Critical Hits

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RPG Bloggers Network: My side of the Story

by

Some of you may have heard the news, my friends and I have stepped down from the RPGbloggers’ board of fake directors and we are offering to ‘hand out’ the network to the one who presents us a proposal we like best.

If you didn’t know it already, last year before Gen Con, Dave Chalker, Danny Rupp, Graham Poole and myself sat together and brainstormed what eventually became the network.  We had grand ideas and ambitions. We agreed to go forward by sharing the work based on our expertise and available time.

Dave took the lion’s share, acting like the Editor and gatekeeper of the Network.  Graham handled technical issues and wrestled the serpent that was the website and it’s many issues and limitations.  Danny created the visual brand of the network and was a staunch advisor and often spotted issues before they crashed on us and I did my part in dealing with the community and helping Dave with the gatekeeping and policy making.

Things were good and we grew explosively.  We never could set out to do the things we dreamed about but we kept things going.  Until the fun was leeched away from it for all of us.

We each have our own reasons to step down but it would be a lie to say that it isn’t partly motivated (or accelerated) by all the trouble that was raised last week when we rejected an application and that some members thought we were being unfair in our decision (it turns out they were right).  Tempers flared and some pretty awful things were said from each side of the issue.

I must say that as bloggers, we aren’t as thick skinned as some of the forum-veterans-now-turned-bloggers among our members.  And we didn’t t think we had to be, we weren’t running a forum full of mouth-breating trolls but a community of blogs mostly populated by decent folk with a few points in Diplomacy.

Turns out we may have thought wrong about the need for thick skin.

My reasons to step down are both personal and a bit spiritual.  Lately I’ve realized that I’m letting myself be embroiled in projects that do not help push my freelance career.  I have the intention to start writing professionally in the next year (even getting a part time job to liberate serious writing time) and anything I do online must push me toward this.   While the blog gets me noticed and is great writing practice, the network isn’t.

Secondly, I’m a very sensitive person.  I get very involved in things I care for and I invest myself heavily.  Some would say it’s a bad thing but it’s one of the reason why I’m a successful blogger.  I care deeply about what I write  about and it shows. I lay my life open and I don’t care what others say behind my back.   But I do care when they say it to my face.

I have no tolerance for hate, malice and violence, be it physical, spoken or written.  Like a friend of mine says, that’s just bad karma and I want none of it. Not on a voluntary basis when there’s nothing to show for my effort at the end of the day.

I’m also extremely conflict shy, not because I’m a wuss, but rather because I’m afraid of what I can and will do if I ever get angry… and I’ve come very close of losing it last week and today.  I’ve never gone nuclear online and I don’t want to get angry in public, not for something as inconsequential as a feed aggregation website in a sub-niche of a sub-niche like RPGs.

I’ll keep that for those who do idiot reviews of my D&D adventures… 😛

I am, however, idealistic enough to believe that people can be decent, moderate and polite online.  The best proof?  This here blog sports 10 592 comments, with more than 99% of them being well within my definition of good taste and civility. So there you go.

So for those reasons I’ve decided to walk away, proud of what Dave, Graham, Danny and myself created along with bloggers like Berin, e, the Stupid Ranger Crew and some others who were with us on day one last year.

I also wish to thank all those who have sent kind words to us, you made this whole thing worthwhile.  However,  I want to especially thank the ones that stirred the honeypot and plastered the mailing lists and blogs with nerd rage and endless debates about “what ifs” and “should have”.  I thank them because it made me realize that I had far more important things to do with my life than being called names and having my motive questioned for providing a free service.

I’m not mad, I’m serene even.

Anyone wants to play a game now?  I hear Mouse Guard is really cool!

Comments

  1. We love ya, Phil! We appreciate everything you’ve done for the Network over the last year, and I think you’re making the right decision for the betterment of your own life!

    Nobody that was there at the start last year wanted things to come to this, its very sad to see that it has.
    .-= Dante´s last blog ..Wherein the StupidRanger Crew converges… =-.

