unforum

[Crowfoot]

ARG Forums

[bill]

If you haven't found http://deaddrop.us, we are mostly dedicated to PuppetMasters although I also report on general news in the genre to round out the content. Articles on numerous topics are posted somewhat regularly, there are forums for PuppetMastering discussion and a few other features linked from the home page.

[Crowfoot]

[Alzheimers]

The short answer is: the size of a game's audience is directly related to the purpose and genre of the game.

For example: games like "I Love Bees" can have tremendous audiences (the unofficial estimate has been that over 1mil players watched at some point) due to it's relationship with the release of Halo 2. An independent mystery featuring mathematically difficult puzzles would have a much smaller audience due to it's nature and the target audience.

In general, ARGs are becoming more popular and more accessable to mainstream audiences. I think that our community is at a very important point in it's existence right now -- with so many big projects on the horizon, we can expect a huge influx of new players who might not have been willing to jump into a project like ILB midstream. The way to keep those new audience members interested is to provide content that's appealing and interesting to a wide range of players, from puzzle solvers to those that just appreciate the story.

If you have dreams of becoming a PM, you have a responsibility to yourself and your prospective players to understand what an undertaking it truly is. I would recommend reading the PM forum thoroughly, as well as getting in touch with those who have tread that path before. Most PMs are actually quite approachable, and willing to help out new talent with their experienced advice. Even a small project can take a lot of work to produce; but in the end, no matter what size of your audience, it's enormously satisfying to take your project from dream to conclusion.

[Crowfoot]

Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it.

[MageSteff]

Re: ARG Forums

[C_Brennan]

If you're wishing to make an ARG that has alot of interaction between players and characters via forums and such, Immersion Unlimited is your place. That's what they do there, they allow the characters to be with the players in a very open environment.

And if that's not your style, well then there's no better out of game place than Unfiction. With a large community, this is the place to attract alot of players who are very dedicated to the genre.

Deaddrop is certainly the PM place. PMing questions, discussions, and notifications from Bill are what I personally live on. I'm there alot.

But don't let player recruitment stop at Unfiction. It's always a good idea to spread the game around into reality, because you can draw a large player base of people who normally don't come here.

Hmmmmm....

Also, the PM book is not as easy as it looks. Don't be fooled. It may seem easy, it may look easy, but it is extremely time consuming and taxing. However, the benefits greatly outweigh the negatives if you are dedicated enough to see a project through to the end, in my opinion, and puppet mastering and telling a story on a scale such as this is fun, rewarding, and just more fun.

If you have questions Crow, I'm usually available in #metaunlimited chat room, or you can drop me a line at my e-mail - wildfireindustriesATcomcast.net. As stated before, PMs are very approachable and happy to talk about their craft. We don't bite, do we Alz?

[Crow - Not logged in]

Thank you for your response, I appreciate it.

I know PMing isn't easy, I've set up numerous successful RPG games in the past that have been popular and have run well. They do consume my life, but I've learned lessons that help me manage my time. I think I will be able to give it a shot, and I've already got many ideas forming together.

If I need help I'll know where to go, thanks.