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[hits blog]
Stupid blog. Be more funny!
I really think the Paizo blog could use some attention and inspiration. I'd like to see posts in the Paizo blog made by rotating Paizo staff (or freelancers, or just interesting people Paizo staff can get to occasionally write for it) on things like:
<snip>
For the record, I don't really want much of that in the Paizo blog, and when I am interested in that sort of content, it's available in other blogs around the internet. Frankly, and no offense intended here to the esteemed Mr. Jacobs, but I don't care how he feels about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt. 2.
Today the posts are too infrequent (developer posts like the Stealth and Poison discussions), too short and tissue paper thin (Golarian related posts), too marketing focused (the minis posts), or just not interesting (the PFS stuff, and RPG super star stuff) or just not the right place (I just don't enjoy reading the fiction on the blog). I think the Paizo blog could really use a refresh this...
I love the Golarion stuff, and the PFS stuff. Just because you aren't interested in it doesn't mean that they should post other things. Also, I'd rather the staff at Paizo spent their time on developing new game stuff, rather than knocking out a daily thousand-word blog post.
Though I am in favour of more preview art.
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I'm all for good things being great but...
- the RPG industry in general(not just Pathfinder)
Not really very interesting.
- book reviews, movie reviews, tv show reviews
Not very Paizo.
- existing game analysis, future game analysis
No idea what this means.
- stories from the work day (what happened with Second Darkness?, what was it like days before the PRPG was released?, what was it like the day 4E was announced?)
Not worthy of a blog post, more like the odd forum comment.
- art director stories (what goes into directing the artwork for an AP, what worked in the past? what didn't? why?)
More boring stuff about other people's jobs.
- random gaming related posts from guest posters that don't work at Paizo but are still related to the genre (authors, game makers, publishers, whatever)
Could be interesting, doesn't really advertise Paizo though.
- rules based play-by play from an encounter a developer ran during their game and what they learned from it.
This sounds like a boring version of a developer post, honestly
- Several senior staff members and industry experts can write a week long series of articles explaining exactly what Eric Mona does for a living.
Most work is mostly boring to talk about. When people have interesting stories about work they're generally about when something unusual happened and the stuff you find out about their work is just context.
So, and this is just my opinion, I prefer the current posts to your suggestions.
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I agree that fiction should be left to the Web Fiction section. I understand certain days are usually reserved for specific entries but would prefer if the main blog centered around game related entries.
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Thanks for the feedback, folks! Believe me when I say that, despite the pressures the OP mentions, we really are always trying to think about how to best utilize the blog, and your comments help us a lot in that regard. It's good to hear what people like (and don't) so we can make informed decisions!
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I agree with some things posted previously. I miss the new art blogs, I miss the developer posts about how certain rules came about, or current ideas for fixes... I do really like the preview stuff.
I understand the place for PFS posts, so that people that are into that can keep updated and know to check for Monday's post, though, the previews for the minis on Friday got old really fast. I think they would be better for Store Blog stuff than the Paizo Blog.
Just my opinion...
Thanks!
Previews and preorders for the Store Blog don't always go over well: we want you to be able the buy the stuff we portray in them. :D
What I would like to see is more "behind the scenes" kinda stuff. Like we just saw with the magic item write ups. I would like to see how the developers work on creating new things. I want to see how some of the more confusing or ambiguous mechanics work. I would love to see how they approach adventure design.
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I'd like at least one blog post per week dedicated to fixing or discussing known poorly worded or mechanically designed aspects of the game, such as stealth and other things that are very frequently talked about/complained about. I'd like an ongoing Design & Development blog as a SEPARATE blog that is all about cutting edge "fixes" to well-accepted broken elements of the game. Then one could use things proposed in that blog in an ongoing playtest for things that might go into a .5 or 2.0 release eventually. Sort of a rolling playtest of possible fixes/tweaks for future releases. Instead we get EXTREMELY intermittent posts about these sorts of things which are then forgotten for months at a time (see Stealth.)
Just an idea.
I loved the Design Tuesdays, and I wish they'd return as a recurring event.
To add to jreyst's ideas, a column that explores some small aspect of Golarion that hasn't been explored before could be cool too. What games do the kids of Nex place? What is the regional food of Numeria? etc etc
I was reading blog posts from 2007 from a while ago and they had more maps. I think the last time we had a map was before the ISWG came out of all of golarion.
I could go either way with the web fiction in the main blog. If it wasn't on the main blog, I would be checking web fiction on Thursdays.
On the other hand, I see that having the web fiction on the main blog once a week is a way to introduce new fans to it. Not everyone checks the blog every day and the web fiction tab is easy to miss (so is the paizo blog tab, for that matter).
Also, I NEVER found the mini preview posts stale or old. Those of us who preordered cases were chomping at the bit to get previews. I think that this is one of those things where, "You can can please some people all of the time, but you can't please all people all of the time." There will always be something on the blog that someone doesn't care about. For me it's PFS, but that's just my interest.
