FFG Needs RPG Writer/Developer

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FFG Needs RPG Writer/Developer

Post by Barrier Peaks »

Make that plural (the word I heard was "a handful" of said folks are needed). You can find the scoop here.

The down side? It seems like it's only a temporary position, and it requires that you move to Minnesota. It might be a good chance to get your foot in the door, though, if a career in RPGs is your idea of bliss.

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Post by devlin1 »

Writing RPGs: Bliss.

Living in Minnesota: Not so much.

In this age of iPods and Internet porn, is it really necessary to move halfway across the country to do some freelance writing work? I don't get it.
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Post by Skyman »

I would assume they need writers to look at there advance copy of 4.0 draft within their offices for reference.
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Post by BlanchPrez »

Oh, yeah, we're gonna fire up the mini-van and drive on down to Minnesota to write some RPG's, dontcha know?

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Post by Skyman »


[quote="BlanchPrez"]Oh, yeah, we're gonna fire up the mini-van and drive on down to Minnesota to write some RPG's, dontcha know?



Chris[/quote]


Just letting ya know Blanch that I was thinking you would be the most likely person to do this



you betcha

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Post by Dragonkin »

Yah, oh yah.
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Post by Barrier Peaks »

Hey, I just figured that at least one of you freaks might be crazy enough to do it, and thought I'd provide the impetus to your insanity. Guess I was wrong.

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Post by Skyman »

Well that should teach you:razz:

Just kidden. If I was not married and had a savings to work with to buffer problems that pay does not cover...then I would be VERY tempted. My writting is not that fast and prolific and good but I just think it would be cool
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Post by Barrier Peaks »

That's it: Feign sanity and reason in the face of such a ludicrous opportunity.

:smile:
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Post by BlanchPrez »


[quote="Barrier Peaks"]That's it: Feign sanity and reason in the face of such a ludicrous opportunity.



:smile:[/quote]


Ludicrous is right. Let me see if I understood the site.



You have to write 3,000 words a day, Monday through Friday, for a crappy pay, with no benefits, but you have to move to Minnesota [i]and[/i] the best part, you have to provide your own computer!



Wow. What a wonderful opportunity. :confused:



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Post by Skyman »


[quote="BlanchPrez"]Ludicrous is right. Let me see if I understood the site.



You have to write 3,000 words a day, Monday through Friday, for a crappy pay, with no benefits, but you have to move to Minnesota [i]and[/i] the best part, you have to provide your own computer!



Wow. What a wonderful opportunity. :confused:



Chris[/quote]


Entry level jobs blow like that

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Post by Barrier Peaks »


[quote="BlanchPrez"]Ludicrous is right. Let me see if I understood the site.



You have to write 3,000 words a day, Monday through Friday, for a crappy pay, with no benefits, but you have to move to Minnesota [i]and[/i] the best part, you have to provide your own computer!



Wow. What a wonderful opportunity. :confused:



Chris[/quote]


Gee. In my experience, that sounds exactly like being a full-time freelance writer, only without the "move to Minnesota" requirement.



Though I suppose the cost of living in MN might be low enough that freelancing full time might actually allow you to afford a cardboard box to live in.



Yes, it's a pretty sad deal, admittedly. Just because you guys are sane enough to see it for the hell it is doesn't mean that someone out there isn't going to leap at the opportunity. :wink:

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Post by devlin1 »


[quote="Barrier Peaks"]Gee. In my experience, that sounds exactly like being a full-time freelance writer, only without the "move to Minnesota" requirement.[/quote]
Yeah, exactly.



No one ever said the RPG industry was glamorous. "3,000 words a day, Monday through Friday, for a crappy pay, with no benefits" pretty much describes the working lives of most people who crank out the stuff we buy on a daily/weekly/monthly basis.

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Post by BlanchPrez »

If I didn't have a wife and child to help support, I might apply.

Otherwise, it's a little TOO much hell for me.

