Wednesday 10 May 2017

With a Little Help from My Friends

I'm taking a quick break from your (ir)regular (not exactly) scheduled programme to talk a little bit about Always Board Never Boring as a product. Bear with me here, I'll try to keep it brief...

I started this blog back in 2012, with the intention of using it to catalogue my collection of out-of-production board games. Since then, I've expanded the remit considerably, and I've published articles on many new and old games. Recently I've ended up talking quite a lot about Games Workshop products and started introducing more articles relating to hobby aspects such as painting and miniature conversions.

In all this time, I have remained entirely self-funded, purchasing every single game I review. Unfortunately, the time and money involved means I've never been able to update the blog as much as I would like (it takes a day to write one of my reviews, and that doesn't take into account all the prep-work and note-taking that happens first). Additionally, I don't get to vary the blog content as much as I would like. For example, I occasionally receive requests to review certain games, but if it's not something I have (or was intending to buy) it's difficult for me to justify purchasing a game just to meet that request.

Of course, I've always done my best. In fact, regular readers (is there such a thing?) may have noticed a few things recently...

1. A little while back I gave the look of the blog a bit of an overhaul, intending to give it a clean appearance with minimal distractions. I want my articles to speak for themselves, after all.
2. I've been trying to put out at least one piece of new content every week. Two, if possible.
3. I've been working on improving my photography skills. I have recently invested in some (inexpensive) lighting and photography accessories to work on getting better close-up photographs for painting guides and board game components.
4. I killed all the adsense adverts, and instead started using an affiliate link for a UK-based games company that I shop with all the time. That means you don't get all those distracting, blinking ads all over the place, and if you do want to buy something I've reviewed, there's a handy-dandy link on articles to help you get it (when possible).

And then there's 5., which is the point of this post, and the moment where you realise this is actually just an open e-begging letter.

I've started a Patreon page.

Now before you click away in disgust, please hear me out.

First of all, I want to stress that my board game reviews are free. They're always going to be free. I didn't start Always Board Never Boring with the intention of making any money (which is just as well). If you read my work and enjoy it, and occasionally post a comment with your own opinions, that's all I ask for. I don't want anyone to feel obliged to do anything more than that.

However, without additional support, I can't run the blog the way I really want to.

Ultimately, I would like to be able to post one review and one hobby blog every week; but in order to do that I need some additional funds. Not even a lot of additional funds.

So, if you enjoy my work, and you would like to see me publishing it on a more regular basis, please consider kicking my a buck or two on Patreon. It would be a huge help. And if you become a patron for as little as $1 a month, you get access to exclusive video content you won't find here on the blog. It's my little way of saying, "Thanks."


Now, with that out of the way, all that's left is a quick sneak preview of the forthcoming reviews. First up will be Jim Henson's Labyrinth. After that (in no particular order), I have:

The Walking Dead: All Out War
Shadow War: Armageddon
Cluedo Super Sleuth
Treason in the Tower
Chronicles of Narnia: Risk Junior
Games Workshop battle mats

As always, thank you for reading. I really do appreciate you taking the time to stop by. Happy gaming.

4 comments:

  1. The Walking Dead: All Out War has made a good initial impression on me, since we like many of the same games you may enjoy it. I have enjoyed your comments on BGG, I post there as Fiveangels. Please keep up the good work.

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    1. Thanks. Unfortunately, I'm a bit torn about The Walking Dead, which is why I haven't written the review yet. I want to play it some more, just to be sure; but I have a lot of issues with it that are preventing me from liking it as much as I really want to.

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    2. I will be interested in hearing them, I have only played it twice so far solo, but being a fan of the comic and show I may be seeing it through tinted glasses

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  2. Hi mate, how about the idea of doing playthroughs/after action reports on some of your favourite games? That way you can still get some content out there but there's no mad dash to always come up with new games.

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