Until recently the indie RPG community has manifested to the general public as just a tiny cluster of packed-to-the-gills and hard-to-fund booths at a much larger annual summer game convention. It's an economic situation that makes us very fierce. But if you haven't been to this show or if you haven't been to a specific small handful of online community sites, you'd never know we exist.
Those of us who've started to metastasize to other shows, who've worked with indie comics artists on our books, and who've been to your shows are excited to be connecting with you. We think the indie RPG community could learn a lot from the way comics folks operate as a community and do your shows.
Comics folks maintain their creative vitality by forming up into projects, splintering off into side projects, and doing special event projects. You recognize that a creative identity is about both independence and finding shared purposes. And your shows, and your fans support this with enthusiasm. The indie RPG community has a lot more in common with you all than we do with the paradigms of the established RPG publishing industry.
And maybe there's something to learn from our fierce, tight community mojo. I can't say I've seen online communities of aspiring comics creators that are like the indie RPG community sites, with participating indie comics publishers giving advice to aspiring writers and artists and self-publishers, and folks cross promoting their books. (Tell me what's out there that I'm not seeing.)
Anyway, we're excited about having this conversation. Stop by table #52 on March 7th and say hello.
Paul
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