…So, yeah, this is a bad time to try to get back into the RPG writing field, right?

No: sequester or no, things aren’t grim.  But prudent people plan and prepare.  Although, admittedly, I’m not sure if I quite remember how to write gaming material anymore.  The style is notably different.

7 thoughts on “…So, yeah, this is a bad time to try to get back into the RPG writing field, right?”

  1. I wrote for several years in the industry, but gave it up because the pay just wasn’t worth the effort.

  2. It’s harder to make a freelance living, but easier to fund, market, and sell your own projects.

    “Standard rates” for someone good, reliable, and timely runs about a nickel a word, so multiply by your likely word production rate to see if it’s worth chasing that dragon.

    But the plenitude of free or easily-licensed systems out there, and the existence of Kickstarter and of PDF sales, mean you can probably carve out a lace-curtain Irish existence in self-publishing if you’re responsive to the market.

    1. …Interesting. I probably should think about the self-publishing thing, if for no other reason than I don’t know anything about it. Fortunately, the wolf isn’t actually at the door.

      1. There is part of a workshop on e-publishing, which should work as a starter for research, if nothing else, at digitalworkshop dot amandasgreen dot com.

  3. On the Car Wars private thread, Phil Reed discussed a couple weeks ago sales. IIRC he basically stated that in the RPG world, sales that are considered a success are a fraction of the print runs of the 80s and 90s. Reminds me of TV ratings, hit shows have ratings that would have lead to cancellation just a few years ago

  4. Come on, you have to look at the positives: you’ve got a serious supply of free game testers at your disposal!

Comments are closed.