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Post by Barrier Peaks »

Take it from me, it's not all that glamorous. Freelancing has its up side, but it also takes a lot of work to keep your fingers in the pie. I can't imagine doing it full-time; I enjoy medical benefits and steady pay too much to risk it. If I had no other choice I might take a stab at it, but that would be the act of a desperate man.

As it is, I only take on one project at a time these days; sometimes two, but only if they're small enough to manage simultaneously. My day job and family life are far too demanding for me to do much else. Even then, I find myself struggling for the time and/or energy to maintain my current crop of freelance obligations.

I don't know where the industry is going. I have trouble keeping track of all the variables. I'm not sure how long I'll continue to freelance. Probably until I stop enjoying it, I guess. I'd like to try my hand at fiction (a desire which grows stronger with each passing year), but I'm not sure if I'm cut out for that yet.

I've been lucky enough to work for bigger publishers that actually pay good per-word rates. FFG's offer, in that regard, is good: 4 to 5 cents a word is stellar when compared to some of the paying gigs out there. I've seen projects that offer less than 1 cent per word. Or, worse, only pay royalties or a percentage of profits from sales.

The amount of work they're expecting from folks (3,000 words per day) isn't all that daunting, IMO. It's less than 400 words per hour, which is cake (especially if it's all I'm doing, all day long). Given a rate of 375 "good" words per hour, you're looking at $18.75/hour at the upper end of their pay scale, and $15/hour at the lower end.

As noted, there are lots of downs to this offer, the most prominent of which is that it's contract work that only lasts for a specific amount of time. Something like this could potentially turn into a full-time gig, especially if they're using this drive to scout out new talent. According to their posting, though, they're looking for folks who have been published. I'm not sure how stringent they plan to be with their requirements.

For someone with no deeply planted roots and a couple of titles under his belt, this sort of thing could be a veritable gold mine. The potential is that he'll work on several different 4E titles, gaining additional published credits. If he's really good, he'll gain a reputation for his reliability and talent, which can only lead to more work later on. In that regard, it's an investment, and it carries with it some degree of risk.

I realize that this doesn't represent reality for the majority of us. We have families, stable jobs, bills to pay. It would take a certain type of person to take the risk, given that his overtures were received positively by FFG in the first place.

So I guess I've given this too much thought tonight. See what happens when I should be doing real work? Meh.

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Post by BlanchPrez »

Actually, Gary, I get totally what you are saying. I agree, 3,000 words a day isn't a big deal, and even in the world of magazine publishing, 5 cents a word is pretty good. Fiction work normally pays 3 cents a word.

My biggest issue with this is the need to travel all the way to Minnesota for a temp job. I can freelance just fine from here. Not that I don't understand their desire to have all their freelancers in house, to make sure they're actually working. It just doesn't work for me.

Like I said, if I were kidless and single, I might apply. But for me now, this is a bad idea.

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Post by Skyman »


[quote="BlanchPrez"] I can freelance just fine from here. Not that I don't understand their desire to have all their freelancers in house, to make sure they're actually working.

Chris[/quote]


I don't think it has to do with knowing they're actually working because you either wrote 3,000 words or you didn't. Like I said before. I think they have a draft of the 4.0 draft to work with and have to keep it in house to make sure it does not leak out for legal reasons. IMO



In reflection, I think this is one of those things where folks are asked to take a leap of faith toward a dream and if this is not your dream...well F* that noise, but if it is your dream, then your at a cross road of laying it on the line and putting a crap load at risk... or going back to the ho hum of what ya were doing the day before. Kinda reminds me of the Matrix where Trinity tells Neo in the car "Because you have been down there Neo, you know that road, you know exactly where it ends. And I know that's not where you want to be." In the end I don't think there is no shame either way. Most of us got a lot holding us back. I can only admire those more that go for it as a result



I know of folks who are trying to break in. Some of those contests I enter for Chaosium have people trying to get there feet in through the door. This one by FFG seems like having your leg through the door. Almost gimmie because you'll be one of the first peeps to publish in the 4.0 system. Plus the after hours playtesting has gotta be kick ass. :cheers:

