We’re nearing the one year anniversary of launching Stately Play and while we haven’t reached the heights of our old living quarters, it’s been a lot of fun being able to write again about topics that I love. Of course, I could write all I want but without you guys reading it, I would just be another mad man bellowing into the wind. Therefore, I have to thank each and every one of you, whether you stop by every day, once a week, or only when you spy a story you might like via our Facebook or Twitter feed. None of this would exist without you reading, contributing in the forums, playing in tournaments, and all the other stuff you do that doesn’t deal directly with what appears on the front page.
When we started Stately Play, just having a place to write about all this crazy stuff was our goal, and we succeeded. Here we are, after all. That said, I really love this place and want to make it both my and your permanent home. I have big plans that involve more writers, more content, new features, and getting Kelsey that espresso machine he keeps prodding me about. Maybe not that last one, but I really want to make Stately Play a place that’s more than just me pooping out 2-3 news articles a day with an occasional review here and there. I don’t want us to be a mere echo of what our old digs were, I want to compete with our old digs. To be a place that gets their pull quotes on Steam and iTunes pages, etc. Yes, most of this rant is about me needing to stroke my own ego, but you guys would benefit as well. Who doesn’t want more articles at Stately Play especially if they’re written by real writers instead of this old hack?
Unfortunately, it’s hard to create things in this world and not start talking about cash. We’ve been an Apple Affiliate since the beginning, so every time you click on an iTunes link here on Stately Play, it helps us out. That said, since they pay a pittance per click, we need a new revenue stream. I’m looking into advertising and, possibly, attracting some sponsors to the site but I have no experience doing such a thing, so I’m doing a lot of reading [where’s Owen when you need him, amirite? -ed.]. Until then, we’ve gone with Google Ads, which are kind of annoying but we’ll take anything we can get at this point. We’ve also recently become an Amazon affiliate, so all those links under our board game reviews benefit us as well.
The other funding mechanism we’re trying out is Patreon. You might have noticed the Patreon links in the sidebar or at the bottom of articles. If you like what we’re doing here at Stately Play, please consider becoming a patron and sponsoring us. Hiring good writers that we’d be proud to publish at Stately Play costs money, not to mention my conscience has a problem not paying writers for their work [except for Alex…let’s keep this whole ‘paying writers’ thing under our hats when we see him, okay? -ed.].
We have all new badges ready to hand out in the forums for patrons, and we’re happy to listen to any other suggestions when it comes to getting something in return for pledging with us. We’re nothing if not flexible. Hell, if you have ideas for other revenue streams, we’d love to hear those, too. This is all new for Kelsey and I, so we’re trying to get up to speed as quick as possible.
If you don’t have any extra cash right now, no worries. Stately Play is still small enough that I feel we’re like family, and we’re definitely not going to look down our noses at anyone who can’t chip in. Hell, I can’t afford to chip in (which is kind of the problem, I guess). We’re glad you’re here, reading and contributing to something that started as a dream Kelsey and I conjured up in the summer of 2016.
Thanks for reading, and I promise I won’t be hitting you over the head with this every week. Maybe once a month. Okay, no more than every two weeks. Promise.
Threw you $5 a month… for what I get out of this site, that’s a mere pittance. And maybe pledging at the Captain level will be good karma for my exam next month!
Can’t thank you enough, sir.
That said, I’m still going to trounce you in our TtA game.
I love Patreon as a mechanism for supporting content. Gladly in for $5 a month also.
You guys are too awesome! Thank you so much.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pVT_mvvZLoI would expect no less!
Well, we’re both going to get trounced by @Hardco, so I don’t know that it matters much.
Story of my life, my friend, story of my life…
For as little as 3 cents a day you too can help feed starving game-writers… call me Captain Giant. I try really hard to minimize recurring bills, but I get so much joy from StatelyPlay, how can I not…
I’ve got a trip to Barcelona burning a hole in my bank account this month but I’ll be on for 5 next month. Roughly what I would’ve spent on my gaming mag subscriptions back in the day and this is my go to game site.
In for $5 a month
I’m in for $5/month. You guys are awesome, and the community we’ve formed here is worth so much!