Nothing personal and no offense but I too never read the fiction posts. If I had my way every day would be either new crunch or explaining/fixing existing crunch but I'm very crunch-oriented.
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Nothing personal and no offense but I too never read the fiction posts. If I had my way every day would be either new crunch or explaining/fixing existing crunch but I'm very crunch-oriented.
Shrug, I'm the opposite, the only thing good in crunch posts is the art. I get a bunch more use in the webfiction.
For some reason I like reading setting articles and books fro fun more than fiction and sometimes more than crunchy posts.
I wasn't even fully aware that there were guest judges.
Think it is interesting.
I don't find RPG superstar particularly interesting until they start posting the entries. Even then, I did not vote last year because I do not have the time to read through all the entries.
I love the Web Fiction (as stated above). I enjoy the Golarion holidays that occasionally come out. I enjoy the Iconics write ups. I was intrigued by the Stealth Playtest (still wondering where that's going, though I am using the new stealth rules in my game). I like Bestiary Previews and Mini previews.
Now it's time to commute, so I'll leave it at that.
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What do folks think of today's blog? Do you like the inside look behind the curtain of RPG Superstar and the guest blogs?
Not really. It seems like all we're getting lately in blogs is:
RPG SuperstarFiction
PFS
Minis previews
Other than the (increasingly rare) excerpt from an upcoming book, that's about it.
I can understand the excitement about the minis and excuse their frequent inclusion, but the other three (Superstar, fiction and PFS) all have their own sections of the website. None really float my boat as blog updates ... I'd rather see actual new Golarian content (tidbits are fine, not expecting gobs of free content) or design posts as referenced above.
That said, I understand the posts I'd like to see take work on the part of people who don't have a lot of extra time. I'm just losing interest in what's being provided instead.
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I really enjoyed the Golarion Thursdays that James Jacobs had for a while as well as the Design Tuesdays that Jason Bulmahn did. These were the blogs I really enjoyed. Although I do always make a point to read the Monday PFS posts as I play a lot of PFS. The Pathfinder tales are interesting but right beside the Paizo Blog link is a link to web fiction, which is where I would go to read fiction.
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I really enjoyed the Golarion Thursdays that James Jacobs had for a while as well as the Design Tuesdays that Jason Bulmahn did. These were the blogs I really enjoyed. Although I do always make a point to read the Monday PFS posts as I play a lot of PFS. The Pathfinder tales are interesting but right beside the Paizo Blog link is a link to web fiction, which is where I would go to read fiction.
Yeah, since I don't play it, I don't have much interest in the PFS blog posts. Not that I mind them, I just usually don't read them :)
Web fiction is fine, although I hate reading walls of text on a computer screen, so I typically skip those posts as well. I DO read plenty of the actual Tales books in print form though.
The Golarion Thursdays and Design Tuesdays were always great - I'd love to see more blog posts along these lines.
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What do folks think of today's blog? Do you like the inside look behind the curtain of RPG Superstar and the guest blogs?
I liked it! But I am following RPG Superstar with the passion of a thousand exploding suns.
Design Tuesday and Golarion Thursdays are great. I usually only read the fiction once any particular story is complete. Since I don't play PFS they only tangentially pique my interest, and the minis previews are a necessary evil.
Stuff I would like to see is: "From the Cutting Room Floor." Bits that were cut or stuff authors think would make good additions to AP issues and the Modules. Book previews are always welcome. And "The Third Party", where 3rd Party Publishers talk about how they think their material might fit into Golarion or the various APs.
Also more Goblins! GMing advice, and maybe how to incorporate newer 0-HD races into Golarion. Plus art previews and errata on AP subsystems.
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Put me down for more cheesecake art.
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I think part of the problem at the moment is that the blog is free extra stuff, that generally goes through much the same quality control as printed material, especially design and Golarion day stuff. that means it take precious staff time away from other stuff. Given at the moment that staff have:
- The ARG at or near sending to the printers
- Ultimate equipment or whatever it will be called probably revving up for full development
- Trying to catch up with a general product line crunch that has occured.
- RPG Superstar going through it's most labour intensive stage.
- Having lost three whole days, plus whatever holiday people took of their own for the holidays.
It's understandable that some things have dropped back. The PFS, Fiction and Minis posts are part of the normal sort of work Mike, Sutter & Erik do, so it's probably not that much trouble to keep them going. The stuff on Tuesdays and Thursdays is more out of the ordinary though.
Also there's been a reasonable gap between the last set of books coming out and the next set- given previews tend to only be a week or two, that's something that will have left a bit of a gap in the standard schedule
Totally agree with the OP. I used to go straight to the blog to see what's up. Now.... not so much. Especially when I have to scroll, and scroll, and scroll to get past the infuriating fiction they put on it. There is a "Web Fiction" tab right next to the "Blog" tab. Why not just use that instead of having it as blog filler?
