Easy Allies |OT| The New Era

I just wrote a brief explanation of the weird series of events in the comments:

Sorry for the additional delay. For those wondering, the original file was incomplete, but by the time we had noticed, Brandon was well on the way to Comic Con and couldn't fix it until he was done with preview night and back in the hotel.

Then as you can imagine, hotel upload speeds aren't nearly as fast as what we have in the garage. We also sent out an early video post last night by accident before the new version was ready. That was removed after 15 minutes or so. All in all, quite the unusual series of events, and we apologize for any confusion. -Bloodworth

Gaming_Groove said:

I love TTE, but I fell off of season one when the puffs came in. Nothing about the story or show itself had to do with it, I'm sure something came up and I missed a week, the got out of the habit of tuning in.

I tried to catch up, but the sheer episode count and runtime makes it difficult. I listened to the start of season two after hearing it was a soft reboot and I thought it was still good, but once again after missing a few weeks it became hard to catch up again. Guess that's just life, but it wouldn't surprise me if others had a similar experience. I had an easier time back in the TTA days because I had a very long commute, but that's no longer the case.

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I imagine this goes hand in hand with the "less views" thing: it's not that it "isn't as good anymore" (I'd argue it's better than season 1), it's just that people can't (re)commit to a series like TTE once they put it off for a few episodes & the amount of time & episodes builds up.

One day I decided to get back into TTE from where I left off

I had 63 hours to catch up on

It was paralyzing

I just think it like a show. People catch up on long running shows all the time. I mean I'm doing that with hunter hunter. It's 153 episodes. Just chip away at your own pace and it'll be fine. If you enjoy it who cares about being up to date.

Hunter x Hunter is an 20 min long show for 153 episodes, if you skip op and Ed, it's a very different situation. Basically 3 episodes is one tabletop top episode. Of course it will be harder to pick it up.

Well that's And For That Reason wrapped up! Loved it. Very funny, some really good shorter content, and great involvement from the community.

As someone who watches and really enjoys Tabletop Escapades (listening to it as I type this even!) I think the built in problem with the amount of content in that show and honestly any D&D show that wants to maintain the actual combat rules (talk about being paralyzed by number of hours to catch up on a story, having 4 hours to get through for Critical Role every week is hard to not feel like a slog sometimes) is that it's simply not possible to pace D&D sessions like TV shows. So much of any session is gonna be about rolling dice, checking on rules, and contesting skill usage that sometimes you might have 30 minutes or more between actual story development. It inflates stories that might usually take 1 hour to like 3. And honestly , it's a problem I have with DMing games with active players, not just with watching other folks play. There's a lot of non-story time in a session. I think getting a D&D campaign to feel like it's all killer no filler requires some tampering with rules and just being on your DM A-game at all times.

The biggest way I tend to get around that with Tabletop Escapades is by listening to it while working, where I can tune it out like 80% but pick up small details here or there as it goes and then pay attention when i realize there's major story stuff happening.

Death Stranding #1

I'd just like to clarify that I caught up on a very significant chunk of that 4 trillion hour TTE backlog and enjoyed every second of it, and really don't think there's much that needs to be changed. Having a new season to jump into clean was really nice though, so you know, a season annually works fine.

Can't say I disagree with much of the desire index so far. Death Stranding's showing at this past E3 brought my hype down a considerable amount.

I don't blame Ian for being so down on Spiderman but I am a bit surprised that he's surprised that the rest of the Allies have it so high. Like of course Jones and Huber are gonna be hyped on it.

I think it'd be cool if they livestream TTE some times once they get the studio.

JayC3 said:

Great final episode of And For that Reason. I feel like the show worked out really well overall and should probably come back for a second season next year. Also, in the Patreon comments, Kyle confirmed that it was 100% improv, so kudos to the Allies for coming up with a bunch of hilarious stuff on the fly.

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Also the beauty of reality TV. You cut whatever falls flat or breaks the scene. I'd love to see if there was anything funny left on the cutting room floor.

Oh god the next gen talk from the podcast gives me a headache for multiple reasons lol.

Bloodworth can you add the exclusive show tag to Ep 6 of For that reason so it doesn't get lost?

Alright so let's hash it out. What should they do with their patreon exclusive shows like "And for that reason"? Never make them public? Release them after a year? Right before the next show release?

