Successful Story Hours - a simple analysis (raised from the thread)

gfunk said:
You have to keep notes, trim aspects of the game that readers would find boring, and be able to write in a creative and compelling manner. Why would anyone go through the effort if not for the accolades of his fellow gamers?
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I know that (contact) originally wrote his ToEE2 summary long before there was a story hour forum, and Sagiro started keeping game logs from Day One of the campaign (although these were mostly factual, so they needed to be spiffed up when he started posting them three years later.) In those cases, the authors kept track of things for the use of the players.

As my game got more complicated, I had to do the same thing. That makes mine really useful for my game (my main goal, along with giving people a place to steal ideas from) but causes long adventures to be things less accessible, as megamania correctly pointed out. I think Sepulchrave and Nemmerle (amongst others) have dealt with this by starting new "easy in!" chapters in new threads. My only advantage is that my campaign has been going for a really long time. That doesn't mean that it's better than others (nor do I think it is), it just means that I enjoy writing the sucker. After 450 pages, I damn well better like the process of writing, or I've wasted a lot of time. It's certainly made me a better DM, because I've learned a lot about pacing and drama in the process.

Also - when you like someone's story, post and let them know! If you post in other people's stories, they're more likely to read yours, too. Different styles of writing and campaign appeal to different people, but I think people tend to gradually find an audience that fits the style of their game.
 
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Didn't mean to have it come across as being pissy (though I see how it did). During work I thought about this and had come to the same conclusion Silver Moon has since pointed out. My stuff is not "standard" DnD. It's not that I don't like it or the such but I thought a niche was there to write about it.

Based on the ratios pointed out before, I have roughly a 100 checkins to each segment added in. I'm aware of roughly 30 readers whom checked on it when I could update 3-4 times a week. Now, by working 65-75 hours a week, I don't have the raw time to update like that anymore.

This fact has been bothering me a lot lately. I enjoy doing the Darksun story and missed it greatly. When this thread came up, it struck a nerve for some reason.

I apoligize.

I'm sure he ment well but it seemed to point out that I couldn't keep with it and if one dosen't keep with it then it quickly becomes forgotten. I came to a recent but hard decision on Strikeforce: Morituri. I can't keep up with it. I had to chose what to do and it lost.

I hate to admit defeat on something involving creativity and imagination but I had to. I liked the idea of mixing SCI-FI with DnD and then giving it spiffy little tweaks. Perhaps I'll try to pick up again. Afterall- The Captain still has to save the multiverse starting with the Brute.

Anyway....enough. I again apolize for hi-jacking this thread to rant, rave and bemoan myself.
 

Don't sweat it. Writing a story hour is in a lot of ways a pain in the ass; it's hard, it takes a long time, and I know I'm not always happy with the result. How you've done three I have no idea; I couldn't keep up with more than one.

Megamania, have you considered asking a player if they'll help contribute ?
 

Piratecat said:
Don't sweat it. Writing a story hour is in a lot of ways a pain in the ass; it's hard, it takes a long time, and I know I'm not always happy with the result. How you've done three I have no idea; I couldn't keep up with more than one.

Megamania, have you considered asking a player if they'll help contribute ?
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I have two Story Hours going and one PbP.

In both cases for the Storyhour, I am running it "solo" meaning I have written up characters complete with powers and abilities. Then I run the story and roll it out with role playing in mind. Then I write it down as a true story.

Sometimes those darn crits cause me to think quick on my feet but it's part of what I enjoy. I love Darksun and wish someone would return it to published form in 3e. But until I win the lottery, I don't see that happening :D

So I don't have anyone to "share" the burden with and thus why sometimes I get a little rattled trying to do these.

