The Future of This Channel

A more serious video today, and the first one where I pull back the curtain. Marvel Champions? I love this game but my motivation is at an all-time low.

00:00 Channel origin story
09:30 Delayed content bringing me down
18:54 The future of the channel
22:39 Upgrading the channel (Patreon/Memberships)
27:21 Video ideas
30:06 Outro

[DWoodworking]

This is a great video you have put out and an important one. I find it disappointing that FFG doesn't work more with content creators to get product to them a bit earlier, or easier. Especially content creators that may have a harder time getting that content.

Also with the money thing, I think content creators should never worry about asking for money. You provide an amazing service and should be rewarded for it. You create fantastic videos. But I do agree I think people don't realize how much time the content creator puts in for how much they get back. Yes, we love the game and do it for the love of the game but also, we want to make things better, more interactive, a better product and that takes (usually) a lot of up front cost.

[JanosAttilaLiszka]

Became a member on this account because I had google credits, but I've been a a long time subscriber on my main.

I honestly feel like your videos are one of a kind, and when I come to your channel, I don't come looking for the new hotness, I come for the deep, analytical, "nerdy" videos. Analysis is timeless, a deep-dive on a hero kit or effective resource usage or any other topics are just as relevant a day after an expansion release as a year after.

I thoroughly enjoy your calm demeanor and your way of thinking about the game, and I'm astounded by the effort put into your videos. Some of your content fills a very obvious hole in the MC content creation scene. My particular favorites are the ones that offer a very holistic view of the state of the game as a whole. Videos like "What we need in Wave 8", the hero evolution one, the Wave 7 retrospective are truly the unique discussions I feel like we should be having about the game to enjoy it on an even higher level.

I play the game myself, so I don't particularly need gameplay videos, and while hero previews and reviews are nice, especially as a way to hype myself up before a release, I really feel like your other videos are the ones with a lot of added value. I feel your videos offer very unique perspectives and ways of thinking about this product that we all collectively invested so much money and time into, and they really elevate my enjoyment and investment in the game to a higher level.

I might be in the minority, or maybe it's just the algorithm that much prefers periods of big hype, but to me it's completely irrelevant whether it takes you a day or 3 weeks to drop a video about new content, because I know in the end I will get a great, thorough and well-thought out video that offers a deep dive unlike any other. I understand that motivation can be hard to gather, especially for ranking every hero in every aspect at all player counts :D, but I personally I'm just happy to see when you drop a new video, as I know it will be worthwile content. I hope the patreon and memberships will help a bit with the channel, and good luck going forward!

[webwarriorfanatic]

Hey VT! Just wanted to say I love your content and am really sad to hear this news. I hope you can feel reinvigorated to make more content again in the future but im glad and thankful you will still drop videos here and there for us 😁 it really sucks hearing all the delays for everyone getting expansions for the game and hopefully things will be better in the future. We all support you and wish you success on your channel!!!

[saintmatthew]

VT, I love your content. You seem like such a cool guy, and I'm sorry you're dealing with burnout. I think the answer is simple: you need to flip down to your alter-ego form and recover. Maybe have some Down Time in your Crew Quarters. And then maybe someday you'll feel like it's Game Time again, and then flip back up to the hero that we all know and love.

[justinvamp]

Totally understand the frustration! Just want to add my 2 cents that your hero reviews are always the ones I look forward to the most - to be honest I assumed that the reason Bishop and Magik videos came a bit later was because you were making sure to deep dive into them rather than rushing something out with only a couple of plays. Even if the videos come late I love watching them all!

[dontberash]

Selfishly I want to encourage you to push forward but realistically I understand your displeasure. Do what you gotta do but know that you'll be missed!

[ColaTheLodger]

As someone who was introduced to you through your TT appearance, happy to be a real one. Thanks for all that you do. Fantasy Flight should be grateful for what you do.

[johnwaynemcclung]

You're awesome, VT! I'm glad to see all of the comments of support. I thought maybe I would suggestion a type of video that I would appreciate that I think would be relatively little time invested for you but still have a high demand: Since you specialize in deckbuilding in my mind, why not take a deck you've been playing recently that you enjoy and then just make a video about that deck. Make it a goal to do the video in basically one take by just laying out the deck on your table and talking about that deck and how it's meant to be played. Then you could do a follow up video where you play a game or two using that deck. You could then get two videos out of it with relatively low effort. I would tend to think you would enjoy this process because then you'd be doing what you love without tons of editing and pre-planning. This is actually what I thought about doing until you and Web Warrior started producing videos because I just wanted a place where people could see and discuss decks on YouTube. In any case, thanks for all you do!

[fandabidozi]

Love your content and please don’t burn yourself out. Wishing you all the best. 🙏🏻

[DMTip]

I'm excited that you'll still be around, even if slowing down content. Having a further vision for improvement on the channel is a good sign for all of us that really enjoy your insight and the topics you bring up. Hopefully this shipping issue gets resolved soon.

