Patreon has revolutionized how gamers receive new content. Just as
Kickstarter changed the publishing landscape for roleplaying games
and board games, funding ambitious projects with high production
values and tempting stretch goals, Patreon has – somewhat more
quietly – enabled creators to bring projects to their fans in
smaller but no less worthwhile bits. The concept hearkens back to the
days when talented individuals like artists, writers, and even
archaeologists (like Howard Carter) worked for wealthy patrons who
believed in their efforts and funded their work; it’s an idea I
fully support and
have discussed in the past. Patreon provides a
platform where creators (particularly those making game content) can
find financial support and engagement with those who enjoy their
work. I’ve found it’s a wonderful place to find “short and
sweet” game material to fuel my enthusiasm for Old School
Renaissance (OSR) or classic
B/X D&D roleplaying games.
Patreon delivers game material to supporters who pledge donations
for each work. People subscribe to creators who cater to their
interests, making a payment for each new “article,” and receiving
fresh game material on a somewhat regular basis...usually once a
month, sometimes more often. This allows supporters to customize the
content they receive, in a way serving as their own editors or
curators of material that most interests them. Some designers post
their creations for free, others offer a mix of free material and
exclusive pieces for their paying supporters. Creators frequently
offer additional perks for higher-levels patrons, including
engagement through the Patreon site, influence on future projects,
and even material customized for particular supporters. Each designer
crafts their page differently to appeal to supporters and deliver
content in a satisfying way.
To date my involvement with Patreon has remained as a patron. It’s
not only a wonderful means of receiving useful game content directly
from creators I admire but a way for me to directly support their
efforts with my admittedly small donations. As a creator myself, I
like the format far better than the often frantic hype of Kickstarter
campaigns. During the past year I’ve considered releasing one of my
own gaming projects not as a massive game-setting sourcebook but as a
series of small supplements on Patreon. While that project remains in
development, I find inspiration in various Patreon creators who cater
to my need for short yet satisfying resources for my OSR and
B/X
D&D gaming interests.
I’ve discussed my growing preference for concise game material
before. My Patreon pledges support designers creating exactly the
kind of useful game material I consider “short and sweet.” Most
of these deliver complete little packages of encounters, locations,
or scenarios perfect for dropping into existing fantasy roleplaying
game campaigns or providing inspiration for creating one’s own
resources. I’ve listed them below with their Patreon titles, which
follow a sometimes awkward and not always entirely accurate formula.
Dyson Logos Is Creating Maps and Adventures for OSR Gaming: I
cannot discuss game material on Patreon without mentioning Dyson
Logos and his many free maps. I first discovered Dyson’s work at
his
Dyson’s Dodecahedron blog (where he also posts all his Patreon
maps). His Patreon page is the only one I support that doesn’t
always provide a fully developed resource – it primarily delivers
maps with a few paragraphs of notes to put the location in context,
though he occasionally releases more complete supplements – yet of
all the mapping styles I’ve seen I enjoy his basic yet intricately
inspiring cross-hatched line art maps the most. Dyson usually
releases two maps a week, though sometimes he exceeds this in his
already prolific output. He’s the poster-child for creator success
on Patreon...and he’s turned that success into a reason to do
something amazing with some of his maps. People can freely use
Dyons’s maps for their personal use, including on websites with
attribution; but thanks to the generosity of his patrons, the first
few maps each month
he releases under a free commercial license. This is exactly the kind of
positive interaction between creator and fans Patreon fosters.
Tim Shorts Is Creating Micro-Adventures: I first heard
about Tim Shorts’ Patreon project from his
Gothridge Manner blog
and his reputation in publishing
The Manor zine. I started
supporting his micro-adventures as soon as I discovered Patreon. Two
or three times a month Tim releases brief yet complete encounters, in
some cases entire locales or scenarios. Most remain free to anyone,
not just patrons, but they’re worth putting a little something in
the Patreon “tip jar.” Many fit on one page – usually a
half-page color map with half-page text – though some expand into
small folios or zines of their own, such as the recently released,
11-page adventure
Blaspheemus Tower. They serve as standalone
pieces ready to port into your favorite medieval fantasy or OSR-style
game. Some build on others in the series. Most include new monsters,
magic items, or spells, all with stats suitable for use in OSR games.
The one-page or folio format makes them ideal for printing and filing
away for future use. Tim also surprises patrons a higher levels with
actual printed and laminated cards with micro-adventures or
occasional folios or zines. Whether a micro-adventure, an issue of
The Manor, or his
Starter Adventures (
which I’ve mentioned before), his work satisfies my need for concise and useful
game material.
Simon Forster Is Creating Maps: While Simon makes many
maps, his latest endeavors at his Patreon page focus on “A to Z”
lairs. He’s already completed 26 in his wilderness lairs series
(compiled in
The Book of Lairs available through his
RPGNow e-storefront or on
Lulu); now he’s recently embarked on a
similar exploration of lairs in urban settings. Like his wilderness
lairs, he includes a digest-sized, full-color map with one page of
keyed locations, rumors, background, and stats (for the
Adventurer
Conqueror King system [
ACK],
but easily ported to other OSR games). Each lair forms a
location-based encounter, enough for a mini-scenario or a brief “save
the town from monsters” scenario easily dropped into existing
campaigns or settings. Some lairs contain well-known creatures, but
others focus on oddities from the
ACK game or Simon’s
original monstrous creations. Most of his entries are “For Patrons
Only,” but each one is a satisfying dose of new material to slip
somewhere into one’s game.
Michael Prescott Is Creating Adventures: The title of
Michael Prescott’s Patreon page doesn’t do his work justice. He
isn’t simply creating adventures; he’s rendering amazing cutaway
environments and populating them with intriguing scenario
material...all in concise one- or two-page format. These are exotic
locales filled with strange, original creatures and compelling
backgrounds. The concise format doesn’t limit the content, but
provides unusual encounter locations to easily fill a night’s
adventuring. Even the titles evoke a sense of fantastic mystery: “In
the Care of Bones,” “The Unmended Way,” “A Litany in
Scratches,” and “The Full-Dark Stone” are just a few enticing
examples. His amazing maps combine cartographic skill with artistic
talent to create illustrations that truly give readers a visual sense
of the setting. He manages to fit an astounding amount of material
onto one or two pages. Although his offerings aren’t as frequent as
others, they’re definitely worth the wait for their amazing visual
game content. Whether or not you’re a Patreon supporter, you can
get his fantastic map-scenarios for free from his Patreon site or his
blog
I'll See It When I Believe It.
If these resources in any way satisfy your need for original
gaming material, sign up at Patreon and give these designers your
financial support, however small. And if their material isn’t your
cup of tea, wander through Patreon’s list of creators; the platform
has nurtured a growing community of roleplaying game designers and
artists producing fresh inspiration. I’m grateful to not only have
a source of regular, concise, and useful game resources but to have
the opportunity to directly support creators whose work I admire.
Comments....
Have a favorite Patreon designer who creates short-and-sweet game
material? Want to share your opinion? Start a civilized discussion?
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Schweighofer) to comment.
