Blog Monetization Update

It has been about seven years since I chose to allow advertisements to be shown on the blog. This was never expected to provide any real income and was merely an experiment to see how it would perform. 

I disallowed subjects like Politics, Religion, and Porn from running ads since the site is relatively open to all viewers with minor exceptions. I also don't agree with some of the advertisers that would have been pushing their ideals.

You may be asking (though likely not) "how did it do?" The short answer is so far, over seven years it has earned a whopping $8.88, enough for a big name coffee chain latte. 

So why keep monetizing the site? You never know when I might be craving an overly expensive yet sub-par coffee with weird names. That, and I am really curious about ways to generate more views worthy of earning a penny now and then. So far, the ads don't seem to be hurting anything.

There's always the possibility that one day this blog might even pay for a game book or set of dice. 

Vornheim Gets Boned - cue bad porn music

The Ennie Awards are coming up at GenCon in early August and the nominations have been posted at EN World. This is something that has been going on yearly now for some time. It is a good thing since it is fan based and not an industry blown horn, however this year I can say I honestly feel a bit confused by where one producted ended up in the nominations, and I'm not alone in that thinking.

Jeff Rient's mentioned this on his blog earlier today and I feel it is only right to point and say . . .

It's okay Jeff, you aren't the only person of the opinion that Vornheim should have had better than an Honorable mention in the Ennie's category it was participating in.

Best Aid/Accessory

• D&D Essentials: Dungeon Tiles Master Set – The Dungeon (Wizards of the Coast)
• Eclipse Phase Gamemaster Pack (Posthuman Studios)
• Gaming Paper Adventure Maps (Gaming Paper)
• Hero Lab (Lone Wolf Development)
• The Unspeakable Oath (Arc Dream Publishing)
• Honorable Mention: Vornheim: The Complete City Kit (Lamentations of the Flame Princess)

Each of the products has its value and fanbase, but let's face it, Vornheim has a greater re-usability value for any fantasy setting than the Gaming Paper Adventure Maps. In fact if you consider that it isn't shoe-horned into a single system or only a few systems and/or editions, it beats every entry on the list.

For those that don't know, Vornheim is the brain-child of Zak S. of the blog Playing D&D With Porn Stars (warning: occasional adult content because yes, he and his players are in the adult entertainment industry).

Having seen some of Zak's creative genius on his blog and having read a number of positive reviews, I bought a copy of the book and I'm glad I did. It is a work of art, brilliant in how useful it is.

Ok, so it looks a bit odd and might be confusing if you don't take the time to read how to use it while trying to do so, but once you do you will GET IT. With grokking this book comes the understanding of how incredibly useful and nearly indispensible it will become as part of your DMing arsenal.

Don't get me wrong, a tip of the hat goes to everyone nominated in the category because they are good products, just nowhere near as innovative as Vornheim.