On Monday, the Bluesky TTRPG community held its second #AskACreator day. #AskACreator is a new TTRPG community hashtag we kicked off last week as a way to get people talking to TTRPG creators and creating discussions around their work.
Fundamentally, it’s a little like other Bluesky TTRPG hashtags like #wipwednesday and #selfpromosaturday, but those hashtags are mostly about creators dropping links to their own work.
#AskACreator, held every Monday is a little different: it’s an opportunity for you to help promote the creators you enjoy, by asking them questions about their work and starting discussions around them.
Other hashtags are self-promotion: #AskACreator is community promotion.
How to Host A Great TTRPG #AskACreator Thread On Bluesky
#AskACreator is still very new, and I don’t think people have quite figured out how it works. Here’s some tips that will hopefully help clarify the vision behind the hashtag.
Ask questions about specific TTRPG creations
Great questions for #AskACreator give creators a chance to talk about something they’re working on or something they created in the past. Rather than asking something generic like “What inspires your TTRPG creations?” consider asking what inspired a specific NPC or mechanic from one of their recent games or TTRPG supplements.
Other ideas:
- Try asking them about a specific Kickstarter or Backerkit campaign they ran to fund one of their TTRPG creations
- You could ask how they met an artist whose work they used in their latest solo RPG release
- Ask them to share a preview or behind-the-scenes details of an upcoming work they’ve been talking about
- A great question is to ask what they learned from a TTRPG project they just released
- You could even tag two creators and ask them what it was like collaborating on a project they both worked on!
Ask TTRPG creators follow-up questions
When a creator responds to a question you’ve asked, keep the conversation going by asking additional relevant questions! It shows them you have a genuine interest in their work and encourages more participation in #AskACreator threads overall.
Here’s an example from Monday’s #AskACreator day where I chatted with Prairie Dragon Press about their TTRPG periodical, Hearth Magazine.
Participate in other #AskACreator threads
Take a few minutes each Monday and search the #AskACreator hashtag on Bluesky. For each one you find, drop a question or two to other TTRPG creators you like.
Something I’ve done is even ask the same creator multiple questions across several different threads. This is super effective because it allows that creator to talk about their work in front of multiple audiences — each #AskACreator host has a different set of followers.
Example:
I’ve got 2300 followers on Bluesky. Wobblerocket blog contributor Rex has 1700, but most of the people who follow me don’t follow him, and vice versa.
If Rex and I both host #AskACreator threads, and I ask the same creator a question in each of those threads, I’ve not only shared that creator’s work with my 2300 followers, but I’ve also shared it with all of Rex’s followers.
That’s a huge boost to discoverability for a creator I might want to highlight.
Bluesky TTRPG Community Talks Playtesting
Playtesting was a big topic in Monday’s #AskACreator threads! Here are some highlights:
Advice On Improving Art Skills From The Bluesky TTRPG Community
TTRPG Youtuber Quartermaster’s Cache also came in with this great question asking advice from freelance fantasy artist Silvi (Magical Kaleidoscope) about how to improve your artwork:
We Need You To Host Your Own #AskACreator Thread
The more people host their own #AskACreator threads on Bluesky, the more the effective the hashtag will be. We can transform Mondays into a day that generates a HUGE burst of chatter and discussion around amazing TTRPG creators at the beginning of the week.
If you want to help, here’s how: every Monday, post your own #AskACreator thread on your Bluesky. Here’s a simple copy-and-paste template you can use:
I’m hosting #AskACreator Monday! Tag a #TTRPG creator in the comments and ask them a question about their work!
Get the ball rolling by tagging one or more creators with your own questions.
It’s as easy as that!
Want a reminder about #AskACreator each Monday?
Join the Wobblerocket Discord. Not only do you get to hang out with a ton of amazing nerds, but I post an announcement about the hashtag each week.
Want to Learn More About the Bluesky TTRPG Community?
I’ve written about Bluesky’s TTRPG community before. Here’s more for your reading pleasure:
- Read my TTRPG Bluesky – Everything You Need To Know post!
- Check out the Bluesky TTRPG Starter Packs Directory!
- Follow me on Bluesky!