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Post by Dragonkin »


[quote="Skyman"]I don't think it has to do with knowing they're actually working because you either wrote 3,000 words or you didn't. Like I said before. I think they have a draft of the 4.0 draft to work with and have to keep it in house to make sure it does not leak out for legal reasons. IMO[/quote]

You're probably right, but only in regards to FFG. The OGL deal that Wizards made with whomever was willing to pony up the 5 G's for advanced copies of the SRD doesn't require them to keep the doc in house, but does extend to any freelancers who write for the 3rd party. In short, if you try to leak any 4E gooshiness dealt to you via your 3rd party publisher, you will be hung by your toenails in the basement at WotC, and forced to write crappy sourcebooks.

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Post by Barrier Peaks »

So, the job listings at FFG have been revised. No longer are you required to move to Minnesota. They are casting the net a bit wider this time around. I can only assume that the initial response they received to the previous posting was lukewarm.

Off-site contractor posting

Senior RPG Developer (full-time)

I haven't looked that closely at the job descriptions, being as I won't be applying for either of them, but I thought I'd let you guys know.

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Post by devlin1 »


[quote="Barrier Peaks"]I haven't looked that closely at the job descriptions, being as I won't be applying for either of them, but I thought I'd let you guys know.
[/quote]

Okay, now that's something a guy like me could actually apply for (or "for which a guy like me could actually apply," if you prefer). It still might require a week or two out in Minnesota, but still, much improved.

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Post by jimmy corrigan »


[quote="devlin1"]Okay, now that's something a guy like me could actually apply for (or "for which a guy like me could actually apply," if you prefer). It still might require a week or two out in Minnesota, but still, much improved.[/quote]do it! then give me your free swag!! yeah!!!
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Post by BlanchPrez »

Agreed.

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Post by devlin1 »

Epilogue:

I applied for this job, as did a friend of mine up here in Irvine. A couple weeks ago, he got a rejection email, whereas I received nothing, so I started thinking, "Y'know, maybe I actually got the gig." But then too much time went by for me to have actually gotten it, because the job's supposed to start this month. I sent an email at the end of February but hadn't heard anything, so today I just called Mike Hurley, at FFG.

The good news, I guess, is that I didn't not get it -- but neither did I get it. The entire position's been scrapped, along with their 4E plans. FFG's turning their attention away from 4E altogether and focusing everything on the recently acquired Warhammer license. So the upshot is that right now they're hiring full-time developers for Warhammer stuff, and will be hiring freelancers later. Of course, those freelancers will be for Warhammer, not 4E, so... the bloom's off the rose, for me.
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Post by jimmy corrigan »

great story, grampa. could've used a vampire though.
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Post by devlin1 »


[quote="jimmy corrigan"]great story, grampa. could've used a vampire though.[/quote]
Your [i]mom [/i]could use a vampire.

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Post by Count Zero »


[quote="devlin1"]Epilogue:



I applied for this job, as did a friend of mine up here in Irvine. A couple weeks ago, he got a rejection email, whereas I received nothing, so I started thinking, "Y'know, maybe I actually got the gig." But then too much time went by for me to have actually gotten it, because the job's supposed to start this month. I sent an email at the end of February but hadn't heard anything, so today I just called Mike Hurley, at FFG.



The good news, I guess, is that I didn't not get it -- but neither did I get it. The entire position's been scrapped, along with their 4E plans. FFG's turning their attention away from 4E altogether and focusing everything on the recently acquired Warhammer license. So the upshot is that right now they're hiring full-time developers for Warhammer stuff, and will be hiring freelancers later. Of course, those freelancers will be for [i]Warhammer[/i], not 4E, so... the bloom's off the rose, for me.[/quote]


Interesting they are decided to set aside 4E. As a developer I probably would be too. After how well every company got screwed in the long run by 3E, I doubt any of the big boys will really be into riding that train again.