It’s a no-brainer … very happy to contribute to keep your lights on … illuminating us all.
Okay, enough of the sycophancy. What I really want to know is … does my Captain rank come with a hat?
I take serious offence that there is no “Private” rank and badge but since this place was/is so awesome© I went all in and went for the equivalent of 10 Netherworld Coffees of Doom.
Also my first backed Patreon, I didn’t know that I can do this trough paypal. I thought it only works with CC (which I loathe).
Am I the only one who is charged VAT? Ist it a Germany (EC) only thing or is everyone charged VAT?
Is a one time donation also possible?
You can set up a recurring payment and (easily) cancel it once the required amount has been paid …
Us UK types also pay VAT on top of the donation amount … so you are not alone …
Also duly patronised. I’ve been meaning to support various things though Patreon for yonks, but this is the first time I’ve actually got off my virtual arse and done so. Almost got you to triple digits…
It surprises me how niche good quality premium strategy games are on iOS. You guys do the best job of covering them anywhere on the internet so I’m more than happy to donate a fiver a month. You cost me much more than that in Apple fees from my daily visits.
sigh I may have to cave on patreon. I hate the whole notion of it personally (being ongoing) but there are a couple places I’d like to support that have made this a part of what they do.
Love this site. My only wish was that it had more content, so I’m happy to contribute to making that happen!
p.s. a 1st Lieutenant is higher ranking than a 2nd Lieutenant ^_-
Ha! That threw me for a loop too!
I, um, kind of can’t handle the appreciation here. I’m more grateful than I know what to do with, honestly. I mean, I know it’s Dave who does most of the work, but I’m wicked glad to have had a hand in arranging that he has a platform everybody gets to read. And the forum here is a friggin’ library of awesome, so that’s all you fine folks.
There are a handful of people on Patreon that I’ve been considering supporting. But I know that once I’ve opened that floodgate of money, it’ll never be closed. However, I’ve gotten so much out of the site that shall not be named (when you all were in charge) and Stately Play over the years that you’ve pushed me over the edge.
I’ll set up an account and send a few bucks your way. You’re certainly responsible for more than of few of the ones I’ve spent over the last few years on the App Store (actually probably all of them).
Supported.
Keep up the good work.
(Ps. I noticed your stretch goal. I rather read articles then watching vids. So for me personally, I dont mind if you arent going that direction)
Goddammit. Don’t tell Owen, or he’ll reappear only to put my nuts in a vice. As much as I’d like to see him again, that’s not what I was thinking.
That stretch goal was the result of me not having any good ideas when putting together the Patreon. Would be happy to hear other ideas that the less-video-oriented would like us to incorporate!
I don’t have any specific ideas, but I would suggest a combination of video and written.
I love watching playthroughs on Heavy Cardboard, for example. But also really love written works (and writing works!)
Sorry for the lack of responses. Like Kelsey, I spent a good portion of the weekend overwhelmed with the idea that people were spending their hard-earned dough on something that we were creating. I haven’t had that kind of visceral feedback before (we’ll ignore this post) and I’m really not sure how to handle it, other than saying thank you to all of you who backed, those who shared it with their friends, and for everyone who comes here every day to read the verbal diarrhea I spew forth on a (almost) daily basis.
I’ve wanted to write since I was a kid, and everyone at this site–whether you signed up for the Patreon or not–is keeping that dream alive. I cannot thank all of you enough. I can, however, get you all those badges and make sure I switch the damn 1st and 2nd Lieutenant thing. (My dad and grandpa would be so pissed at me…)
I’ll also see what other cool stuff we can do in the forums. There are so many options and things we can do with Discourse, that Kelsey and I haven’t even really delved into them yet.
Thanks again!
Just as an idea for additional fundraising - I’d rock a hat or t-shirt with the logo on it. Something quality, though, none of that www.cafepress.com garbage…
No way we’re giving up the written part. Sorry if the stretch goal thing at Patreon inferred that. My goal would be to supplement the written with videos. For example, play the game via video a few times, followed by the written review (or vice versa, depending on when we get our hands on a game and when any embargoes end).
