Comments on: This Time It’s Personal

By: John H

John H — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 12:57:55 +0000

The Disclosure Pledge is an awesome idea. Really wish other games companies would do that. For a start it’s really frustrating to be prevented by NDA to talk about a game you think is awesome but folks not on the playtest are jumping to bad conclusions about. But probably more importantly, the stuff coming out under the Pledge has turned me from “Dresden Files RPG might be interesting, but not a priority to buy” to “will preorder Dresden Files RPG cos it sounds totally awesome, maybe I should buy some of the novels to get up to speed on the background.”

By: [Shared]: More Adventures in Snobbery via Blisscovery | The Harping Monkey

[Shared]: More Adventures in Snobbery via Blisscovery | The Harping Monkey — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:58:03 +0000

[...] and Fred Hicks is just adding two gallons of fuel to this whole thing in terms of me pondering how my online persona (which I’m trying to make [...]

By: Priscellie

Priscellie — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:22:54 +0000

This post is excellent. It’s wonderful to see your community philosophy codified here. It’s motivating me to consider how I interact online, and ensure that I’m taking the most harmonious, happy-making approach in my activities on Jim’s forum and any other niches on the internet I frequent. You’ve formulated an excellent schema for making fans feel valued. I would know.

I love the Green Day analogy!

By: Mick Bradley

Mick Bradley — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 03:52:10 +0000

You make me wanna be a better … online person.

By: Daniel M. Perez

Daniel M. Perez — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 02:53:56 +0000

Fantastic post. I have heard you talk about this before, yes, but I never get tired of it, and I always learn something new that I can apply to how I handle personal and Highmoon Games business.

By: GameraSpinning

GameraSpinning — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 01:36:14 +0000

I think you’ve put down some seriously good advice here. I’m reminded of experiences in the past where I’d go to a convention and meet an author or artist I didn’t know, and after talking with them, and in some cases, eating with them, you get that warm-fuzzy feeling you were talking about because they’re no longer just “some person”. When you walk into a bookstore or a comic shop, and you see their work, you want to support it because that person is no longer just a faceless name. I think the advent of online social networks makes this experience even easier because they can not only tell you when they’re work is coming out, they can show you the process of how they create art, like Ben Templesmith or Dan Peterson or Jennifer Rodgers. We feel invested and involved, even if it’s just supporting the person making the cool stuff.

Thanks again for posting this!

By: Mike Holmes

Mike Holmes — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 01:00:52 +0000

Fred is so right on the NDA business, it’s just silly. An NDA disempowers those folks who are in the best position to authoritatively say whether or not the game is any good. They have more authority here than the designer does (since everybody will see the designer as necessarily biased). Why you wouldn’t want to empower them, or even oblige them as Fred has done, is beyond me.

This is basic management 101. Delegate and empower, and you get results.

Mike

By: Fred Hicks

Fred Hicks — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 23:04:57 +0000

Really I’m just trying to answer questions folks have asked me about community buildin’.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:32:41 +0000

Well, this isn’t a usual business situation, where maintaining the curtain of secrecy is advantageous, claiming “proprietary information.” It’s counter-intuitive, perhaps, but I think Fred’s whole raison d’etre here hinges on improving the entire landscape. If others – gamers, designers, anybody – follow some of these simple rules, Fred has elevated the “standard of gaming,” as it were, for everybody, and that’s a win-win. Am I wrong?

By: Scott

Scott — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:08:59 +0000

Your right of course. It was just weird reading it and knowing that not all people understand that ‘with great power comes great responsibility’… B-)

By: Fred Hicks

Fred Hicks — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:13:07 +0000

You know, it’s easy to read this and employ the advice and do it for completely mercenary reasons only. But that’s not the magic trick, really, that’s just capable sleight of hand. For the actual magic, you have to employ all this with absolutely genuine intent to *be* that peer, to *be* respectful — not just to act like it. If you’re not authentic in that regard, that will become apparent at some point. You’ve got to mean it and live it. I’m not sure I can teach that part; some days I feel like I’m still trying to manage it myself.

By: Scott

Scott — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:07:26 +0000

You know, at the beginning of this it was a bit like seeing the ‘trick’ behind the magician. Like where you learn how they saw the lady in half and what not. A little weird and deflating. Not because I didn’t know how this stuff works but I guess its strange having it pointed out and its you, me, etc that your talking about.

Anyway, this is powerful stuff. When you mentioned me by name I got goosebumps. Its like you said, for that moment your up on the stage playing away. Cool.

I know I do a lot of what I do because I know you guys appreciate it. Keep up the good work.