  3. Hey, I’m still gonna gonna blog! I’m just not going to own and administer the network anymore. If the next owners go in the direction I’m comfortable with, I’ll even stay a member.

    Thanks guys!

  4. You’ve always and will always be one of my major inspirations for what I want to be online and off, so I support your decision and I understand (and personally relate to) your reasons. I was once co-administrator of a forum I had a small stake in and I left it because the community was turning against me for seemingly every administrative decision I was making. So I get that.

    And it doesn’t really matter much since the blog’s not going anywhere here…except even higher up the ranks, maybe!
    .-= Wyatt´s last blog ..A Round Of Applause =-.

  5. It’s the “I’ll even stay a member”.

    As a niche blogger, I’ve enjoyed having the support of guys like you and Dave. Being out in the wide world with a bunch of other misfits scares me.

    And I suspect if support lapses, a lot of RPGBN blogger will end up going under.

    I sound like I’m trying to guilt you, and I’m certainly not. I’m also being overly negitive, but that’s just me.

    As I said, good luck 🙂
    .-= Hammer´s last blog ..Equipment: Hammer’s Big Green Bag of Holding =-.

  6. @Hammer: Friend, I have a Community fiber as thick as my wrist in my soul. You can bet that nothing will prevent me from fostering community and cooperation, I’m made to do stuff like the One-Page Dungeon. It’s what I do It will just take a different form is all, one that fosters my bids as a freelance writer and that will help others get there too.

    Thank you kindly for sharing what you did, it means a lot to me.

    Oh and my guilt shield is VERY thick… so no worries 🙂

  7. Sorry to hear things were so rough for you recently, but I’m glad it hasn’t put you off from community-building projects entirely! The Network has been a great boon as far as getting in the air for me, and even if it’s been a hassle you’ve got at least one happy customer!
    .-= Spenser´s last blog ..Sunday Hooks – Lord of the Flies Edition =-.

  8. Thanks for everything you’ve done, Phil. A lot of work was put into something that just didn’t quite materialize.

    Being a member of the RPG Bloggers Network, I was saddened to see the whole thing reduced to a WordPress-powered aggregation network. WordPress is a great blogging platform, but I really thing the RPG Bloggers Network needs a much more specialized solution.

    That aside, I still think that the RPGBN leaves a space for a community-powered social article service, like Digg. There’s an open-source platform we’re considering over at DungeonMastering called Pligg that I think has amazing potential, while other new platforms like Chyrp aren’t quite mature yet, but clearly show that there is no shortage of innovation.

    The solution, whatever it may be, is going to require two things. 1) social empowerment, and 2), a suitable technology. Good luck to whoever wants to pick the project up, you’ll need some insight to put these two together in a way that works.
    .-= Eric Martindale´s last blog ..Importing StackOverflow (…et al) into Chryp Using Aggregates =-.

  9. I really enjoyed the RPGBN even as a simple aggregator. When I had exhausted my regular internet haunts, I would come back here, click on the logo and just go exploring other parts of our gaming town. So thank you very much for the effort you put into making that happen. I’m sorry that it had to end up this way and let’s hope some reasonable, thick-skinned souls will take it on, keep it alive and the haters will fade back into the background. If not, it was a good run and you should be proud of your involvement. I have no fear that you will not continue to bring positive things to the online gaming community and I look forward to continuing following them.

    More selfishly, I hope you can save a sliver of your time and energy to continue to give to the local Montreal community. Your participation has already been awesome here and much appreciated as well!

  11. Good luck with all your endeavors. I hope the freelance writing works out, and even it if doesn’t, you’re still following your dream.

    I’ll be sad to see RPGBN go if that’s indeed what’s going to happen, but I wouldn’t wish having to put up with all that nonsense on anyone. I don’t know what it is about online communities that makes the people partaking of them paranoid and insane, but I’ve seen it happen time and time again where members of a free service go crazy every time the owners do something without explaining it step by step in monosyllables. Combine that with gamers’ tendency to view everything they could potentially disagree with as a personal affront, and you have a recipe for madness.