I think they should eventually make the shows public at some point. If for no other reason than how poor it'll be to find these shows in a year based on how patreon organizes things. It's not made for playlists and archive ease of use.

I kind of like before the next show launch but maybe that's too soon.

I think for this first one, release them when the new show is about to launch, but after that, wait a year. Never making them public seems like a waste.

TheDarkKnight said:

Bloodworth can you add the exclusive show tag to Ep 6 of For that reason so it doesn't get lost?

Alright so let's hash it out. What should they do with their patreon exclusive shows like "And for that reason"? Never make them public? Release them after a year? Right before the next show release?

I think they should eventually make the shows public at some point. If for no other reason than how poor it'll be to find these shows in a year based on how patreon organizes things. It's not made for playlists and archive ease of use.

I kind of like before the next show launch but maybe that's too soon.

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I would like to see them go Public before the next round of shows. It's a shame to think it would be pay-walled forever, but more than anything else I think it's good to set the precedent going forward. And For That Reason was really good fun, but if they hit on something seriously special and unique in the future with these seasonal shows, it would be really sad to think that the majority of people would never see it.

I think in one month they should release the first episode of and for that reason and then watch what happens. See how many new people watch it and how many new patrons they get from it. If they get a decent bump I say keep the rest of the episodes behind the paywall.

If they're only coming every quarter, I would be fine with releasing it weekly, after the next show is done "airing." You'd get six weeks of new, followed by six weeks of reruns, then six new, and so on.

Why not release it over the length of Easy Livin? first one when they start one a few hours later etc?

Jords said:

Why not release it over the length of Easy Livin? first one when they start one a few hours later etc?

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I like tying it to the announcement or release of either the launch or finish of their next exclusive show.

I personally wouldn't release the whole thing outside of patreon.
I see a benefit of releasing the first episode outside of patreon as a teaser and to let people know what they are missing out on, but I honestly think that a lot of people don't mind waiting instead of paying if you release the whole thing later anyway.

I am torn on this. It's a really good show and in that sense everybody should be able to watch it, but from a business perspective I don't think it make sense to remove the paywall from it.

I know I would have waited instead of paying a couple of years ago (I didn't like the idea of spending monthly on patreon at all a couple years ago (before EZA formed)).

I think it makes sense to release it outside of patreon at some point. I don't like the idea of it being paywalled forever.

Maybe when the next patreon-exclusive miniseries (whatever that is) comes out?

Elfforkusu said:

I think it makes sense to release it outside of patreon at some point. I don't like the idea of it being paywalled forever.

Maybe when the next patreon-exclusive miniseries (whatever that is) comes out?

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Sure, I guess that would be fine, but I still think that it wouldn't convince people from using patreon and you will possibly loose patrons as some of them will be either upset that they paid for something that's free afterwards or don't mind waiting instead of paying for it.

I am fine with them releasing it for everybody (I don't mind that I paid for the early access on it), I just am not convinced it's a good business decision.

MrMette said:

I personally wouldn't release the whole thing outside of patreon.
I see a benefit of releasing the first episode outside of patreon as a teaser and to let people know what they are missing out on, but I honestly think that a lot of people don't mind waiting instead of paying if you release the whole thing later anyway.

I am torn on this. It's a really good show and in that sense everybody should be able to watch it, but from a business perspective I don't think it make sense to remove the paywall from it.

I know I would have waited instead of paying a couple of years ago (I didn't like the idea of spending monthly on patreon at all a couple years ago).

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Unless they rework their tags the shows will get lost if they stay paywalled to patreon only. And even with the tag rework it'll be super cluttered. If it's a year old would also work for me if not tied to the next show.

TheDarkKnight said:

Unless they rework their tags the shows will get lost if they stay paywalled to patreon only. And even with the tag rework it'll be super cluttered.

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That's a problem for sure and it would be nice if they can fix this before the next exclusive show releases.

I personally have "And For That Reason" in a private playlist, but I understand the problem with this for new patrons who want to check out the previous exclusive shows (or old patrons who want to rewatch them).

Again, I am not opposed to them releasing it for everybody, I am just somewhat worried it will cost them patrons and that they will get some backlash over it (as it seemed that a lot of new patrons came around because of the exclusive show).

TheDarkKnight said:

I like tying it to the announcement or release of either the launch or finish of their next exclusive show.

