The whole mini-discourse around The Trove and TTRPG piracy could (and I think ought to) open up a **much more interesting** discussion about monetizing TTRPGs in a way that

1) Facilitates people making livings through TTRPGs
2) Is accessible to people

#TabletopChopShop

Because, yes, people should be able to make livings writing and doing art and layout for TTRPGs.

But also **people are poor**, and making people have to **demonstrate** their poverty is frankly mean.

This is why “if you want a free PDF, email me” isn’t a good solution.

So we need better solutions, and yes, this is a very Dee Pennyway thread.

This is where community copies came from—that is, “every purchase of this game adds a free copy to a pool, which people can claim from, no questions asked.”

It’s super cool.

But by Dee’s own admission, that’s a hack.

It’s a hack of Itch’s systems, and the name is arguably misleading.

Maybe they should be called Access Copies.

Maybe they should be de-coupled from sales of the game.

Maybe they should only have player-focused content, not GM stuff.

Or what if, instead or in conjunction with zero-dollar Access Copies, you have Hardship Copies?

Like how the Bolt Kickstarter has a 10 USD tier that gets you the same stuff as the 35 USD tier.

What if I kept that hardship tier for the final itch release?

And what if—in the other direction—I bolstered game revenue with higher-tier options, like “I run a session for you” or “I make content in my game for your specific table”?

That would make Access/Hardship Copies an easier lift, since I’m making up cash from folks who CAN pay.

And then, of course, there’s the Mage Contract approach where I use those higher-tier options as the PRIMARY funding option for games, and simply not sweat making money off actual game sales: https://twitter.com/ajeypandey/status/1309505629422268418

Once again, I don’t have all the options.

Experimenting with monetization options depends on how much you can twist the options that you can get from Patreon, or Itch, or Ko-Fi.

Or on whether you’re able to make your own digital storefront.

Oh, and all this is complicated by if you’re trying to give people royalties.

Or if you’re blocking out chunks of revenue for donations.

On TOP of trying to make things accessible...

So I think there’s space to experiment!
Maybe *I* should tinker with pricing my Bolt hacks...