  12. “Anyone wants to play a game now? I hear Mouse Guard is really cool”

    Yes, yes I do, when are you running it for me? =)

    I appreciate all the hard work you and the rest of the Board put into the Network. Its amazing how much it has grown in just over a year. I think the growth can be attributed not just to how you guys ran the Network but also because so many of us had you guys as inspiration in regards to your blogs also.

    So I want to thank you not only for the Network, but for your example in how to run a blog. I wish you the best in your freelance efforts.

  13. I want to say i’ve never posted before, I don’t involve myself in politics and I have no idea why you’re resigning, even though I understand your fustrations. Rest assured there are those of us who will miss you and believe you made us happy on a daily basis becuase you said what you wanted to say and I’m proud that never faltered. A sad day if you’re quitting, thank you for making me smile on a daily basis by having a hand in creating the network.
    Thank you for everything.

  15. Phil, it was your blog that started me reading (and even occasionally blogging) about RPG’s, and I watched as the RPG Bloggers network developed. I think it has been a great community, bringing gamers from a lot of genres and backgrounds together, and giving them a place to argue…

    It’s too bad that things have gone the way they have, but times, people and lives change and we have to keep moving forwards. The RPGBN may change a bit, but the sense of community, the realization that there are a lot of like-minded (and totally alien-thinking) gamers out there is one that will survive whatever changes happen to the website.

    RBGBN has been a daily stop for me – it’s where I do my gaming reading online, these days. I hope it continues in one shape or another, but however it happens, you’ve inspired, informed and entertained a lot of us. You, Dave, Graham, Danny and the rest of the crew did a great job. Now go on to other projects. Hopefully we can keep the thing you worked so hard on going.
    .-= wickedmurph´s last blog ..4e Sandboxing =-.

  16. Thanks Phil, and everyone who started the RPGBN. You guys made my blogging life better, easier, and more fun.

    I’ll send you some bracers of nerd rage deflection +2 in the mail, so you can avoid the BS if it ever happens again.
    .-= John L. Williams´s last blog ..Dungeons & Dragons Cartoon =-.

  17. Although I don’t know the first thing about the RPGBN, I know from experience that it’s hell for the individual when an online community goes sour.

    Commiserations Phil, but know that I’ll still be checking your blog everyday. After all, your blog was the one that inspired me to (very recently) start my own.
    .-= Colmarr´s last blog ..SSTL 32: Within Baphomet’s Halls =-.

  21. Whoa, talk about a manifestation of good karma. Thanks everyone.

    @Spenser: The Network was and remains an awesome idea. To see so many people say it is a balm on our frayed nerves. I appreciated it… a lot.

    @Eric: I think we got the social aspect right but we failed at exploring/understanding what technological tools we could have exploited to move things forward. So I ageree with you, I hope the next crew seize both aspects.

    More later, I gotta run.

  22. Hang in there, Phil.

    Be proud of what you started. Even if the direction of your site is diverging from the bloggers network, you’ve started something that has great meaning to the RPG community. Getting something like that up and running can be the hardest part and not many people can do that.

    Good luck in your writing career.

  24. I was with the small boy yesterday, or I would have chimed in earlier.
    Some of the best things in the world have taken off in fits and starts. I have more respect for the decision made to stay true, and your ability, as always, to maintain your relationships throughout. Quite the talent.

    Nothing wrong with avoiding conflict. ‘Thick-skin’ is often the result of too many hurtful battles, and gaining said psychological protection normal comes with the side affect of losing empathy when on the transmitting phase of interchange.
    Or to use the colloquialism, if you scrap a lot, you learn quickly that the best defence is a good offence. Not always the best lesson to learn.

    I enjoy your stuff. You keep writing, I’ll keep reading….and commenting.
    .-= LordVreeg´s last blog ..edited how it is played =-.

  25. Phil, your efforts at building the network will, I believe, be a great accomplishment to add to your writing resume, and will only contribute to your success. Your blog was my gateway to the network, and remains one of several that I’ll read each time it comes up on the blogroll, regardless of topic. Thank you!

