The Inside Scoop on Gaming

I’m a freelance RPG writer – or at least a wannabe freelance RPG writer. I have had a few articles and reviews published in online zines (in addition to here at RPG.net) and I have had a grand total of one short article published in a print magazine. I have yet to break into the likes of Dragon magazine or author an entire game supplement or adventure.

So, it was with no small degree of anticipation that I plunked down my four bucks and downloaded the RPG Freelancers Guide from RPGnow. What I essentially got was 350-odd pages of product lists, submission guidelines and contact information for a bunch of RPG publishers. I did also get a list of a whole two contests (both of which were over by the time I purchased the Guide) and five short articles about freelancing (two of which covered freelance illustration). Finally, thrown in as a bonus, were a couple of game reviews and some web resources that I already knew about.

I admit to feeling a little ripped off. I am completely capable of searching the websites of publishers I’m interested in for submission guidelines and contact information. I don’t need it all bundled up in one place with an ugly cover. To be fair to the publisher, however, maybe this is just an example of a product that wasn’t designed to meet my expectations. I was expecting in depth articles from a variety of freelancers, a long list of contests and open calls, interviews with publishers about what kind of submissions they are currently looking for, unique resources on the web, etc. There is basically nothing in the Guide that I couldn’t find on the internet in about ten minutes of searching.

Of course, if you are looking for a fairly comprehensive list of RPG publishers, complete with product lists and submission guideline, the RPG Freelancers Guide might be for you. If not, then I suggest you give it a pass. Finally, I understand that every magazine goes through a growth process and this is just the first issue. I might take a chance on a future issue of the RPG Freelancers Guide if the publisher makes more of an effort to include articles that are helpful to me as a freelance writer and provides me with rich content that I can’t get for free with a little time and effort on my own.

RPG Freelancers Guide
RPG Freelancers Guide Capsule Review by Anthony Roberson on 11/02/03 Style: 2 (Needs Work) Substance: 2 (Sparse) A 'guide' that is mostly a big list of game publishers. Nothing I couldn't get for free on the Net. Product: RPG Freelancers Guide Author: Edited by Anna M. Dobritt Category: Magazine Company/Publisher: RPG Freelancers Guide Line: Cost: 4.00 Page count: 399 Year published: 2003 ISBN: SKU: Comp copy?: no Capsule Review by Anthony Roberson on 11/02/03 Genre tags:	I’m a freelance RPG writer – or at least a wannabe freelance RPG writer. I have had a few articles and reviews published in online zines (in addition to here at RPG.net) and I have had a grand total of one short article published in a print magazine. I have yet to break into the likes of Dragon magazine or author an entire game supplement or adventure. So, it was with no small degree of anticipation that I plunked down my four bucks and downloaded the RPG Freelancers Guide from RPGnow. What I essentially got was 350-odd pages of product lists, submission guidelines and contact information for a bunch of RPG publishers. I did also get a list of a whole two contests (both of which were over by the time I purchased the Guide) and five short articles about freelancing (two of which covered freelance illustration). Finally, thrown in as a bonus, were a couple of game reviews and some web resources that I already knew about. I admit to feeling a little ripped off. I am completely capable of searching the websites of publishers I’m interested in for submission guidelines and contact information. I don’t need it all bundled up in one place with an ugly cover. To be fair to the publisher, however, maybe this is just an example of a product that wasn’t designed to meet my expectations. I was expecting in depth articles from a variety of freelancers, a long list of contests and open calls, interviews with publishers about what kind of submissions they are currently looking for, unique resources on the web, etc. There is basically nothing in the Guide that I couldn’t find on the internet in about ten minutes of searching. Of course, if you are looking for a fairly comprehensive list of RPG publishers, complete with product lists and submission guideline, the RPG Freelancers Guide might be for you. If not, then I suggest you give it a pass. Finally, I understand that every magazine goes through a growth process and this is just the first issue. I might take a chance on a future issue of the RPG Freelancers Guide if the publisher makes more of an effort to include articles that are helpful to me as a freelance writer and provides me with rich content that I can’t get for free with a little time and effort on my own.