RollPlay: Blades Update 7/25

[itmeJP]

We wanted to give an update that wasn’t 140 characters regarding RollPlay: Blades:

We’ve been trying to schedule the next Blades episode now for almost a month, and at this point we feel like saying this is starting to sound like an empty promise. We’ve been trying to be more open with the community this past year, and you deserve full transparency for your support. Unfortunately, the only thing we can say is that some of the cast have been dealing with personal and family issues that prevent them from prioritizing and participating in the show.

As it stands, no episodes of Blades can be scheduled for the month of August. We want to give the show it’s end, but at this point, we are not sure when it will happen. With TwitchCon in October, Wheat’s schedule will start to pick up momentum again, and as we get deeper into convention season, the rest of the casts will as well.

We originally wanted to feature Blades as one of the next live shows, but because of these issues we aren’t able to commit to a date to host it. That said, we’ve already scheduled a live show for September, which we’ll be announcing soon (along with some much happier news).

We sincerely apologize to the community. We know we’re letting you guys down with this, and despite many of the cast trying to rearrange schedules and make things work, sometimes life throws curve balls that prevent us from doing what we set out to do. We’ve always tried to be consistent with the show and this year we’ve been nothing but. It will be a priority when we start casting our next longterm shows to request participation on a more consistent basis.

Finally, we appreciate your continued support. As we mentioned earlier, we’ll have a bunch of news very soon: new announcements for the Patreon, a fleshed-out calendar of events to fill in the gaps with Adam’s vacation during the month of August, and three dates to finish out our four live shows this year.

If you have any questions we’ll do our best to answer them in the comments below. Thanks again and see you on our next show.

[ProxyClouds]

As with all jobs people have bad days, sick days and vacation. Looking forward to see the rap up of Blades, whenever it ends!

[Appaomega]

Thanks for the update!
Looking forward to the news, and enjoying the CoS two-shot side story. Hope we get a look at the new table soon too!

If John is available, I’d be very interested in seeing a series Blades in the Dark hack Attacks, where he goes through a Blades hack with the hack designer.

[itmeJP]

@Appaomega

Thanks for the update!
Looking forward to the news, and enjoying the CoS two-shot side story. Hope we get a look at the new table soon too!

If John is available, I’d be very interested in seeing a series Blades in the Dark hack Attacks, where he goes through a Blades hack with the hack designer.

Should be getting delivered tomorrow. Think it comes in pieces, so will try and do something with it next week when I get home from St. Louis. I’m excited!

[itmeJP]

@Jabba_the_space_gangster

So…look I’ll just ask because I hate leaving this sort of thing hanging.

I know the answer will probably be, “We don’t know/don’t give up hope.”

But, is Blades over then? I know you guys want to give it a proper end, but…well we know how that sometimes goes.

So, is it over?

Probably? It’s up to the cast, really. I’m not willing to kill the show outright because I want it to get its end, but as the post said, myself and the cast don’t know when that will be.

And will anyone want to watch the end of a show after a month long, maybe more, hiatus? Probably not. The whole thing is extremely disappointing for everyone: me, the cast, and fans.

[Olf_Himself]

It always sucks when things like this happens, and it would be great if the show got it’s proper ending.
However, truth be told, for me the show’s irregular schedule throughout its run has put it low on my investment scale. I’ve always enjoyed it when I watch but honestly, I don’t even remember what happened in the last episode.
So, while it’s too bad for all the people who were really hyped for the conclusion, personally I would understand if you guys chose to just let it end as is.

[SlinkingGibbon]

JP you do a phenomenal job organising so many streamers to be present on multiple shows. I worked in multiple backstage roles in the entertainment industry and know how stressful it can be to coordinate things. When just one piece is missing it holds everyone else up and often, as the one organising it, you get the brunt of the blame despite the problem being out of your control. The Rollplay community is passionate for the product and unfortunately seems to be too often represented by those who want to complain and moan when a cancellation happens or scheduling isn’t possible. I guess I just wanted to say that there are many of us who really appreciate the escapism of your content, seeing another side to streamers’ personalities, being engaged in beautifully crafted narratives and laughing at the dumb shit that also happens. We appreciate your hard work and that of Adam and the rest of the Rollplay team and understand that sometimes shit happens. Thank you.

[itmeJP]

@SlinkingGibbon

JP you do a phenomenal job organising so many streamers to be present on multiple shows. I worked in multiple backstage roles in the entertainment industry and know how stressful it can be to coordinate things. When just one piece is missing it holds everyone else up and often, as the one organising it, you get the brunt of the blame despite the problem being out of your control. The Rollplay community is passionate for the product and unfortunately seems to be too often represented by those who want to complain and moan when a cancellation happens or scheduling isn’t possible. I guess I just wanted to say that there are many of us who really appreciate the escapism of your content, seeing another side to streamers’ personalities, being engaged in beautifully crafted narratives and laughing at the dumb shit that also happens. We appreciate your hard work and that of Adam and the rest of the Rollplay team and understand that sometimes shit happens. Thank you.

