Readers, we're experimenting with the paywall

For the last two years, the paywall has been central to how we at Rascal News have conducted our business. Tabletop RPGs are a niche hobby, and if we want to exist, survive, and maybe one day thrive, we can't rely on clicks or ads or other shakier (or shadier) sources of revenue. We need supporters — paying subscribers who want us to keep going.

And it's worked reasonably well, but we've also received a lot of negative responses to the paywall. We take those discussion seriously, especially where it concerns editorial decisions and access to information the hobby and wider industry considers important.

So, we're doing an experiment.

We're implementing a metered paywall. It works simply: You can read any two articles per month for free without an account. After that, you need to register for at least a free account. Once you register, you can read an additional two articles per month. Or, in other words, you can read a total of four articles every 30 days with a free account. If you want to read a fifth article, you will then have to either pay per article or purchase a subscription.

If you're already a paying member, nothing about your access to Rascal will change. Certain articles, such as anything involving the podcasts, remain accessible to all. Current free members should be moved to the new system automatically without anything needed on the user end.

The upside to this change is clear. More people will be able to read more of our articles without paying for them. Also, you can easily share our articles with friends, fellow players, and your internet circles. Our hope is that this makes Rascal more accessible to people at a time of widespread economic uncertainty without tanking our livelihoods. Let's hope we're right.

Because it's a big risk. We sincerely hope it doesn't lead to people cancelling their subscriptions because they can now read four articles for free. If this happens, we could be in big trouble. Losing a large chunk of paying subscribers remains an existential risk for a website of our size, but the potential increase in reach and interest in the site could also provide a vital shot in the arm.

So, we're going to try this for a month or so. If you like this new direction, please help us ensure that it's successful. Share an article on Facebook, Reddit, Tumblr, Discord, or wherever else. Email somebody? That's a great idea. Email somebody! Don't know what to share? Here's a link to our writers' picks for their favorite articles from last year.

As always, thanks for reading. And fingers crossed!