Thanks folks. Feel free to register on Wikipedia and make the edits yourself, or I will get round to it... eventually... my time is pretty full at the moment (writing up my PhD thesis!)
obsidianportal.com was first registered in September 2006.
"https://vimeo.com/47860491":How Technology is Changing RPGs - GenCon 2012
"http://geekout.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/09/wizards-of-the-coasts-announces-new-edition-of-dungeons-and-dragons/":DreadGazibo quoted in an article about the new edition of D&D
"http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/interview-micah-wedemeyer-obsidian-portal/":Interview with Micah Wedemeyer
"http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/interview-ed-healy/":Interview with Ed Healy
Does anyone remember (or better yet have links to) a print review of Obsidian portal?
there is an active (I assume) RPG for Wikipedia group already in existence. I have just left a message asking them to consider including "electronic and online support for RPGs" as a section on their page, and left a link to my rough draft as an example
OK, I think I have taken this Wikipedia entry as far as I can - if there is more information, awards, history or news to be added, I think someone more knowledgeable than I needs to tackle the topic. I may be skating to the boundaries of what will be accepted as a description of the service by including what little information i have from Alex_redeye's excellent review of the service.
As a side note, the growth of electronic support media (online and off) for table top games is a topic not well served in Wikipedia. I have placed a note in the 'project:role-playing games' user group to expand this as a category on the existing RP entries. If this were adopted and populated properly (my next project after I finish my uni work perhaps?) a bundle of changes that created multiple pages for independent gaming services would arguably be less likely to flag as an advertisement rather than an encyclopedic entry.
To save you scrolling up "here is the link":https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draft:Obsidian_Portal again
it was nice to do, and I have a better insight to how Wikipedia works as well.
we could try and get this posted up as is, or we can hang fire a little longer.
I'm all for trying to get the entry in in place straight way, but it could arguably be strengthened in several ways:-
1) create other entries for other platforms (roll20 etc) so that it becomes an article about electronic/online support for RPGs and so seems less like an advertisement for OP (which is one of the few forbidden things in WP from what I have read)
2) improve the content of what is already written so that it can be of possible use to others (at the moment its utility is limited to satisfying curiosity!) for example:- number of users, number of campaign web sites (Active Vs Passive?), google analytic data of average traffic
I think that both suggestions hold considerable merit, and the first can still be done in a way that retains focus on OP but highlights accompanying tools used by the OP community in conjunction with OP.
I dont use any other online platforms for my games; if anyone else has insight to roll20 or other platforms, please register and add in an entry. if you want to use the OP draft page, there is a 'talk' tab where you can place whatever information or suggestions you feel like contributiong
I've made an attempt at fleshing out the points in the entry, with a slight reorganization, and I added in the Haste podcast and the Campaign of the Month/Year. I'd be happy if you'd take a look.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draft:Obsidian_Portal
I added a placeholder sentence: “Obsidian Portal currently supports x players and GMs, from y countries, playing in z campaigns.” Alex, is there any way to find out this information? I feel that it would be something that wikipedia readers would be interested to know, but even more importantly I think it could show Mr. Dickman the extent of the community, and why there’s a viable need for an OP entry.
One thing I did take out: “One of the first blogs Micah wrote on about was the now defunct 'Midnight oil' blog.” I couldn’t find anything about the blog, and it wasn’t mentioned in the interview footnoted. I wasn’t sure, from this sentence alone, what the relevance or impact of the blog posts were. If someone has insight into it or a link to the blog, we can reinstate it.
In fleshing out the Kickstarter statement, I added this: “The campaign was labelled 'Obsidian Portal Reforged,' and its goal was to revamp the existing site and add additional features. Many of the goals have been met, and development is underway for the remaining ones.” It was an attempt to strike a balance between noting that the deadlines for the KS are long past due and the huge efforts over the last month on the part of the developers, Alex, and many OPers. I’d welcome any better phrasing.
I'd like to talk over the paragraph on personnel. I do feel it's a part of the history, and would like to keep the reference to DreadGazebo, since he's been an important part of OP experience for so long. (Thanks, DreadGazebo!) But the paragraph as it stands seems to get more into the weeds of OP than might be appropriate for the casual Wikipedia browser. And also, it is likely incomplete. Micah spoke of “a team of designers and programmers” on the KS page; should they be mentioned? (and named, as Travis is?) What about the new Kaleidoscope team -- should they be mentioned as well? If so, who? (So far I've seen a message from an Andrew and a "Kevin, CEO," but I have no idea what the Kaleidoscope organization chart looks like, or who is involved with or invested in OP. Are the designers Alex talks to Micah's original designers or ones that Kaleidoscope brought in?) -You see what I mean about getting into the weeds. What do you all think?