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I understand why you like this idea but I feel like releasing old episodes of the patreon exclusive show anytime near the release of new episodes of the next series of patreon exclusive show will cause mass confusion for people who are not patrons and are unfamiliar with the patreon exclusive shows.

klastical said:

I understand why you like this idea but I feel like releasing old episodes of the patreon exclusive show anytime near the release of new episodes of the next series of patreon exclusive show will cause mass confusion for people who are not patrons and are unfamiliar with the patreon exclusive shows.

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Not if it ends with a trailer for the exclusive shows. "Wanna see more EZA produced shows?? Check out show X exclusively on patreon"

TheDarkKnight said:

Bloodworth can you add the exclusive show tag to Ep 6 of For that reason so it doesn't get lost?

Alright so let's hash it out. What should they do with their patreon exclusive shows like "And for that reason"? Never make them public? Release them after a year? Right before the next show release?

I think they should eventually make the shows public at some point. If for no other reason than how poor it'll be to find these shows in a year based on how patreon organizes things. It's not made for playlists and archive ease of use.

I kind of like before the next show launch but maybe that's too soon.

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Yeah, I'll get that Patreon tag on there, and I'm also going to stick the playlist link in those posts too. Another thing I can do is create a forum post with all the Patreon links like I do with Cup of Jones and Spoiler Mode, but that's still a bit obscure for most people to find.

TheDarkKnight said:

Not if it ends with a trailer for the exclusive shows. "Wanna see more EZA produced shows?? Check out show X exclusively on patreon"

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Maybe, if there going to put a stinger on the end of the video I think it would be more effective to promote the rest of the season of and for that reason, or they could promote both, I suppose.. I'm no expert on these sorts of things.

Here's the forum post. Again, I realize it's not that intuitive to get to it, but at least once you're there, it has everything you need.
https://forums.easyallies.com/topic/4919/patreon-exclusives-episode-guide

Bloodworth said:

Yeah, I'll get that Patreon tag on there, and I'm also going to stick the playlist link in those posts too. Another thing I can do is create a forum post with all the Patreon links like I do with Cup of Jones and Spoiler Mode, but that's still a bit obscure for most people to find.

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Thanks!

Speaking of the organization of Patreon-exclusive shows, I think that, while it would take awhile, it would be a great idea to make a web page (easyallies.com/exclusiveshows or something) that organizes all the exclusive shows by show, listed chronologically in a grid of thumbnails. Clicking the thumbnail would be a hotlink to the page on Patreon about it rather than a direct link, of course.

My suggestion came about from this guy who does Patreon exclusive vlogs. This is really invaluable when there's a lot of videos.
https://www.davidspatreoncampaign.com/vlogs

VanWinkle said:

Speaking of the organization of Patreon-exclusive shows, I think that, while it would take awhile, it would be a great idea to make a web page (easyallies.com/exclusiveshows or something) that organizes all the exclusive shows by show, listed chronologically in a grid of thumbnails. Clicking the thumbnail would be a hotlink to the page on Patreon about it rather than a direct link, of course.

My suggestion came about from this guy who does Patreon exclusive vlogs. This is really invaluable when there's a lot of videos.
https://www.davidspatreoncampaign.com/vlogs

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Thanks for the link and it's not a bad idea. May see what we end up deciding to do with AFTR first, but could certainly be a little bit of a better solution.

I think maybe a public release for AFTR when the new show launches.

I'll throw my 2 cents in to the Patreon exclusive debate: I'm all in favor of releasing the first episode of a Patreon exclusive show free to the public and then having the rest be Patreon exclusive for a lengthy period. The first free episode should conclude with a blurb about how often the show will be released and clear instructions on how people are able to use Patreon to see the rest. That way, the major "advertisement" for the show isn't just a short mention at the end of an hour plus podcast/group stream. While probably everyone here knows how that works, i'm sure a VERY significant amount of their 170k+ Youtube subs aren't checking message boards and are maybe not staying for the duration of each show and have no idea that this show even existed. And not to go all smartypants-businessman man, but for people who join Patreon to watch the show on the day it releases, that could be three months of donating to the Patreon instead of just joining now or later when they might make it public and consuming the entirety of the series in under an hour.

Maybe when the next show or something is due to come out, release each episode on a weekly basis with again a short blurb about how to see the rest at the end of each episode. Also, as someone who routinely checks out old EZA stuff, i'd love it if it were eventually archived on Youtube with the rest of everything just so it is all easier to find.

