It is Wednesday again which means I am not responsible for turning out anything of quality! Usually today is reserved for guest writers or whatever insanity I want to talk about. Today I want to pose a question to other bloggers! Do you think a blog is better with a single writer or multiple ones?
I’ve been kicking around the idea of inviting someone to write for Epic Slant on the regular to augment my weaknesses. Perhaps this would be someone interested in other MMOs or who has a different perspective. In the past I’ve had guest articles and they’ve always been good but there is no commitment to the site.
Do you think it is a good idea to have another writer? How do you handle the “business” so to speak? Are you partners? Am I the boss since I’ve established Epic Slant? What about mergers? What if they don’t consistently put out articles or they are of poor quality? I realize a lot of you haven’t dealt with having another writer but I still would love to hear some opinions either via comment or other blog posts.
I also want to publicly recognize Dresden for his behind the scenes role here. Dresden does not write for Epic Slant but he has frequently helped with image creation for the site. He is also kind enough to read every article I write before I release it and edit it for details or point out when I’ve made weak arguments. I wouldn’t want to do this without him. Thanks bud!
While I’m on the subject of other writers I also want to take the time to highlight a few that I love to read.
I always have to give praise to Syp from Bio Break. This gentlemen writes in a quantity the likes of which I could never match. He puts out more relevant material than just about anyone and it is always top notch stuff. Basically he is where I want to eventually be! Check out his note about Champions Online’s pre-sale $200 life time pass.
There is also Keen and Graev’s Gaming Blog! This is another one of those high quality and content blogs that I aspire to be. There is also a very heavy, “we lost something by leaving EQ completely behind” sentiment there that I so love. Check out this write up about Aion!
Psychochild’s blog is another great source of inspiration and clarity. If you’re an aspiring game designer, into publishing indie games or just love design discussion like me you should check it out. Recently he asked what does RP stand for in RPG?
Wolfshead Online favors “the wall of text” like I do! It is here that you’ll find some of the most elegant design discussions on the internet. His blog is pretty much a must read if you’re a fan of old school MMO design styles and, if you’re not, it is still a great read. He also looked into who killed role-playing.
Raegn, previously of “Fires of War,” has started a new blog and brought in some other authors to help out (so I hope he has an opinion on my question)! You can now find him on Games by Night. The site is really coming together and I can already tell it will be a great success. Check out this article about Aion!
Last, but certainly not least, I want to mention Tesh! Tesh is a wonderful blogger who sometimes has different views than myself but is extremely curious about what players have to say. Even when we disagree we get great discussion out of it and it is always friendly! This is yet another blog I consider a must read! Check out Tish Tosh Tesh and this article about vestigial design!
If that isn’t your cup of tea you can always check out these “Best of Epic Slant” articles.
I’m still working on getting the term Microcore into the lexicon and this is the article that started it all: I’m not hardcore, I’m microcore
I’m also interesting in seeing less games with four kinds of elves and three kinds of humans. I think we need more Exotic Races in our MMOs.
I really miss twinking. I’ve read every argument against it and basically none of them are that valid. This hate stems from higher level players farming lower level camps in EverQuest and basically Brad McQuaid disliking the practice. Camps don’t really exist anymore and I could make a joke about how the other reason is no longer valid, but… just read the article on twinking!
Finally I have to bring this up again. Where is the death penalty? I don’t care that people can’t handle them! The lack of a death penalty changes the way we play and makes us reckless. If you can’t fail you cannot truly succeed! You can read more about the death penalty in the MMO Antiquities series.
All characters are © 2007 - 2010
I’ve gone from blogging solo, to blogging with the fine folks at Lagwar, and then made the move to a blog with a bunch of friends at Multiplaying.net (check it out btw!). Any way you do it can be an enjoyable experience. Only suggestion that I have is give your writers a set of ground rules (like no discussion of “insert subject matter here”) but let them write how and when they want to. Maybe also add something that distinguishes each of your entries from eachother (like a tag on the end or beginning of the post). I’m still working on something like this for our site. Another bonus is that there are now more than one of you who can get your sites name out.
Anyways, I think it’s a good idea overall, but sometimes the solace can keep you sane.
Some people can manage to maintain a post or more a day and stay interesting. For me, I struggle with that sometimes and that’s really what caused me to bring in a couple of my friends. It takes some pressure off (which, personally, makes me feel like my writing is a little bit freer) and I think adds another dynamic to your blog by including that extra perspective. Plus, like you mentioned, they can make up for your weaknesses or shed some light on things you might otherwise miss out on.
For me, the thing that prevented me from bringing another couple of people in was trust. Fires of War, as corny as it sounds, was my baby in a way. It was my first blog that actually got readers and what direction it went meant a lot to me. In the end though, it’s a matter of trust. You talk to the people you’re partnering with and decide which way you want the site to go.If you have faith in the people you’re writing with, it should all work out. And if something slips by you’re not comfortable with, you always have admin rights to remove whatever you don’t think is appropriate.
I’ll tell you though, it can seem a little weird at first. Ryan, the other writer on my site, single handedly took my PG-13 image and threw it out the window with his second post. I was taken back at first but decided to go with it because it was a piece of his creative freedom too. And really, who was it hurting?
I love your site though. If you bring in another writer, I hope Epic Slant on the whole stays in the same vein as it is now. I’m a fan of walls of text, especially when they make you think, so tell whoever it is to keep up the tradition!
Oh, I decided to give LotRO a shot again too. I’m not sure how it’ll work out in the long run but in the meantime, I’d love to join up with Sodality. Mind shooting me an email with server and contact info? admin@gamebynight.com is fine.
Thanks for the compliments too, I appreciate it!