I still want to do Strikeforce: Morituri because it has awesome potencial. Especially with Christy. A cursed cleric from Ravenloft. Every time she enters another "alternate universe" of Ravenloft she mets her mother. Sometimes they stay with her. It's something I hinted at but haven't said directly in the storyhour. Her armor and weapon are both intelligent...with Mother (strict one and is the weapon) and Mom (worried and protective (the armor) and finally Momma whom is her cat. The cat has many secrets of it's own as it was once a familiar of a powerful mage.

some day.... :(
 

Banewarrens d20 ....25 views per post

but i think that may just be me. i come to this site via a link to my story hour. :D
 

Like the thread says, it's just a simple analysis. I wouldn't read too much into it. At the time that I did it, I was simply curious as to how my SH was doing against others. It was the only means by which I had available. So, take it for what you want. It's certainly not scientific by any means.
 

A diffrent way to tell if a Storyhour is pouplar.

Number of views divided by the number of days which have pased since the thread started.

  1. Piratecat's Updated Story Hour! Piratecat 647
  2. The Mésalliance. Part 1. Sepulchrave II 220
  3. Sagiro's Story Hour Returns Sagiro 119
  4. Sins of Our Fathers Destan 94
  5. JollyDoc's Shackled City JollyDoc 61
  6. The Liberation of Tenh (contact) 54
  7. Poll: DarkMatter D20: Drunk Southern Girls with Guns, Zombie Toddlers ... jonrog1 48
  8. Medallions d20 Modern Old Drew Id 47
  9. Pogre's New Story Hour with Mini pics pogre 43
  10. Metamorphosis - From Dretch to Demon Lord BLACKDIRGE 41
  11. Poll: The Shackled City II: "Flood Season" Lazybones 41
  12. Wizardru's Story Hour (updated 11/24) Zad 38
  13. [d20M] League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Wulf Ratbane 36
  14. Banewarrens d20 $17.95 diaglo 29
  15. Poll: Against the Shadows VII - A Faded Glory Story Hour Old One 20
  16. In Hextor's Name (aka Gnorric's Journal) Capellan 20
  17. Copperheads: Look Whose Coming To Dinner arwink 18
  18. The Risen Goddess (Updated 11.21.03) (contact) 18
  19. Company of the Random Encounter Capellan 17
  20. KidCthulhu's Scarred Land story hour Piratecat 14
  21. Struggle and Strife- A scarred lands storyhour Lars Frehse 13
  22. Carnifex's Story Hour (Updated November 21st, 'Asking the Question') Carnifex 11
  23. Return to the Tomb of Horrors finally gets a Story Hour! James McMurray 10
  24. [OA/FR] Rokugan Black Omega 9
  25. Milo Windby's Collected Story Hour Milo Windby 8
 

Interesting metric. Like any other, it tells you what it tells you but the thing is to know that it's not telling you what it's not telling you. We call our story hour the "Lurker's Choice" because we had a lot of views but not a lot of posts. That's changed a little recently but still seems to hold true mostly.

In the end it's just about the ones you like reading. But it's interesting to see what others are reading. Unfortunatly things like message board moves and story hour splits will throw off the statistics.

Edit: Rigur's metric is also interetsting (posted as I was posting my comment.) It seems to neutralize out the post factor. I'm embarassed to admit it, but I track this myself for my story, ever since I saw us building up thousands of hits. It's a pretty steady linear increase which seems to imply that once you have a fan they keep reading each week.
 
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The one thing I think all this really shows is how much a few readers' posts can mean to a Story Hour author.

I know that for myself, one complimentary post from somebody can absolutely make my whole week. And when I put up a new post and nobody comments, it's a little discouraging, for sure.

But like a number of folks have said -- I write for myself. I write because I have to -- writing stories is like breathing to me, I just do it constantly and my Story Hours (did I mention there's one that has the words "Wild Stewardesses" in the title? :D ) are one avenue I make use of. I'll be writing them even if NOBODY'S reading.

But it sure makes me feel good when somebody posts "Hey, this rocks! Thanks!".

The lesson there is for those of us who READ a Story Hour -- we should keep in mind how much encouragement a single comment can be.
 

I'd just like to pop in long enough to agree totally with Barsoomcore. Sure, view-count is nice, but for all I know people read the first paragraph and said "eh, nothing special" and browsed elsewhere. Not that there's anything wrong with that of course. But the occasional nice comment just gives me lots of warm fuzzies!
 

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