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At Adepticon, Uncle Atom from Tabletop Minions posted a video in which he asked several content creators (in his case, mostly YouTubers) a series of three questions. (The people he asked were Jon Ninas, Brent Amberger, Lyla Mev, Scott Walter, Kenny Boucher, Matt Yee, and Casey Alden.) While I in no way claim to be the caliber of creator they are with their tens of thousands–or hundreds of thousands–of subscribers, May 2nd is the one year anniversary of The Wargame Explorer, and I thought it would be fun to answer Uncle Atom’s questions about the content that I create here on this website.

What do you need to know about yourself before deciding to become a content creator?

I think the biggest thing I had to know about myself was a kind of stick-to-itiveness. I’m a digital marketer by trade and I know very well how long it takes for a website to get off the ground, for Google to start noticing you, and for you to get any good amount of traffic. I had to go into this knowing that no one was going to be noticing my site for a long time, and just be content with the fact that I wasn’t doing this for Current Rob, but for Future Rob. It was really discouraging for about the first five months where I was getting virtually no traffic, but then it really started to balloon quickly and has grown rapidly ever since.

I think that I also had to know the amount of workload that I could give myself. This is a side project that I hope to one day be more than a side project, but in the meantime I have a day job and a family, and I have to find time to write when I can. That’s been tough, but I’ve been writing professionally since 2003, so getting into the groove of a set early-morning writing scheduled, plus ample time on the weekends, has come a little more naturally to me than I think it’s come to other people.

Did you start with a mission for your channel? Or did you start and then find your way?

I didn’t start with a mission, and I wouldn’t say that, even after I’ve been going for a year that I have 100% found my footing. But it’s been somewhat strategic. I’ve approached this year as a very scattershot kind of thing, sometimes reporting on news and recent releases, such as when I reported on WarhammerFest or on the Adepticon announcements, and sometimes I write editorials, such as my commentary on the Golden Demon Award, or Disability in Wargaming, and sometimes (especially lately) I’ve been working on comprehensive guides about how to get started in Warhammer 40k, Age of Sigmar, and Bolt Action (the Bolt Action one isn’t done yet).

I have definitely found what I like and what I don’t like. I enjoy the editorials quite a bit, and I’ve really been loving these “Getting Started” articles, but at the same time I know what articles tend to do well: it’s the 20 Most Powerful Weapons in Warhammer 40k, the What’s the Best Space Marine Chapter?, the Warhammer Lore: Best Books to Start With. Those kinds of post perform much better than any editorial, and so far they’ve performed better than any “Getting Started” post, so I’m sure I’ll continue to do those kinds of Best Of lists.

How do you want to expand your content in the future?

For starters, I want to get my YouTube channel up and running. I keep waiting until I can do it with a level of professionalism that it has not had up to this point. (I lack all of the proper camera equipment that real YouTubers have so I film on my phone.) But I think I’ve realized that I just need to dive in and start making videos and putting them out there. Probably editorial/commentary videos rather than how-to videos, because I’m NOT a professional painter as much as I try.

I also have been working on a set of rules for an indie game that I hope to release before the end of the year. It’s going to be a miniatures agnostic game of commando operations (think the Dirty Dozen) but which can be applied to whatever setting you want: if you’re playing cyberpunk, there will be opportunities for cyberpunk; if you’re playing WW2 there will be opportunities for WW2; if you’re playing Old West, there will be opportunities for Old West. I’m very excited about this project and can’t wait to see it in action.

As for the website, it will continue to crank out content as fast as I can write it. Immediately, I plan to finish the comprehensive Getting Started in Bolt Action series, and then I’m not 100% sure what I’m going to dive into next. Horus Heresy is going to get a lot of attention, and I’ve already expressed my love of Squats.

What about you? What do you want to see from the channel? What do you think we’re doing well and could use some help with? Leave a comment!