Thanks man, I appreciate it.

[boostgeek (Twitch: eyearcana)]

@Olf_Himself

However, truth be told, for me the show’s irregular schedule throughout its run has put it low on my investment scale.

Same for me, I lost interest after it didn’t have a consistent schedule. I would understand if it were just dropped.

[itmeJP]

@Jabba_the_space_gangster

How does that work? In general.

Just from a streaming side, like do you incentivise it in any way? Or just like don’t cast people that can’t easily commit to the schedule?

I don’t know. I’ve kind of learned over the years who has hectic schedules and who doesn’t. I figured when we transitioned into a business it would get treated as such by everyone, but I think a lot of people can’t prioritize the show the way I do (for good reason).

At the end of the day, having content creators who aren’t committed to a ton of things is probably the best path to take. I’m still learning every day though so who knows. It is pretty impressive to watch other brands be consistent on a weekly basis though. I don’t know how they do it.

@boostgeek

Same for me, I lost interest after it didn’t have a consistent schedule. I would understand if it were just dropped.

I think a lot of people did and it probably was a major contributor the decline in viewership over the course of the show.

[Appaomega]

For what it’s worth, I enjoyed Blades and think a Finale episode would be awesome whenever it becomes possible.

[Landwaker]

Oof, was holding out hope for the live show but appreciate the candor. Hope the personal issues are resolved as best they can be, and that we see these folks in future shows as they created great characters and moments here.

[Olf_Himself]

@Landwaker

and that we see these folks in future shows as they created great characters and moments here.

Agreed. I still think Zeke and Anne had one of the best scenes in any Rollplay show.
I hope they all at least come back as players in One Shots.

[boostgeek (Twitch: eyearcana)]

@itmeJP

At the end of the day, having content creators who aren’t committed to a ton of things is probably the best path to take. I’m still learning every day though so who knows. It is pretty impressive to watch other brands be consistent on a weekly basis though. I don’t know how they do it.

I don’t envy your position. You’re also friends with a lot of these people so it must be super awkward to say “dude be professional”. I know the other person didn’t work out but a scheduler could kind of take some of that awkwardness away and crack that whip. I also think you’re right on with picking out those super reliable people. I’m sure you’re already doing it but when you reach out to them tell them hey we’re looking to do 48 shows in a year, here is the schedule, look at it now and let’s go through the dates to get it locked in. Even something as dumb as sending calendar invites for all the shows might force some people. I really don’t know I’m just some guy looking in from the outside. All I can say is we know you’re trying to do your best and I think you’re smart enough to learn from every show. You clearly have the best quality shows on the internet, you just need that consistency to push it over the top. You really should be getting higher viewers for how good the content is. Okay enough rambling.

[Spools_]

A knee-jerk reaction to prevent future situations like this might be to enforce some kind of contractual agreement with players/DMs. While that might be effective at keeping shows consistent, I fear it could also drain them of the passion that participants express. Forcing regularity at the expense of good shows doesn’t seem like a good trade off to me.
Maybe the answer is shorter, higher intensity “seasons”.
All said, Rollplay is a great thing and while it sucks that one show is having a not great experience I don’t think it reflects negatively on the entirety of the project. There’s always going to be some highs and lows.
All the best to the players and thanks JP for fighting to make it work.
<3

[AbyssionKnight]

I disagree that people wouldn’t be willing to wait a month or more for a show. Not only have we done it in the past, but think about TV shows. You wait anywhere from 6 months to a year for a new season of a show, sometimes longer, and usually the interest is still there when the show comes back.

I understand the decision to axe the show, but think you’re entirely off base when it comes to people’s patience and dedication to shows they enjoy. Would you get a smaller turn out than normal? Of course. If you had been able to schedule a show or two for August you still would have gotten a smaller turn out, though I don’t think that’s from a lack of interest, so much as peoples inability to check learn the shows schedule / check your site schedule (regulars still ask how much of CoS they’ve missed when arriving late, despite it being the same day and time since its inception).

[Drumurboy]

Are short “origin” arcs a way to go here?

Similar to what Swan Song Stories was but more as a look into the past of the characters.

I’d be stoked to learn / explore characters pasts in a small 2 - 3 session arc kinda like the Aldo, Rune and Canter flashback, but more single character spotlight style.

I don’t know how blades operates in a 3 player environment (2 PC’s and a GM) but that could alleviate some schedule conflicts in the time between full episodes.

[boeiee]

Geoff and zeke are some of the people with the most commitments though so it might not be the ideal cast to have both on any show together.

[Aquila_21]

Geoff doesn’t have too many commitments outside of the few weeks out of the year he goes to cast a tournament, neither does Zeke really apart from cons which is true for Wheat as well. Wheat is the one with the most commitments it seems to me (full time job that requires a fair bit of overtime and travel + a kid) with the caveat that I have no idea what John Harper’s schedule is like. Which sucks because I really love Wheat as a roleplayer.

[AnneMunition]

It’s up to JP but I am definitely up for participating in more one-shots, guest spots, and/or long-term shows (which I’m sure he knows).