[cyclonesfan]

I watch a lot of you, Nelson, D20, and WWF. I almost feel the pressure to watch all the preview and review videos you all put out, so I can sort of understand you feeling pressure to make those videos. Personally, because of all the other content creators, I don’t need another preview video or another review video from you. Don’t get me wrong, you do a great job with those, but there is enough of that content for me to get by with. Your unique skill is in deck building. I don’t think I am very good at deck building and I have had so much fun playing with decks you have created and sometimes making adjustments to my play style. And that doesn’t always have to be with the latest hero release. I love the older hero decks with the latest card pool also. I my opinion, you are an invaluable resource to the community in this regard. You have great decks on MCDB, but your videos on these are even better where you explain how the deck works and the theory behind it. No pressure, but hopefully you will continue to find motivation to keep to keep making this kind of content in the future. I’m sure I am not the only one who gets a lot of joy and benefit from your unique skills in this game.

[MAXFightMan]

Everything you've said here is super reasonable. Your videos are by far my favorite Marvel Champions content on YouTube. If you go down to one video a year, I'll still watch it. Hopefully, it gets easier to produce some content, but if not, i still appreciate everything you have done up to this point.

[TheBearDrew]

Love your deck builds! I remember thinking adam warlock was trash until i ran the galaxys most wanted campaign with your wild tutor deck! Also recently did your ironheart beast exploit against dark beast! Love your analyses, hate to hear that people have harassed you for posting decks, totally absurd! Excited to see future content from you and thanks for your involvement with this community

[alberttaco]

I love you. Your work is amazing. I've watched all your videos, some several time, including the deck building series you did with nelson on his channel. . Your videos are timeless, because they are not based on hype or surface level impressions. The algorythm feeds on "new hotness", and I understand that can be depressing for you. I hope you don't hurt yourself, health is invaluable. Take time to recover, and I will be here if you chose to come back, even if it is one video every now and then. Quality > everything.

On topic of Villain/encounter cards. I actually do think this is very undertalked topic, even on channel specialized on encounter cards, it is always surface level. I see people use random generator for combining modset and scenario, and that is depressing to me. I analyze villain kit, exactly like I analyze hero kit, and I analyze mod set, like if they were aspect cards for villains. There are some very interesting combination to make between villain and mod set, there are also silver bullet to counter them, and there are also some mod sets that can break peculiar scenario. There are no solid video about the Encounter cards, and all the hard work the design team put into them, and that is sad.

This said, take care of yourself. I wish you the best; you're the best, and we love you.

[deleriom]

Keep doing what you do, bud! I always enjoy your takes on heroes.

[Stormmaster]

The game (and life) is to be enjoyed. If you did 1 video a year I would watch it. You have enough value to the community you would still be appreciated just deckbuilding on marveldb, or just joining Nelson or someone for a podcast or discussion as and when it suits you.

Look after yourself and your needs first. Do as much content creation as you enjoy and are comfortable with, even if that is nothing.

[Husky-bugbear]

Hopefully you're already getting a lot of positivity, but I just wanted to throw mine in too. Even if they're late, your fans still seek out your videos because they enjoy the content you provide. Your analyses provide a unique take that doesn't otherwise exist in MCLCG space in my opinion. I can only speak for myself, but I personally would be sad to lose your perspective on the game, it's new releases, deck builds, etc.

I do really wish Fantasy Flight/Asmodee did a better job of working with content creators, but (and I'm sure this commiseration doesn't actually help any) in some ways your experience is consistent with other, non-content creator, players. Even as Americans, A buddy preordered Iceman and still hasn't gotten him (at time of writing 5 days after release) and I personally purchased the pack through the Asmodee store on release day, and have not received Iceman. So we definitely feel your pain, it appears to be a larger Asmodee problem. I don't know how seriously FF/Asmodee takes the concerns of content creators, but hopefully you all can lend your voices to videos like this one to help put pressure on the companies to get their act together when it comes to shipping and fulfillment.

All-in-all, I love your content and I think you have awesome video ideas that I personally would love to see! The YT "game" is a bit of a pain, and I hope it doesn't get you too down.

[NickEve]

Hi Jake, as a new player this year to Marvel Champions (my son Freddie and I played with you - thanks to you both for being helpful and patient!), I'd really like to see some deck-building videos. I feel I lose too much by not building effective decks. Thanks!

[CardboardCallin]

Hi VT, big fan here. I would say your content on YT and Shadows of the Cast are my favorite Marvel Champions media to consume! D20 is close though!

I think your concerns are super valid, and I'm sorry to hear the release schedule has been hurting not just your channel's ability to gain views and subscribers, but your mental health as well. I hope you know your fans appreciate you a ton.

I will say this: there's no arguing with the numbers, but set reviews are absolutely my least favorite sort of content. Everyone does them, and it typically feels like an initial response to the cards, which doesn't interest me personally. I like to play what I call a "block progression" mode where I play every hero in a block vs every villain. As a result I'm still working through the first X-Men wave against all of Mutant Genesis and Mojo. So even though I own everything I'm months behind what's being released in terms of play. So, for me, I love your videos that dig into more of the older content in the game and link it to data and trends across the entire product line. I hope maybe you'll focus more on that sort of content, for example I love the revisited faction episodes of the podcast! I think there's so many great topics still left to explore without chasing the new release segment, and I think that's where your content really shines most. I will for sure be joining the patron to try and help support your stuff. Excited for more Shadows of the Cast (Best podcast on the game!) and I hope your journey with Champions continues! - Cardboard Callin

[markblant]

Hey man. I share your frustration as another UK player, but really enjoy your content. The deep dives and aspect guides have been great, as is the fun collaboration with Nelson in the podcast. As a nerdy analyst myself I enjoy the thought experimentation that deck building provides. Looking forward to seeing more from you, if and when you feel ready.