I have no personal stake in any of these revisions, and would be happy with any modifications anyone would like to make, or a complete reversion to the original. They're all suggestions.
many thanks gairim, its appreciated and the whole thing does 'scan' better now
Im still a little concerned that we may be rejected for creating an article that is more an advertisement rather than a neutral encyclopedic entry... but as I said before i am happy to submit at any time and get feed back from WP about what needs changing :)
I very much agree with the "...x players and GMs, from y countries, playing in z ..." line. It makes the article actually useful to people doing generic research on games and you are right that it will help to add weight to the argument that OP needs an entry (assuming those numbers are big enough!)
I would love for this article to be the seed that grows in to a section or collection of entries in WP on electronic/online support for RPGs, as that is an area in need of work at the moment... sadly I dont have the knowledge to write this myself
Well, at the moment I don't think I can get the countries, but I can tell you this if it helps:
We support a total of 208581 members as of this posting (that numbers grows on essentially a daily basis) with a total of 94009 campaigns created on the platform (this is not indicative of what ones are active or even really have content on them, and the number grows daily as well). We also currently support 256 game systems (by having them selectable in our listings, again this number does change over time).
I wouldn't even necessarily limit it to the last month, as there are campaigns that may only play once a month and not necessarily be updated in the interim. But it would be nice if they would auto-flag to On Hiatus or something after enough months of inactivity (not counting someone favoriting/becoming a fan of the campaign).
so we have been rejected the first time, but Im very pleased to learn its not for being too focused on a single service (and so open to accusations of being an advert rather than an encyclopedic entry)
the reason given for the rejection was
"This is a start but still needs any more available sources overall."
so I read that as "we need more/better references"; but I will double check that is the correct interpretation.
Most if not all of the references available come from the internet, and there are no solid printed, peer-reviewed references to back up the article. has there ever been a serious newspaper or magazine publication that has ever reviewed OP? has anyone out there ever done a thesis, dissertation or a journal article on RPGs that includes information on or from OP? Also in the UK limited companies have an obligation to publish financial data - I assume something similar applies to OP?
any and all suggestions and and help in providing robust references for the page would be most welcolme
I didn't realise it would be so difficult to set up a page and I'm afraid I am at a loss to where we might find some of the types of articles that seem to be required. Hopefully some other members may have a few ideas and further references.
twigs
"I met a traveller from an antique land....."
CotM May 2016: Mysteria: set in Wolfgang Baur’s MIDGARD.
Previous CotM Aug 2012: Shimring: High Level Multiplanar Campaign
I remember there have been a few reviews from other sites in the past. A quick search of one I remembered turned up "this post":http://geekdad.com/2015/01/obsidian-portal-campaign-wiki/ from GeekDad. I also found "this":http://roleplayingtips.com/articles/reviews/obsidianportal-epicwords-mydndgame-compared.html, but I'm not all that sure how useful that one is.
If I find or remember any more, I'll post them up here.
Comments
-bort
"Morwind":https://morwindl.obsidianportal.com
Campaign of the Year - 2018
"https://vimeo.com/47860491":How Technology is Changing RPGs - GenCon 2012
"http://geekout.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/09/wizards-of-the-coasts-announces-new-edition-of-dungeons-and-dragons/":DreadGazibo quoted in an article about the new edition of D&D
"http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/interview-micah-wedemeyer-obsidian-portal/":Interview with Micah Wedemeyer
"http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/interview-ed-healy/":Interview with Ed Healy
Does anyone remember (or better yet have links to) a print review of Obsidian portal?
Signs & Portends, Dwarves of Lost Koldukar, In a certain realm
here is the link to the RPG group on Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Role-playing_games#Online_and_electronic_support_for_RPGs
As a side note, the growth of electronic support media (online and off) for table top games is a topic not well served in Wikipedia. I have placed a note in the 'project:role-playing games' user group to expand this as a category on the existing RP entries. If this were adopted and populated properly (my next project after I finish my uni work perhaps?) a bundle of changes that created multiple pages for independent gaming services would arguably be less likely to flag as an advertisement rather than an encyclopedic entry.
To save you scrolling up "here is the link":https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draft:Obsidian_Portal again
That is a great start!
twigs
"I met a traveller from an antique land....."
CotM May 2016: Mysteria: set in Wolfgang Baur’s MIDGARD.
Previous CotM Aug 2012: Shimring: High Level Multiplanar Campaign
Inner Council Member
There is no way I can put that kind of detail in place.
Just trying to help out.
we could try and get this posted up as is, or we can hang fire a little longer.
I'm all for trying to get the entry in in place straight way, but it could arguably be strengthened in several ways:-
1) create other entries for other platforms (roll20 etc) so that it becomes an article about electronic/online support for RPGs and so seems less like an advertisement for OP (which is one of the few forbidden things in WP from what I have read)
2) improve the content of what is already written so that it can be of possible use to others (at the moment its utility is limited to satisfying curiosity!) for example:- number of users, number of campaign web sites (Active Vs Passive?), google analytic data of average traffic
Just trying to help out.
all help welcome. I got the ball rolling with the first draft of the wiki entry with a 'build it and they will come' kind of an idea :)
I've made an attempt at fleshing out the points in the entry, with a slight reorganization, and I added in the Haste podcast and the Campaign of the Month/Year. I'd be happy if you'd take a look.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draft:Obsidian_Portal
I added a placeholder sentence: “Obsidian Portal currently supports x players and GMs, from y countries, playing in z campaigns.” Alex, is there any way to find out this information? I feel that it would be something that wikipedia readers would be interested to know, but even more importantly I think it could show Mr. Dickman the extent of the community, and why there’s a viable need for an OP entry.
