the same way. From 11 to 20, I reviewed exactly one title. Here is the rest of the list, with the links leading to DriveThruRPG: 

16. Berlin - The Wicked City
15. The Codex of the Black Sun: Sorcery for Stars Without Number
14. The Black Hack Second Edition
13. Outbreak: Undead 2nd Edition - Gamemaster's Guide
12. Knave
11. Barbarians of the Ruined Earth (Standard Cover)

This is a very curious collection of works. Of the 10 titles, I only have 2 own two. What I find interesting about this part of the top 20 is I can see how these titles run parallel to subjects and topics I really enjoy. Except for one, I don't care for the setting of Berlin. I do love Zombies. Traveler (but not to play) and the concept of a Dying Earth. 

Clearly, I am not reading my audience, and my audience is not guiding me, it seems we are on a parallel adventure together. That is really cool. 

Stay tuned for the next half of the top 20 list. Click here to read. 

Throwback Post - Products on DriveThru

Yesterday, I shared a throwback post about a cool product on DriveThruRPG called The Basic Witch: The Pumpkin Spice Tradition. I really love this particular add-on for B/X or OSR. I've reviewed a ton of books and this one is a favorite. 

It sort of makes me jealous, as I already have my own products on DriveThruRPG. Here they are, in no particular order: 

Swashbuckler Character Class for D&D and AD&D Swashbucklers for D&D and AD&D

Zero to Hero: Uncommon Heroes Zero to Hero

Character Sheet for AD&D Character Sheet for AD&D

Kobold’s Folly Mini Setting Kobold’s Folly

Compass Rose Inn Mini Setting Compass Rose Inn

The Hex Pack The Hex Pack

Of the six, I feel that only two don't need an update. The Character Sheet is a scan from one of my first AD&D campaigns, it's not getting any better so I can leave it be. The Hex Pack is exactly as labeled. It's a pack of hexes. The booklets are laid out for A4 or 8"x11". Again, they can't be improved. 

The remaining 4 titles need improvement. I feel like Zero to Hero: Uncommon Commoners needs an update specifically for OSE. This book details how to make NPC's with specific abilities or give a regular PC a set of professional skills for that side hustle no one wants. 

These characters are much weaker than traditional PC, they max out at 6 hit points if they are lucky. But if you need armor or buckets or rowers, these are the characters and the book you need. Each profession is limited to level 5. Many classes are based on historical descriptions, so you get a touch of reality with your fantasy characters. Zero to Hero also covers some unusual circumstances such as tools as weapons, improvised weapons and shields, plus it offers a system that prioritizes healing. It's a great world-building title if only I made it more harmonious with the OSR. 

The Swashbuckler character class needs to be completely reworked. It should be OSR compatible but fails. It is too heavily based on AD&D. That needs to change. I am working on a collection of character classes that will form the basis of all changes to this title. Once complete, I will have a seventh title called "The Monomachos" or "he who fights alone". Of course, I will keep the price of the updated Swashbuckler exactly where it is - free or PWYW. 

"The Monomachos" will be a new book that includes The Swashbuckler class and will be good for all types of campaigns, AD&D, B/X, and OSE. Character types will include Archer, Gladiator, Swashbuckler, Handgunner, and perhaps a couple of others. I am uncertain of the price point as I have only started pricing out artwork. 

The last two are mini-maps of specific places that I have used in various campaigns. I would like to use them as the basis of plug-in modules for your campaigns. The Compass Rose Inn is a tavern, inn, and hunting lodge with an attached temple populated with a crazy collection of characters. There are stories to be made and shared here. The Kobold's Folly details the coming of a tribe of almost civilized Kobolds on the frontier of any convenient town or city. They are needly and pesty, but excellent hobellers and shady fences for those who need to unload illicit goods.  

I meant for this to brief reflective post, so let me end this here.                             

Federation Space is back

Federation Space was my introduction to the Starfleet Battles universe. My original set was partially lost between the 1980ish purchase date and today. E23 and DriveThruRPG are the best services for old-school gamers.

The original set featured a 16-page rulebook, a map, one tactical display map, 5 organizational charts, 432 counters, and two dice. 

When printing out my new copy, I was instantly reminded why this is my favorite Task Force Game: the dense background information to the game system. Out of sixteen pages, the first three beautifully describe the game universe. “Shields flashed electric blue” reminds me of the smell of ozone and the rattle of dice.

While printing, I discovered that I still had my original counters, except the blue Federation.

I can’t tell you how many hours I spent playing this game as a child. I can hardly wait to introduce this to my kids.

This game is very rich in background details while having simple rules. The beauty of this game is the breakdown of basic rules and scenarios that lead to more advanced rules, scenarios, and optional rules. Replay away!

Additionally, Federation Space can be used to supplement Starfleet Battles.

After spending the weekend rereading the rules, I plan to print up the cards and map, and get playing again this week.