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Ever since I started creating my own houserules, I've wondered this. How would an aspiring designer even get their foot in the door? Are there special avenues one must go through to get their work noticed, or is it just talent and luck?
I've listened to/read interviews with designers and developers, and they all have stories about working on this project or that one, and how that became a stepping stone to greater things. But I'm wondering...how exactly did they get on the stepping stone?
In other words, where would one start?
Obviously, I would like the information for my own uses. But I see this as a thread for all aspiring designers wondering the exact same thing.
...Catch Phrase,
-Chris
RPG Superstar is probably a good start.
There are also threads about how to get in touch with third party publishers, and what they are likely to want from you.
edit: This thread has some good info.
Actually I wonder the same thing me and my brother have been working on our own game and world for nigh 4 years now so definitely will be watching this thread attentively
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The FAQ has some good suggestions of where to start, like RPG superstar, and writing for PFS, Wayfinder, etc. Some other RPG companies have different submission guidelines so look into those too.
Stepping stones are a good way to look at it. You want to move in the general direction of your goal, breaking into the industry won't happen overnight.
Beyond what has been said so far, even just dropping your stuff out there for free will eventually get you noticed if it's good, especially if you're prolific about it.
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A lot of it consists of just actually doing stuff. Start writing adventures, supplements, monsters, etc. The goal isn't to start off producing quality salable works, but rather to practice writing. A lot of RPG design/publishing is writing. The only way to get paid for writing is to be good at it. The only way to get good at writing is to write.
If you can't sit down and crank out 5 pages of whatever right now, that would be a major skill to work on.
I'm working at being a game designer myself, and am playing copy-cat at what Paizo has done. I hope to have an open Alpha/Beta test ready to go sometime in the near future. I'm even building a website where people can register, create profiles, and discuss the game concepts and testing.
Some of the best advice I've gleaned is to just write, and create a product that's as finished and polished as you can possibly make it. Even if it doesn't go anywhere, it's still good practice.
Be cheap but be honest. The art I used for my site was free, but it took a while to find quality free art that fit the idea I was going for. For the actual game, I'll probably end up having to shell out the money.
Most importantly, don't get discouraged. My first play-test ended in disaster, after the very first roll of the dice,(the first official die roll of my game ever) when a player threw a conniption because something didn't work the way he imagined it would.
Best of luck to you, and everyone else wanting to do game design.
And don't forget patronage projects like the ones at Open Design. Lots of ways to flex your designer muscles in those.
The people over at 3.5 private sancturary have been good enough to put up several seminars recorded from gencon and paizocon on the subject:
Gencon:
Writing for paizo
Paizocon:
So you want to be an RPG Superstar
publishing with kobold quarterly
writing for pathfinder society
There is sound advice in all of those in terms of getting into the business.
Game Chef is a yearly contest for game designers and is open to all as far as I know.
Fred Hicks is a self-employed publisher who blogs about the experience (and other things). He's the publisher of Dresden Files.
http://www.deadlyfredly.com/2011/06/deadly-living/
That entry specifically talks about his own personal experience trying to make a living off game design. (He's also one of the only publishers I know who regularly releases his sales data)
Game Play Wright a website/blog about games, writing, thinking about games, etc. They've also published a couple of very good books about games that are very insightful reads.
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And don't forget patronage projects like the ones at Open Design. Lots of ways to flex your designer muscles in those.
I'm echoing gbonehead here. Open Design is one of the best avenues for breaking into freelancing. Basically, you learn how to pitch material to an audience as you vie for a limited paid slot in the book. If the patrons (the audience) like your ideas, you get the contract from OD to write your winning bit. It's your chance to show your chops.
Some Open Design freelancers have even gone on to work for Paizo, as I understand it. Some have gotten gigs with other publishers who've seen their Open Design work.
Open Design opens doors. And you learn so much by just pitching and reading the constructive criticism most submissions receive. It's one of the few times you might get someone like Wolfgang Baur's opinion on why your idea didn't (or did!) work.
Btw, the Midgard project and Dark Roads (a planar supplement) are both underway. They are both at stages where it would be worth your while to purchase a senior patronage to gain the chance to pitch material and get your foot in the door.
I've been on several of these projects now, and I can't tout them enough for individuals seeking writing opportunities.
Kobold Press
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GBonehead and Christina have both mentioned the pay-to-play doorway that is Open Design, so I'll get specific and name names, for projects and freelancers.
A lot of freelancers for Paizo got their start at Open Design, including Brandon Hodge ("Feast of Ravenmoor" and "From Shore to Sea"), Adam Daigle (lots of Bestiary 2 and 3 work), Jim Groves (some books in the Ultimate sequence), and others.