  26. Okay, I’m bacK

    @walkerp: Thanks. You can count on me to participate in the Montreal Scene for the next few years. I think something needs to be done to bring more people to Draconis. I’ll meditate on this.

    @E.: Hey girlfriend! Thanks for the kind words. You can count on me to DM crazy-assed games for years to come, if not at Gem Con then maybe in Boston.

    @Swordgleam: I think that the elements that lead to our decision are normal manifestation of online social networks once they pass a certain point. The network has exited childhood and is now a teenager, we are ready to pass it along to newer, firmer hands.

    @Berin: ROLPUNK RULES!

    @John: I’ll take those bracers with pleasure! Thanks!

    @Colmar: Daaamn, I never realized that I inspired so many people. It seems to me that just a few months ago, I was a fanboy of established RPG blogs like Treasure Table and Critical Hits.

    I’m just stunned…. thanks everyone.

    (More soon)

  27. @Wrath: Man what? Thanks? 🙂

    @LV: Leaving without burning bridges is a value that was ingrained in me at a very early age (or maybe I was just born with. And as you say it’s worked so well for me that I never developed much of an armor for some of the crap found on the web. Thanks for staying around.

    Everyone else! Thanks for the good karma!

  29. Phil,

    I want to add my sincere thanks for your tireless dedication and uplifting humor. I had not written a roleplaying adventure for a couple of years, having turned the DM’ing reins over to my wife a while back. Frankly, I had become a bit stale and jaded. After all, I have been gaming for 30 years now! Your great contests (One Page Dungeon, Twitter character descriptions) gave me a quick, easy way to shake off the cobwebs from my creative clockworks and get back into the writing in a painless, non-threatening way. I have since returned to DM’ing and launched a new campaign with renewed vigor. I have written most of the adventures for it myself and am having more fun than I have had in a long time. Thank you for that. Best wishes with the freelancing. You will shine.

    Gary

  30. As a new face to the RPG Blog arena I feel like I really missed something, all I know is that on a number of blogging sites I start reading about this mess going on at the RPG Blogging Network (I didn’t even know the site existed until this week) it sucks that such things happen.

    Phil I appreciate that you are taking a cool headed approach to this and kindly telling us your side of the story. I hope that the entire thing cools down and we can all go back to talking about our hobby in a nice polite manner.
    .-= Tyson J. Hayes´s last blog ..Character Considerations: Naming Your Character =-.

  31. Phil,

    I understand and respect the reasons behind your decision. Thank you for sharing them as well as the RPG Blogger Network with us. That goes also to Dave, Graham and Danny. You’ve done good.

    Your posts on the Rule of Fun, RPing with the children and collaborations with Chgowiz and others have been an inspiration and focus of much debate for those of us in your vapour trail.

    Bonne chance avec votre écriture, monsieur, et j’espère que vous reviendrez bientôt. Rappelez-vous la lumière au bout du tunnel mai être vous.

    Steve (aka satyre)
    .-= satyre´s last blog ..darksea war: tides of chaos =-.

  32. Merci!

    You know a lot was said and written in the last 2 weeks, but I will continue blogging, probably not as often, but I’m not closing this shop… it’s my second home.

  33. I’ve seen this very same thing happen on other internet fan communities. I believe there is a critical mass for internet communities (forums, networks, etc), a point at which the signal-to-noise ratio crosses a line.

    But communities are people, not web sites or organizations. As long as there are people who dig RPGs, there will be an RPG community on the web.

    Phil wrote:

    I have no tolerance for hate, malice and violence, be it physical, spoken or written.

    Words can be violent. I’m taking a class on Non-Violent Communication, a technique for dealing with conflicts in a peaceful and productive manner, developed by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg. It is helping me deal with everyday conflicts at home and work, and it may dramatically affect how I raise my kids. Most surprisingly, I have a new sense of peace within myself.

  34. Go you!

    I never knew you were behind the RPGBN until the recent events, but I’ve found my favourite blogs using it. I understand what you mean, and how you feel, so just let me say thanks for the good service, best of luck with your projects.

    I’ll be readin’ you.

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