If you could, would you work in the RPG field?

[WSmith]

I would like to be the webmaster for a d20 company. OH WAIT!

If i won the CA lottery Saturday, which is $217m or such, I would open a gaming shop here in Merced, despite all the warnings from Talon and such. . There only a cheezy B. Dalton in the mall, and when the UC campus is here in two years, they will need one.

 

[Tuerny]

It would take me way too long to pay off my students loans if I went into the RPG buisness. Plus there are more important things in my life. Plus I am already almost finished getting my CS degree.
Sooo...
No.

 

[-Eä-]

I wouldn't want to work in the RPG business, not part time, not full time or something like that. What I would however do is to contribute to making systems more statistically sound and to make fomulae describing systems. Not something that I would get paid to do (unless I am an official WotC statistician)

 

[der_kluge]

There's not an option for if we already do work in the RPG field?

Oh sure, I still have day job, and I'm just a freelancer for Thunderhead Games, but still...

There's plenty of work to be done. The nature of the market nowadays is that anyone with a good idea can write it down and get it into print, or at the very least - pdf.

I would contend that, if you REALLY wanted to be in the RPG business, and weren't already - something is wrong.

If you really want a writing contract with a D20 company, go to www.thunderheadgames.com and enter in the contest there.

 

[Nightfall]

Well I figured if you already worked in the RPG field Klugie, you pretty much had said yes. But I can put in that third option IF you like.

 

[DwarvenBrew]

Part Time Yes

I would write part time if possible.

Mostly, I think that I'd be interested in taking a small geographic region of a setting and fleshing out its details in a source book. I'd also probalby try to do a few modules as well.

 

[Psion]

Yup

I have been strongly considering dropping reviews to write material instead. I've had multiple people ask me to write material for them. You may even see my first material show up this summer.

The only reason I don't do it full time is that I sense that I wouldn't make the same amount of money, and my bills (and time) are tight as it is. But even at my day job, I am regarded as a good writer when I put my mind to it, and I certainly enjoy writing more than being an overtrained code-janitor.

 

[Hard8Staff]

For those interested,

When we were preparing to hire our first full-time writer(s) in '00 we did some industry benchmarking for salaries. I don't have the data with me, but going from memory, we found this:

Beginning writer:
Salary $15k-23k/year

"experienced/seasoned":
$20k-32k/year

In both cases they had no benefits to speak of (maybe health insurance, maybe not, no 401k/retirement benefits, no dental).

WOTC is not part of our data, though I can tell you that one WOTC writer with experience told me he was making $55k/year. Of course, they did many rounds of layoffs since then, so I don't know what that does to this info.

I have no idea if/how the d20 invasion has affected the above, but my guess is that it's brought it down somewhat (although freelancers are doing better, I think) as mid-size companies feel the squeeze of declining numbers in the face of too many consumer choices and not enough consumers.

Regards,

David Kenzer

 

[Nightfall]

Well thanks Dave for that insight.

Btw, Psion is this work with anyone one we know/have heard of or this your own private venture?

 

[AFGNCAAP]

Heck yes!

I'd enjoy being a writer, but I think I'd rather shoot for something like an editor (which is kinda close to some of the stuff I do now). Make that M.A. in English work for me. Besides, despite how long the work is, it's still work experience as an editor, & in the field.