My experience is the opposite. I didn't read the web fiction before, but now that it's a regular blog post I find myself reading it and enjoying it.
In fact, I am planning on picking up Death's Heretic because of the fiction that was posted to the blog, and I would not have bought it otherwise.
Stuff I would like to see is: "From the Cutting Room Floor." Bits that were cut or stuff authors think would make good additions to AP issues and the Modules.
I would really love to see this.
Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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I've been trying to give a "behind the scenes" feel to my miniature posts, though lately it's been more about making my way through final images of the set, so there's not so much of a look at the process.
I think people will be very pleased next week when we start talking about the Rise of the Runelords set (and showing off preview images), but if you don't care about minis posts now, I'm not sure there's much I can do to make them more interesting for you.
I dunno. Maybe use that time to get an early start on the weekend or something?
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Thanks for the feedback, folks! Believe me when I say that, despite the pressures the OP mentions, we really are always trying to think about how to best utilize the blog, and your comments help us a lot in that regard. It's good to hear what people like (and don't) so we can make informed decisions!
You could try naked clown pole dancer strippers. It would be sexy, adult, funny, and terrifying all at the same time.
I figure that the blog won't always have what I'm looking for. There are times when I really enjoy it and times when I don't really care. However, I assume that you have more players than just me so I roll with it.
I would like to see more articles similar to the "Rules of the Game" that WotC did, but with a focus on some of the more confusing or ambiguous things that are often points of contention on the boards. Besides just saying "this work this way," go into the rationale as to why it works that way.
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Director of Brand Strategy
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I can certainly sympathize with everyone who wants X out of the blog and looks forward to a new entry each business day. Two years ago I was in exactly that situation. Now that I'm on the inside, however, I know how much work actually goes into each and every post, even ones that are just "here's a new piece of art from Orc Pies of Golarion." There's a fine balance to be struck between putting in too much time in-house for something that ultimately nets us no income, and keeping people engaged in one of our primary means of reaching out to the community at large.
I just thought folks would like to know that even if we don't immediately (or ever) make significant changes to the blog, we're listening. So thanks for the feedback.
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Director of Brand Strategy
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I can certainly sympathize with everyone who wants X out of the blog and looks forward to a new entry each business day. Two years ago I was in exactly that situation. Now that I'm on the inside, however, I know how much work actually goes into each and every post, even ones that are just "here's a new piece of art from Orc Pies of Golarion." There's a fine balance to be struck between putting in too much time in-house for something that ultimately nets us no income, and keeping people engaged in one of our primary means of reaching out to the community at large.
I just thought folks would like to know that even if we don't immediately (or ever) make significant changes to the blog, we're listening. So thanks for the feedback.
I think Q&A segments would be pretty interesting. Also lots of frank talk about why the rules work the way they do and how they contribute to the way you play your games. And insights into the development process.
Also I'm with others who would like to see more things that got cut, though I assume especially with the APs that it would be too spoiler-y for general consumption.
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It's also worth repeating that a lot of stuff gets cut for good reason. ;)
Yeah hearing that just makes me want to see it all the more! :)
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I guess I'm easy to please. Very little comes up on the Paizo blog that I don't want to see. RPG Superstar, PFS, and the web fiction all rank high on my must-see list. I wouldn't need the web fiction to show up on the Paizo blog for that necessarily since it has its own tab, but the publicity can only be good for the fiction line which is worth a 1 day/week slot on the Paizo Blog to me.
I also loved the Golarion Thursday and Design Tuesday blogs.
The minis blogs were great when they first started, but I kind of burnt out on them towards the end. I think I liked the informational parts more than the "here's another one and another one" type of posts, but certainly understand the need to show off the pictures.
What about a "FAQ Friday" or something along those lines. It sure would save a lot of broadband if certain issues (AM I'm looking at you) could be resolved in a more timely/hands on fashion by the gurus of Paizo. After all, we don't really have access to a monthly Sage Advice for Pathfinder (I'm not knocking Ask the Sage but four times a year isn't enough and he isn't official that I'm aware of).
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I've been trying to give a "behind the scenes" feel to my miniature posts, though lately it's been more about making my way through final images of the set, so there's not so much of a look at the process.
I think people will be very pleased next week when we start talking about the Rise of the Runelords set (and showing off preview images), but if you don't care about minis posts now, I'm not sure there's much I can do to make them more interesting for you.
I dunno. Maybe use that time to get an early start on the weekend or something?
Your minis posts are great and I've enjoyed them. However, I, like some others, would prefer to see such things in the Store Blog (and fiction reserved to the Fiction Blog).
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In fact, I am planning on picking up Death's Heretic because of the fiction that was posted to the blog, and I would not have bought it otherwise.
Thank you, Shadowcat7! Both for picking up Death's Heretic, and for explaining in one sentence why web fiction in the blog is important. ;)