Time for Another Talk About Peace and Prosperity.

It has recently come to my attention on YouTube again that people are hostile.

Okay. I get it. It’s the Internet. That place where people go to hide behind their camera on YouTube and other social media just to be absolute 🦆🦆holes to one another. Yet, I am disappointed to no end with these clowns.

Disclaimer: Statements expressed in this article are strictly my opinion. If you disagree or have a different opinion, that’s okay. I’m not an expert on everything. I’m not always right. I’m just writing from my experience as I know it. Your mileage may vary.

There are good ones, though. I run into them daily. Yeah, I’m a bit of a YouTube junkie. I prefer watching certain types of content. That’s great. I’m a little leery of shouting them out because I don’t want to draw negative heat to those channels.

I seem to have picked up a barnacle of sorts.

My YouTube channel trailer has been deleted. It may not be coming back. I’ve been watching a lot of How-To videos on the subject of running a YouTube channel. I’m coming to the rapid conclusion I’ve been doing things all wrong with YouTube and maybe blogging actually. (*Yes, I know my YouTube efforts have been rather lackluster.)

Speaking of YouTube, sometimes I comment on peoples’ videos. Again, I won’t say exactly who and they should be grateful I don’t draw any unwanted attention to their channels. I’ve had to go through and delete several comments as of late. It seems I have a bit of a, umm, somewhat of a watcher. I don’t want to say, “stalker” because it’s not like someone is out in my bushes at night as far as I know.

If you’re out in my bushes late at night, just wave at Homeland and anyone else who happens to be out there. I’m getting a regular fan club. I’ve threatened to sleep out on the front lawn so everyone knows where to find me. The ETs still refuse to come and get me. Kinda disappointing.

But my newest YouTube subscriber seems to have found my channel after I made a vague comment on someone else’s video. I guess dude must have thought I was talking about him, because all of the sudden I gained a subscriber. As far as I can tell, there’s no way to remove a YouTube subscriber. I can only imagine this person is waiting for me to make a video so he can put it on his channel and just tear it to pieces.

TTRPG YouTube is a sad state of affairs on the one end.

The toxicity of certain YouTubers bleeds over onto other parts of the hobby. I think it’s disgusting. My humble blog here has even been put on blast by the same YouTuber that said, “No one reads your blog, anyway.”

I used to be a very negative dude. I used to get angry over little things and enraged over major things. Then I started my spiritual journey. Now I do my best to stay in a higher vibration.

Negativity is on the low end. I want to be on the high end. The Universe responds to positives. The Universe doesn’t understand “no.” The Universe understands, I want more of whatever it is I said I didn’t want. (*Apologies. I know it’s a little esoteric.)

Saying, “I hate being broke all the time,” is like telling the Universe, “I’m in a state of lack and I want to stay here. Please give me more lack.” Negativity drags us down. Toxic Positivity also drags us down, but that’s a completely different topic.

How does this apply to TTRPG YouTube? Following the above model, everything- and I mean everything is on a continuum. Everything is part of a spectrum of energy. In any given moment we choose where we want to fall on that spectrum. We have people on TTRPG YouTube who fall wayyy down the negative end of things. We also have some young, vibrant, newer YouTubers who are full of awesome on the positive end.

I stand before you a conflicted human being.

Part of me wants to slip back into that old, incredibly negative energy. I want to put on that 50 Cent, Eminem, D12, G-Unit music and just rail on this guy. Part of me wants to go on a social crusade to get this guy shut down on social media. I want to make videos putting this chump on blast every time he opens his mouth. I want to tell everyone I meet, “Don’t subscribe to this guy’s channel. He’s…”

That’s not why I’m here, though. That’s not why I want to do YouTube. Simply put, that reality sucks. We ain’t going there. There is a much better, much more uplifting road to follow.

OR to say it positively, I’m here for much more than putting someone on blast constantly. I want to be dealing in things that bring us all joy. I’d rather be talking about ICONS, Power Rangers, Shadowdark, or my most recent obsession- Dragonbane. This summer we’re going to talk about a whole bunch of Free League games, too.  I want to get my groove on. Let’s have some fun.

So now I have this proverbial barnacle on my butt that I seemingly can’t shake off. I want to put up my Dragonbane review video. I want to drop some shorts on how cool Dragonbane is. I want to say, “Hey! Check this cool thing out!” However, I know what’s probably going to happen.

Negativity- no thank you. That’s not part of my belief system. If I want to make a “satirical” video about myself, I’d do it. I’m fallible. I can be humorous, I think. But I’ll be damned if I’m putting myself on blast for a few cheap clicks.

Here’s what I’m trying to accomplish:

I’m trying to build a brand both here on my blog and on YouTube. I’m working on a positive image. I eventually want to sell my work associated with whichever openly licensed product. I want people to say, “Hey, Jeff’s a pretty okay guy. I think he’s onto something here.”

I truly intend to get to a point where I can do well for myself and then lift others up with me. I want to be able to hire artists, editors, and maybe do some advertising. I have to shift into that reality and live there every day, though.

Do I think I’m going to make $1,500 per day blogging? Probably not. Do I believe in miracles? Yes. Do I think the site could at least monetize well enough to pay for my upgrade? Absolutely.

