TTRPG TV Guide's creators believe in a Field of Dreams for Actual Play
India-based game designers Poorna M. and Armaan Babu want people to find your show somewhere other than Twitter.
In early March, the team behind Weave Games launched the TTRPG TV Guide, a new free community resource meant to centralize the exponentially growing number of tabletop-related streaming content.
“We're already trying to reach a niche audience, it's really important to make as many free resources available to people as possible,” said Poorna M., half of the Weave Games team and co-creator of the Guide (which is not affiliated with Fandom Inc's TV Guide). Grassroots community initiatives like the Guide are the backbone of a passion-driven and largely under-funded tabletop industry. “I am a big believer in free resources in general. Especially because, as one of our friends has said in passing, we all just pass the same 20 bucks back and forth. So, it's not like we will have a lot of money. I'm a big believer in community building and support.”
Armaan Babu and Poorna M., two game designers based in India, launched the Guide as a means to contribute to the growing tabletop and actual play scene—one they believe deserves more attention and legitimacy.
“Creating for a niche audience necessitates a deep love for the thing that you're doing in order to keep going,” said Poorna. Though this project (along with much of actual play programming) is free to access, there is substantial time and labor that goes into its creation. While earning an income through gaming is a dream outcome for many in the tabletop and actual play industry, community-backed opportunities for visibility and discoverability help projects find their audiences—and potential financial supporters.