I thought this show was outstanding, but I'm shocked to see the low view counts. For instance, episodes 4 and 5 have less than 2k views. That seems kind of surprising considering there are currently 7,700+ Patrons. One of my best guesses for this is I think many are in the habit of checking Youtube rather than Patreon for EZA videos. It's also super easy to skip a Patreon email considering how many we routinely get each week.

In conclusion, I think they released an absolutely stellar show that a vast majority of their potential Youtube audience never even knew existed. While the extreme majority of that audience will always be very casual and likely not to act, if only a fraction of them learned about Patreon and how it works/what they get out of it, then that might move the needle in a substantial way for them going forward.


Unrelated to all of that: anyone know what is up with Busted Trifecta? Last episode released May 31st and prior episodes releases have been sporadic as well...

Keith Stat said:

Unrelated to all of that: anyone know what is up with Busted Trifecta? Last episode released May 31st and prior episodes releases have been sporadic as well...

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Eh, it's Don. They show up when they show up (literally, lol).

Jones' comment about people in the industry being like "get that away from me" regarding KH3 was strange. I dunno, maybe he talked to a few random negative people? That certainly does not reflect anything close to the majority of the gaming community.

ShadyK54 said:

Eh, it's Don. They show up when they show up (literally, lol).

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Heh, that is what I figured. Just didn't know if I missed out on some announcement or something.

ZeoVGM said:

Jones' comment about people in the industry being like "get that away from me" regarding KH3 was strange. I dunno, maybe he talked to a few random negative people? That certainly does not reflect anything close to the majority of the gaming community.

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What does all of giant bomb think about kh?

Mmmm, I don't know about that

grmltr said:

Mmmm, I don't know about that

Spoiler: podcast game

calling out other reviewers.... is not a good look, even the most hype games can have alternate viewpoints.

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I didn't interpret it as them calling anyone out. If anything it could be interesting to do a version from the positive angle. Thought it was interesting to hear their perspective on them.

ZeoVGM said:

Jones' comment about people in the industry being like "get that away from me" regarding KH3 was strange. I dunno, maybe he talked to a few random negative people? That certainly does not reflect anything close to the majority of the gaming community.

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Not gonna lie, anyone not already into KH would probably get some cringe from those trailers.

This video montage by Noah rayne is really cool. Brought a tear to my eye:

I see a lot of Allies are going to Comiccon but are they planning to do anything there for EZA? Will there be some impression vids, Huber Syndrome,etc?

Make the first episode of AFTR public now, but with a stinger at the end saying "if you want more subscribe to the $1 tier on Patreon", then make the whole show public in a year.

If you make everything public now, or in a couple of months when the new series premieres, it will set a precedent and people will just wait for the next show to become public as well, instead of pledging. After all it's not like the content is news related or topical, so people can easily wait to watch it later and enjoy it just as much.

Man who ever did the e3 graphics hope the allies pop down a little cash and get them to do there other shows and intros etc. They really stood out & the default graphics just feel a little simple and basic now imo. That's what makes kinda funny stand out a little more opinion (besides having a studio)

Also hope they double down on cooler merchandise. The new shirts released over at fan gamer really showed how a little behind the eight ball they are at there official merchandise store.

Axass said:

Make the first episode of AFTR public now, but with a stinger at the end saying "if you want more subscribe to the $1 tier on Patreon", then make the whole show public in a year.

If you make everything public now, or in a couple of months when the new series premieres, it will set a precedent and people will just wait for the next show to become public as well, instead of pledging. After all it's not like the content is news related or topical, so people can easily wait to watch it later and enjoy it just as much.

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Yeah, release a little taste, but having a library of content immediately available when you pay $1 is a great idea.

Would be good if they can get links to the Patreon posts in the same format on easyallies.com , but it wouldn't be as automated.

ZeoVGM said:

Jones' comment about people in the industry being like "get that away from me" regarding KH3 was strange. I dunno, maybe he talked to a few random negative people? That certainly does not reflect anything close to the majority of the gaming community.

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I eat lunch at work with 8 guys: 1 was hyped for KH3, 1 liked the KH1 and KH2 but thinks it should have ended at KH2 and is really only morbidly curious at how stupid and disappointing KH3 is gonna get (me), and the other 6 think Kingdom Hearts is incredibly stupid at a conceptual level.

Anecdotal, I know, but something I felt I should mention.