Right now, Open Design is doing a Pathfinder Bestiary for Midgard, some player's guides, and adventures for the Midgard campaign setting (patronage linkie). The Dark Roads & Golden Hells project includes comments and work by Colin McComb (Planescape: Torment), Todd Stewart (the Great Beyond), and Dan Voyce (Northlands).
The remarkable thing is that more people don't take the open door. But it's right there for anyone who wants to give it a shot.
With all the talk of Open Design, don't forget that Wolfgang's Kobold Quarterly also has an open submission call for articles. That's a great place to show your chops, if you can successfully pitch a short article.
Also, look at any of the other third party Pathfinder publishers. 4 Winds, Super Genius Games, Frog God, Rite Publishing, etc. (There are more I'm probably insulting by leaving out, lots of them are good.) Many of these will consider a submission. They biggest key is to take a look at what sorts of products they produce, and pitch something that fits their existing product lines.
There are lots of opportunities to get involved, you just have to be out there writing.
RPG Superstar is probably a good start.
Anyone who is serious about RPG Superstar should work on their entries now. Look at the first round for the last three years. The rules have barely changed each time. You know a wondrous item is what you need. Write one a month until the contest starts. Then pick your best and polish it until it fits this years rules and outshines all the rest.
I have to admit, I never did like standing in line. ^_^
Everything mentioned above is good advice. I got my start by attending various freelancing seminar panels at conventions and hanging out on the messageboards of third-party publishers I respected and wanted to someday write for. I moved up from there to freelancing on some PDF products for such publishers and absorbed everything I could from their advice and each experience in writing for them.
Later, I pitched something to Kobold Quarterly (but ultimately it wasn't accepted). I launched a query for Paizo's open call for the adventure module Flight of the Red Raven (and it didn't get accepted). I also submitted to the first annual RPG Superstar contest (and didn't make the Top 32). Only in 2009 did the stars align and I found the winning recipe for enduring that gauntlet, taking the prize, and going on to write for every Paizo adventure path since then...
My point is that you should always keep trying. I learned so much from every single one of those experiences. It's in the "doing" that you make your biggest strides as a designer. So, you should take advantage of every opportunity that's out there until you reach your ultimate goal. And, even once you get there, you set a new goal and keep right on learning and improving your designs. It isn't enough to just get your foot in the door. It's what you do after that matters the most. To me, that's how an aspiring designer gets into the business. He (or she) "designs" his own path for getting there and enjoys every step along the way.
Just my two cents,
--Neil
RPG Superstar is a great learning experience if you get in as you get advice from the pros (like Mr. Spicer from above). For me, personally, it sparked my interest in game design which I had never really thought about/attempted before hand. What got me freelance work, however, was engaging one of my favorite 3pps on these boards, Raging Swan. When Creighton (of RS) was putting out a call for freelancers he encouraged me to apply and I ended up getting to write a Tribes supplement for him (coming out soon!). I just signed another contract with him last week to do another supplement. So my advice is actively talk with those companies whose products you like and build a rapport with them. Also, pay attention to their different product lines and work your ideas into those. And finally, visit their websites to keep an eye out for open calls. Currently, Jon Brazer has one open for pirate themed spells.
I have to admit, I never did like standing in line. ^_^
Later, I pitched something to Kobold Quarterly (but ultimately it wasn't accepted). I launched a query for Paizo's open call for the adventure module Flight of the Red Raven (and it didn't get accepted). I also submitted to the first annual RPG Superstar contest (and didn't make the Top 32). Only in 2009 did the stars align and I found the winning recipe for enduring that gauntlet, taking the prize, and going on to write for every Paizo adventure path since then...
--Neil
When sending in a query, do you present a strong and polished overview of your idea or a detailed design? It is like the adventure proposals in RPG Superstar where the writer gives a detailed, but short summary of their idea for review? Which do you suggest would be the most appropriate for submitting ideas?
When sending in a query, do you present a strong and polished overview of your idea or a detailed design? It is like the adventure proposals in RPG Superstar where the writer gives a detailed, but short summary of their idea for review? Which do you suggest would be the most appropriate for submitting ideas?
It varies according to each publisher, most of whom have their own "submission guidelines." So, you do your homework by visiting their website, looking for their open calls, networking with them at conventions and such, attending their seminars on freelancing with them, and you take lots and lots of notes before eventually throwing an idea their way. And, when you do, you make sure you follow every bit of direction they gave you...wherever you found it.