One thing I did take out: “One of the first blogs Micah wrote on about was the now defunct 'Midnight oil' blog.” I couldn’t find anything about the blog, and it wasn’t mentioned in the interview footnoted. I wasn’t sure, from this sentence alone, what the relevance or impact of the blog posts were. If someone has insight into it or a link to the blog, we can reinstate it.
In fleshing out the Kickstarter statement, I added this: “The campaign was labelled 'Obsidian Portal Reforged,' and its goal was to revamp the existing site and add additional features. Many of the goals have been met, and development is underway for the remaining ones.” It was an attempt to strike a balance between noting that the deadlines for the KS are long past due and the huge efforts over the last month on the part of the developers, Alex, and many OPers. I’d welcome any better phrasing.
I'd like to talk over the paragraph on personnel. I do feel it's a part of the history, and would like to keep the reference to DreadGazebo, since he's been an important part of OP experience for so long. (Thanks, DreadGazebo!) But the paragraph as it stands seems to get more into the weeds of OP than might be appropriate for the casual Wikipedia browser. And also, it is likely incomplete. Micah spoke of “a team of designers and programmers” on the KS page; should they be mentioned? (and named, as Travis is?) What about the new Kaleidoscope team -- should they be mentioned as well? If so, who? (So far I've seen a message from an Andrew and a "Kevin, CEO," but I have no idea what the Kaleidoscope organization chart looks like, or who is involved with or invested in OP. Are the designers Alex talks to Micah's original designers or ones that Kaleidoscope brought in?) -You see what I mean about getting into the weeds. What do you all think?
I have no personal stake in any of these revisions, and would be happy with any modifications anyone would like to make, or a complete reversion to the original. They're all suggestions.
Best,
gáirim
I don't know the answers to your questions though. Perhaps some others can guide you there.
twigs
"I met a traveller from an antique land....."
CotM May 2016: Mysteria: set in Wolfgang Baur’s MIDGARD.
Previous CotM Aug 2012: Shimring: High Level Multiplanar Campaign
Inner Council Member
Im still a little concerned that we may be rejected for creating an article that is more an advertisement rather than a neutral encyclopedic entry... but as I said before i am happy to submit at any time and get feed back from WP about what needs changing :)
I very much agree with the "...x players and GMs, from y countries, playing in z ..." line. It makes the article actually useful to people doing generic research on games and you are right that it will help to add weight to the argument that OP needs an entry (assuming those numbers are big enough!)
I would love for this article to be the seed that grows in to a section or collection of entries in WP on electronic/online support for RPGs, as that is an area in need of work at the moment... sadly I dont have the knowledge to write this myself
We support a total of 208581 members as of this posting (that numbers grows on essentially a daily basis) with a total of 94009 campaigns created on the platform (this is not indicative of what ones are active or even really have content on them, and the number grows daily as well). We also currently support 256 game systems (by having them selectable in our listings, again this number does change over time).
Just trying to help out.
_~Mae_
~Mae
CotM Selection Committee
once again "the link is here":https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draft:Obsidian_Portal to save scrolling :)
awaiting feedback
Hope it all goes through okay!
twigs
"I met a traveller from an antique land....."
CotM May 2016: Mysteria: set in Wolfgang Baur’s MIDGARD.
Previous CotM Aug 2012: Shimring: High Level Multiplanar Campaign
Inner Council Member
the reason given for the rejection was
"This is a start but still needs any more available sources overall."
so I read that as "we need more/better references"; but I will double check that is the correct interpretation.
Most if not all of the references available come from the internet, and there are no solid printed, peer-reviewed references to back up the article. has there ever been a serious newspaper or magazine publication that has ever reviewed OP? has anyone out there ever done a thesis, dissertation or a journal article on RPGs that includes information on or from OP? Also in the UK limited companies have an obligation to publish financial data - I assume something similar applies to OP?
any and all suggestions and and help in providing robust references for the page would be most welcolme
I didn't realise it would be so difficult to set up a page and I'm afraid I am at a loss to where we might find some of the types of articles that seem to be required. Hopefully some other members may have a few ideas and further references.
twigs
"I met a traveller from an antique land....."
CotM May 2016: Mysteria: set in Wolfgang Baur’s MIDGARD.
Previous CotM Aug 2012: Shimring: High Level Multiplanar Campaign
Inner Council Member
If I find or remember any more, I'll post them up here.
As Always,
_~Mae_
~Mae
CotM Selection Committee