We’ve been throwing around playing a tabletop RPG with myself and the writers using a virtual table like Fantasy Grounds or Roll20 and recording it as we go and posting the vids. Not sure if that’s up anyone’s alley here, but we thought it would be a funny insight into the heads of many of the folks whose names you see on the bylines at SP. It would allow me to play D&D again so, yes, it’s a completely selfish goal. Surprise!
That’s a good idea. I’ll research how we’d go about doing such a thing without my garage becoming a warehouse for thousands of unsold shirts. Unless you’re willing to buy 1000 up front, @js619?
Pretty certain Mrs. JS619 would have 999 unhappy thoughts / things to say about that!
ETA: I’ve never done it myself but I have to imagine there’s internet companies that’ll handle everything down to the creation, sales, and shipping? Not sure if it works out profitably though…
ETA2: @Neumannium, check out https://www.merchify.com and / or https://www.printful.com might do the trick?
I’m telling, you, man, we need to get on the horn to the Franklin Mint about commemorative Stately Plates.
Oh, I didn’t think you would give up written.
What I meant is that the “extra” stuff that part of the goal should be a combination.
Again, I don’t know what it would be necessarily, but that’s just what I meant.
I think the other thing we can do is recruit more readers, but only the cool ones… I’m working on it when opportunities come up.
And the StatelyPlay logo would make for a very nice T-shirt, I will volunteer to make it happen if @js619 (who had the idea) doesn’t… (or we can collaborate on your idea JS) Merch!
And @Neumannium I’m pretty sure we can do the t-shirt idea without filling up any basements, on-demand style, all the proceeds going to SP
Did you watch the “Stream of Annihilation” when WotC announced that Tomb of Annihilation was the new 5th edition content for this year? It’s pretty cool, and live streaming in general has been a huge boon for D&D over the past several years.
Put me down as another person not interested in video content. That’s my biggest complaint about a lot of the bgg content now. I’ve got no new ideas for you though, that’s what you get paid the big Patreon bucks for!
Pledged. Patreon is a great idea for the site.
Like some others have stated, I am also not interested in video content. Unless you mean music videos, with Dave and Kelsey lip-synching to their favorite 80s hits. Then I’d be on board.
I’m also not that excited about video. Reading is faster.
I have an idea, or an idea of an idea. How about an article every few weeks on an older multiplayer game that is still great (and available). Maybe talk about strategy for the game. The idea is to generate interest in playing some older games instead of always focusing on the new next best thing. Also, it will help newer players learn about great games they may have missed.
For example, Carcassonne is a great game, but it doesn’t get much discussion (other than the new Asmodee android version). Ticket to Ride is another. It is a well known, well loved game. I could use some tips about how to play the newer expansions that I own but just haven’t played yet.
Just an idea.
So we’re now on a countdown until you’re ‘acquired’ by Asmodee?
What else would we mean?
Great idea! Would love to do more “strategy” articles, the only issue being I pretty much suck at every game and don’t feel comfortable telling other people how to beat a game other than my favorite method: play at the easiest difficulty level.
Oh, please. We’re way too small for Asmodee to care…oh, hold on. My phone’s ringing…
We’ll know what’s up when Potion Explosion wins Game of the Year…
I’ll pay another dollar/month to not see that
I could do more out-there stuff exclusively as patron rewards. The Arkham fiction was fun to write, or I could do more philosophical stuff. Seems like there’s an obvious tension between wanting to give people more of what they’re supporting, and wanting rewards to be distinctive and not cannibalize the content that brings people to the site in the first place. Anyone have ideas on how to thread that needle?
Hire Owen to write Sunday Almanac?
It’s been on my wishlist since last October. Hard to do when he won’t return my calls, though.
Still have my fingers crossed that, someday, he’ll come back. Miss that guy.
I think putting the out-there stuff on the site is one of the things that makes the site unique. It would not be a positive to relegate those to rewards, IMO.
I’m not sure how many of the people who have pledged are even thinking about “rewards” (I wasn’t) so much as just supporting what’s happening here.