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Sly Flourish's Frequently Asked Questions

by Mike on 28 February 2008

I’ve put together the following page to help answer the most common questions I receive. Please don’t be insulted if I send you here instead of directly answering your email. I get hundreds of emails a day and it’s very hard to keep up. If your question isn’t here, please feel free to reach out to me at mike@slyflourish.com.

Who are you?

I'm a writer and designer for tabletop roleplaying games best known as the author of Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master. You can learn more about me at About Mike Shea.

I have a question about running tabletop roleplaying games.

The best place to get answers from me about general RPG questions, running games, or other advice is through the Sly Flourish Patreon. Every month I host a monthly Q&A thread and answer every question patrons post. Patrons also get access to a Patreon Q&A database including answers to hundreds of previous questions linked directly to the timestamped YouTube video in which I talk about them. Patreons get access to lots of awesome stuff. You should join!

Where can I get more of your stuff?

The best way to follow the stuff I make is to:

Sign up for the Sly Flourish newsletter. It’s free. Each week you receive a copy of my latest newsletter including links to all of the other work I do each week. You also get a free adventure generator PDF.
Join the Sly Flourish Patreon. It’s moderately priced and comes with a lot of awesome stuff updated every month.
Buy my books on the Sly Flourish Bookstore. This is the best stuff I’ve produced.
Subscribe to the Sly Flourish podcast so I can chat with you about D&D while you commute.
Check out the Sly Flourish YouTube channel for multiple TTRPG videos posted each week.

Can you give me advice about my RPG product?

My time is completely taken up making my own new stuff and I can’t review or offer recommendations on someone else’s work. I suggest meeting with other communities of creators including the DriveThruRPG discord server and the RPG Writer’s Workshop.

I have a product or Kickstarter I’d like you to review on the Lazy RPG Talk Show

I don’t take compensation for products or Kickstarters I spotlight on the Lazy RPG Talk Show and I can’t spotlight every product or Kickstarter I receive. You are free, if you wish, to send me a digital version of your product or sample. My DriveThruRPG email address is mike@mikeshea.net. Because my audience is mostly 5e RPG DMs, I focus on high-quality products built foremost to serve 5e DMs. I also only spotlight products or Kickstarters people can buy or back right now. I don’t spotlight products or Kickstarters that aren’t yet available for general sale.

I have far more products and Kickstarters in my stack than I can ever spotlight. Do not be insulted if I don’t spotlight your product.

Can you promote my after-school or non-profit project on your show, blog, newsletter, or Patreon?

I can't promote outside fundraising activities or programs on my shows, Patreon, articles, or newsletters. Even though many such services are often fantastic for the RPG community, promoting fundraising activities could end up overwhelming my output and puts our community at risk if such programs take their money and don’t deliver.

I had a problem with a digital or physical book I ordered. Who do I contact?

Please contact support@slyflourish.com for any problems with your Sly Flourish products.

How do I get into tabletop RPG writing or publishing?

Check out my article on How to “Make It” in the RPG Industry.

How do I market my tabletop RPG product or run an RPG Kickstarter?

See my article on Marketing Your Tabletop RPG Product.

I want to build a tool, translate your work to another language, or build a product with Lazy GM material and would like your input.

Unfortunately, my time is completely taken up with my own projects and I cannot consult on other projects.

However, I have two Creative-Commons-released documents of material you can use in your own projects. Both documents include instructions for licensing this work:

Please ensure that any work you include in your own products come from these two documents only and that you're properly citing these works in your own.