Thanks for the props, man! Although I am not so much a “gentleman” as I am a “poser”. I come in many poses.
Blogging to me is almost as fun as playing MMOs, and some evenings I just sit for a couple hours after my family’s gone to bed and hack out a few articles for a rainy day. The most enjoyable part of it is seeing how the blogging community kicks around ideas and topics in a sort of more-mature-than-forums medium. My Google Reader grows daily with new MMO blogs I discover, and I probably spend as much time reading as I do writing. It’s all part of the process.
Aw, shucks. Thanks for the notice!
It really is nice to poke around in the views of other players, especially when considering MMO design, which should cater to a wide audience. When I do my board game design, I can afford to specialize. When I dig into MMOs, I really have to rely on others being willing to talk about their views, and really dig into why they do what they do.
Oh, and my blog will always be a solo endeavor. That’s just how I do things. I have found plenty of other sites that do well with multiple authors, though, like Kill Ten Rats and Hardcore Casual. Notably, I solo 95% of the time when I play these MMO things, too. I’m wired that way.
I’d like to see some board games Tesh! I’m a fiend for them. Feel like sharing your work? Is it out there to buy yet?
I do appreciate you guys all coming and giving your advice. I’ve really been thinking a lot about this.
My major problem is that all of my writer friends that I know well are more like guests. Most don’t want to make a commitment. Then I have the issue of looking into people I don’t really know. That is kind of scary! It may also working out amazingly well like college roommates.
Of course it could also end up working terribly… like college roommates.
Well, there is this:
http://tishtoshtesh.wordpress.com/2009/04/17/alpha-hex-paper-beta/
It’s a design that I’ve got to revisit, since the existing design seems to be imbalanced. (If you get around to testing it, please let me know how it goes.) I’m working on another one that I’ll release similarly as a PDF. If I can find a publisher for these, great, or I may just offer sales on my own from a local printer. (The versions for sale would be prettier, printed and boxed up, but the PDFs are fully playable if you don’t mind doing some of the setup.) I’ve toyed with the idea of making more this way, but so far, the AH beta has been downloaded maybe five times. It’s hard to justify pushing them out the door or setting up a distribution chain for that.
It’s still fun to design, and fun to play. As a hobby, that’s gotta count for something.
…which brings us back around to blogging, actually. Why do you blog? If it’s fun, another writer on board may enhance that… or detract from it. If you’re trying to make it a business or take it too seriously, well, another author might be more of a headache.
Oh, and Word of Shadow is another good multi-author blog. They don’t always agree, as it happens, but that does tend to make for some interesting discussions.
I’ll have to gather some of my friends and try it out. It has been hard to get a group together but we’ll let you know.
I might also make your day. I happen to know a link that could solve a lot of your issues with getting this out there. Check out: http://www.thegamecrafter.com/publish
I blog for a few different reasons really. I’ve always been into writing. When I was a teenager I started work on my own IP and wrote short stories about it. Only one ever saw the light of day.
I returned to writing when I started raiding in MMOs. A lot of players back then tuned into high end guild sites and read anything and everything. Doing that got me a writer position with the ill fated MOG magazine (which btw was awesome). I’ve always just felt like I had something worth saying and it provides a creative release for me.
To be honest I have been considering picking up fiction again. It just feels so hard because so many of my great ideas, especially at this point, will look like copies or something close even if they were original. Of course in writing almost nothing seems original anymore. At any rate, I’ve been working on a short story that I might post here. The worst case is everyone hates it but is polite enough to say “Eh… maybe you should stick to editorials.”
I would write articles here and should, I have a Masters in Literature and don’t use it. But, I am not consistent or reliable! Also, most of my viewpoints align with Ferrel’s, so I usually just end up editing his stuff instead.
Recently, I started my own business so I haven’t had the time. However, in the near future I may end up contributing some stuff, even if it’s only as a guest author. Sadly, since it has been years since I was at university, my prose style and argument construction have become seriously degraded.
As far as taking on another full time writer, I think that obviously has both pros and cons. Since I am not speaking from experience, I will speak from my rear (where I normally produce my thoughts). Taking on a partner, you run the risk of watering down your content and losing your specific perspective that drives readership. However, a partner also frees you up from the responsibility of having to force out articles even when you aren’t in the mood. Obviously, I think it is a balance and really depends on the person with whom you partner.
Oooh, Zazzle/Spreadshirt/Shapeways for games. Y’know, I really should have known that was out there. Many thanks! *bookmarks*
Thank you for the kind words Ferrel! It’s a great feeling knowing that what I’m doing is appreciated. Being an old school gamer I also appreciate what you are doing over here at Epic Slant. It’s comforting to know that some of us old-timers are keeping the torch alive!
I’ve tried to write short blog articles but I find it impossible. Many of my articles do start off small but as Tolkien once remarked “the tale grew in the telling”. I find some topics so interesting that I like to fully investigate them. Hopefully my readers still find what I write about interesting.
*cheers*
You love me so much you didn’t spell my pseudonym right.
A bit of trivia: I started using the name “Psychochild” on a PvP text MUD because it was hard to type. Figured it might give me more of a chance. It didn’t. 
But, now I’m stuck with it.
Anyway, thanks for the kudos. I also appreciate your comments on my blog. The comments are the best part for me, because it’s a chance for other people to chime in. I already know my own opinions, for the most part.
A good conversation about topics I care about is always great.
Gah, sorry Brian! That is my bad. No matter how hard I try little mistakes still creep in!
I’m a huge fan of comments too!
Sorry haven’t posted in a while but I come here especially because my views doesn’t really aligns with yours. I think we want the same thing but we have different views on how to achieve it.
Anyway as long as the guest writers respects the theme of this blog wich revolves around ideas about MMOs it should work fine.