I’ve got some ideas for courses and maybe a book about Game Mastering. We’re on our way to doing that. I’m on my way to writing adventures, creating magic items, making new spells, building new worlds, reviewing games, and making videos. There could even be a book to go with all of it.

Positivity builds empires. Lifting each other up creates prosperity. Treating one another with respect and kindness elevates the vibration for the whole planet, but I get that’s not a discussion some people are ready for just yet.

There is not one single take on roleplaying that is better than someone else’s.

There is no  ultimate authority on how a TableTop RolePlaying Game is supposed to work. There is no expert out there who can say they have it all figured out. I’ve been around for 80% of this hobby’s lifespan and I still learn new things all the time. Every Game Master and Player is different.

The idea of a “superior” roleplayer, game designer, or GM is pure fallacy. I mean, I have parts of our #ttrpgfamily that I don’t always agree with, but I still respect their opinion. What works for one gamer or table, might not work for everyone’s. We have that discussion every time I try to change up Thanksgiving dinner around here. One person’s Ramen is someone else’s delicacy.

I know I’m not the catalyst of epiphany. My detractors aren’t going to read my words or watch my videos and have a massive change of heart overnight. If my reviews are enough to sell even one more copy of a game, then I’m overjoyed. Prosperity breeds more prosperity if done with kindness for the greater good. Joy can create more joy if we choose it. I choose to talk about the good things as much as I can.

Back to his uncomfortable boil on the butt of the TTRPG hobby for a moment.

I ran across this new YouTube subscriber I mentioned earlier on a day that I should have been absolutely filled with joy. Personally, I believe the Universe puts tests in front of us. These tests are usually challenges meant to be faced right before truly wonderful things manifest in our lives. It’s like the Universe is asking, “Can you maintain your high vibration even if this happens?” (Whatever “this” adverse circumstance is.)

Well, that’s what I think is happening. I know, because time is relative, that I have manifested a new era of prosperity for myself. (*I know this is pretty woo-woo for many people.) I think the Universe has placed this one obstacle in my path to test how I will react. Okay. Here we are. In this now moment I choose to remain calm.

Fun.

The TableTop RolePlaying Game hobby is about having fun. If that’s too much to handle, then I hear macrame is pretty cool. The TTRPG hobby is not all about tearing one another apart in some bizarre quest for intellectual and sociopolitical superiority. We’re here to enjoy good times with friends.

If going on YouTube and talking mad trash about someone else’s game or how they run their game session is your idea of fun, maybe it’s time to take a step back. I get that trash talking other people can be fun for some of us. Personally, I don’t think that’s healthy  for the hobby or the community and maybe there are better ways to have fun. If tearing others apart is your idea of fun, maybe it’s time to do some inward reflection of your own.

I think it’s better to promote one’s own creations or even someone else’s. Maybe show what you think is fun instead of just trash talking everyone else for doing what they do. Is it possible that the act of creation could be more enjoyable and more esoterically profitable than tearing others down? I think so.

Making a 40 minute long video talking about how someone’s 12 minute long video is wrong and they’re a “crap roleplayer” is not my idea of fun. Making a 12 minute long video about how GMs might be able to add value to how they run the game is my idea of fun. Each one teach one, right?

How do we resolve this conflict?

I get the hypocrisy of what I’m saying. I’m all love-and-light on one hand and eff-this-carbuncle on the other. I know nothing I say is going to change this other person’s mind no matter what. It is what it is <cringe.> Unfortunately I have to leave it at agree to disagree and hope that I personally learn a lesson from this.

The Universe doesn’t punish. It teaches. What can I come away from this conflict knowing? How can I improve? There’s no he won, and I lost here. There’s only acceptance that eventually it all comes back to a singular consciousness. As Neville Goddard explains, everyone is us pushed out. I just have to accept it and move on. Things will work out for me. They always do.

Tomorrow we go back to Dragonbane.

This blog and eventually my YouTube channel are about celebrating the TableTop RolePlaying Game hobby. Running games, writing about games, talking about them, and even designing them brings me incalculable joy. It’s just what I do. It’s part of who I am.

Tomorrow we will be back into the Dragonbane review. I’m currently popping out six characters. (*Turns out I do “solo” gaming a lot differently than everyone else, too.) I’m absolutely loving the game system, the mechanics, the characters, and I have oh so much to talk about with Dragonbane. I think Europe really does TTRPGs differently than we do in the USA much like boardgames. (*Germany figured out boardgames decades ago. Knizia… )

This probably won’t be the last one of these discussions about TTRPG YouTube. Much like other topics in the hobby, this sort of thing rears its ugly head from time to time. I talk about it because it does factor into my enjoyment of the hobby sometimes. (*I know I don’t  get out much.) Until then, let’s go have some fun with the TTRPG hobby. Leave the trashy end of the TTRPG YouTube spectrum where we found it.

*Editor Jeff here: This article has been a conflicted, bumpy ride for me. I still don’t think I have it all sorted out the way I would maybe like. Maybe writing about it helps me walk through some of those feelings and thoughts. If I have provided any value to anyone going through similar struggles, then mission accomplished.

Thank you for being here today with me. I appreciate you. Please embrace the things that bring you the most joy.