I love the show personally, but I am one of those people who are subbed and just watch all the VODs. I don’t know if that is really counted in the views
The only part I agree with is his hosting ability. Adam knows the ins and outs of streaming (ie: ALWAYS talking, no gaps or silences and controlling the flow of the show). John not so much. Give him time. 
edit: to be clear, your issues ARE valid, sorry. don’t mean to sound like i’m trying to defend 
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Time is a big one. I’ll also say while the cast is great, John does a good job of DMing, and the cast does really well with using the system, I find it hard to watch with the same focus I have with other shows. CoS, Mirrorshades, Swansong, I consistantly watched full screen, glancing at chat occasionally and typing, generally active in the channel. With Blades, I feel like I’m more willing to put it in the background, mute it if I want to listen to a quick YT video, stuff like that. I think I could attribute one (or both) of two things.
- “Just not my thing.”
Which kind of feels weird. I enjoy Geoff/Zeke, and think John does a good job with DMing and using the world (you’d think, considering he made the damn system), and I enjoy the setting/style as a whole… but it is quite the contrast to previous Rollplay shows, and perhaps it’s just not my thing.
- “a bit formulaic”
The system works well as a player, and they do a pretty good job of roleplaying no matter in what “section” they’re in… but everything feels like it’s just “going through the motions”. With other shows, everything just flows together; no “this is downtime” “It’s time to deal with the random entanglement(s) now” “Let’s do what you want to do now” - everything just happens. It’s very subtle, but the feeling is there.
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I understand. I am just finding it hard to comprehend not checking /using the schedule since its so convenient and well promoted. Its not really directed at you
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Shame about the viewer numbers. I think it’s your best show.
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My two cents would be time-slot issues and lack of a full proper crew for a few week.
I think we’ll see a marginal increase in viewers with a better time slot, the same usually do but on a sunday.
More importantly, a lot of your European fans have problems being available at 2-5 am in the morning leading to low viewership numbers.
Adam is the more charismatic DM that is also a fact, although Harper has grown on me. Didn’t enjoy his DM’ing in that first one shot he was in, I’m fine with his sorta dm’ing now though. I look forward to being able to catch the show live on Sunday evenings, for me.
Hopefully there will be a increase in viewership with the new time slot.
(Personally speaking)
There’s too many on the go for me to keep up with/start new ones.
Nothing against providing more content and additional shows - honestly it’s great that this is possible and props to everyone involved.
But at the same time there is a time commitment attached to any rollplay show and only so many hours in a day/week. That can make it difficult to stay on top of all currently running and still remain invested in them, even more so if you miss any of one or fall behind on it.
Just not something I can do and still give it the proper investment I’m sure it deserves.
Like a lot of other people have said, it airs too late for me to watch live. But, to be honest, I don’t even watch the vods. I love the players and their characters and would love to love the show, but I just can’t.
I think it’s a combination of Johns style of dm’-ing and the ruleset. The players never seem to be in any real danger because of these two things. I talked to my bf about this and we both thought that the show could easily convert over to Vampire and be much more interesting. Both the setting and the characters would fit great in World of Darkness.
Long story short: change airtime and ruleset and I would watch.
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I’m also from over there
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Im only one person of course, but heres how Blades was for me. I thought the RP from everyone was great, but the actual story was pretty dull. I stopped watching after episode 2 and the only thing i can remember is Wheat seducing that dude in ep 1, which was hilarious. I guess the show was just never “fun” for me. Technically sound sure, but not enjoyable. I also never cared for the downtime mechanic. Geoff slicing up some body parts is cool in theory but i felt it didn’t really need to be a part of the show, as it didnt progress the story.
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- Too late for EST
- If I’m not mistaken, its been over a month before this episode that there was an episode concerning the main plot. I don’t even now what’s happening now. The crew is now death cultists fighting the foghounds but I’m not sure why. A recap would be nice.
- Theory: There are less “tune in next time” moments in this series because the system is meant to wrap things up nicely every session. Great if you’re playing, maybe a downside for viewing.
- Anne was out today. So the plotline we’ve been working on with her was just dropped, making this feel like a filler episode in a TV series (IMO)
- Theory: less wacky hijinks in this show compared to all other rollplay shows. Maybe that’s where people who aren’t me find their entertainment value
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same here. I just fell asleep in the 2nd and 3rd show and since then I’m slowly catching up on YouTube.
Although I do have to say, it’s not catching me as much as the other running shows are. Not exactly sure why. The start was a bit rocky but I expected that with a new system and a new group of players, that shouldn’t be it. John Harper is also a really cool DM, so that’s not it.
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American: So late on a Tuesday night is rough. I usually have work in the morning, etc.
American working overnights. So I might as well be European. But I find that’s a problem viewing most streamers.
I personally don’t feel myself invested into that world too much so I felt myself losing interest after the first few episodes or so and even though I LOVE Wheat and Geoff I don’t think they are a good match with Anne and Zeke IMHO. Not really a fan of Zeke’s roleplaying either so it kinda drags it down a bit for me.
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Honestly, Blades is my favorite show of the current ongoing titles and is just as quickly taking a spot as a favorite for me amonst Swan Song and Legacy as favorite campaigns for the franchise overall. Part of the issue is that even for me on an eastern time zone, I have a hard time tuning in during those hours. More often than not, I watch the youtube vods as they air throughout the following week while I’m on my commute to/from work. I’ve never been a very big participant in the live viewing as shows happen, despite being a subscriber and patreon supporter. I just like watching the content at my own pace, independent of live schedules. I’m sure there are other people that prefer taking in the content in smaller doses throughout a prolonged period too, or just can’t afford the time to catch the live show when it airs.
That being said, please don’t cancel it! I’m enjoying the cast entirely too much, their dynamic together is incredible.
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This! I really love all Rollplay shows but living in Sweden I barely never watch any of the shows live but I usually watch the VODs whenever I’ve got the time, rarely later than a week after it airs. Would hate to see Blades end, it’s a really good show with great cast.
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Basically, I have nothing new to add to the topic. I can merely repeat, what others have overwhelmingly said before: I absolutely love this show. It is my favorite one in the current line-up and I like the setting, the rules system and the cast. I could drone on about it even more, but I think it’s best to keep short so you can summarize more easily.
Unfortunately, I don’t get to watch it live because I live in the CET (soon to be CEST) zone.
EDIT: I feel like I should mention that I also like the focus on storytelling and comparably (to other systems) quick solution of fighting situations.
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I’m with this guy. I feel like at times the show goes nowhere. Interesting Cast its just the system is a bit boring to me and the pacing sometimes feels like its stuck and doesn’t move at all.
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Hello, Itmejp
Pretty much the same as everyone it starts 1AM, i normally sleep the after noon and stay up for it and continue with to work (Thats how much i love the show) but i watch every vod.
its also the same for CoS pretty much, i don’t see it live mostly duo to timing and the show is not my type. i watched all of it though. love all shows but some less than others
Regards,
Echthroi
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