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Post by mordraine »


[quote="Count Zero"]After how well every company got screwed in the long run by 3E, I doubt any of the big boys will really be into riding that train again.[/quote]

Yeah Mongoose and Green Ronin would be crazy to hitch their wagon to *that* train, seeing as how hugely they were screwed the first time around.

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Post by devlin1 »


[quote="mordraine"]Yeah Mongoose and Green Ronin would be crazy to hitch their wagon to *that* train, seeing as how hugely they were screwed the first time around.[/quote]
Well, Chris Pramas has said that Green Ronin's sticking with True20 instead of chasing 4E. At least they have another property to follow, though. If Mongoose doesn't go for 4E... what does it have? Paranoia? Mongoose churned out a bunch of shit for 3E, but without that shit they wouldn't even have [i]existed[/i].



Or maybe you're being sarcastic. Whatever.

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Post by jimmy corrigan »

i'm pretty sure mord was being sarcastic, as third party 3.x properties were green ronin and mongoose's bread and butter, a far cry from some ruinous metaphoric train. i'm surprised you didn't catch that, devlin1, as sarcasm's usually your bailiwick. ok, i just wanted to say bailiwick. i'll admit it.

bailiwick.
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Post by devlin1 »


[quote="jimmy corrigan"]i'm pretty sure mord was being sarcastic, as third party 3.x properties were green ronin and mongoose's bread and butter, a far cry from some ruinous metaphoric train. i'm surprised you didn't catch that, devlin1, as sarcasm's usually your bailiwick. ok, i just wanted to say bailiwick. i'll admit it.



bailiwick.[/quote]

OGL stuff was certainly Green Ronin's bailiwick for 3.X, but now that they have a system all their own things have changed, IMO. And like I said, Mongoose wouldn't even exist if not for the OGL, but they cranked out a lot of shit, even recently -- those frickin' Quintessential books which were neither books, nor quintessential -- that was bad enough to rival Fast Foward Entertainment, and is surely a contributor to the establishment of the new, more restrictive OGL and to the perception that all third-party D&D stuff was shitty.

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Post by Barrier Peaks »

Sorry to hear that, Devlin. Keep trying, it can't hurt. Good for you for calling them, too. The "silent treatment" from publishers is a pain in the neck, and all too often folks don't take them to task with a friendly phone call. Sometimes, all it takes to get on their radar is a phone call or a stop by the booth to introduce yourself at whatever convention they happen to be attending.

As to 4E, I wasn't aware that FFG had scrapped their plans for it, but I have been in touch with them in regards to future WFRP and Dark Heresy products (given that I've credits in both lines). I'm so busy between family, work, and my other projects that I won't be all that shook up if I don't hear from them right away.
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Post by mordraine »


[quote="devlin1"]Or maybe you're being sarcastic. Whatever.[/quote]

Yes.



There are probably a lot more companies that we could list that would never have existed were it not for 3E. The whole OGL thing was, in general, a boon for the RPG industry, IMNSHO. I can't see how anyone would've gotten "burned," excepting if they were producing a big 3E product roll-out when 3.5 was announced. Which would've sucked, but would've been short term in any case. But these announcements come quite a while ahead of time, giving most companies time to adjust.



(oh, and I'll bet that GR will, at some point in time, produce some 4E products)

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[quote="mordraine"]The whole OGL thing was, in general, a boon for the RPG industry, IMNSHO. [/quote]
Oh, I agree with you there -- from my admittedly limited perspective, it changed the face of the RPG industry. It also coincided nicely/badly with the increasing popularity of POD services.


[quote]I can't see how anyone would've gotten "burned," excepting if they were producing a big 3E product roll-out when 3.5 was announced. Which would've sucked, but would've been short term in any case. But these announcements come quite a while ahead of time, giving most companies time to adjust.[/quote]
There's a definite perception among gamerdom that the majority of third-party D20 stuff is crap, which contributes to the perception among gamerdom that D20 is crap, which, in theory, hurts WotC and [i]all [/i]third-party publishers. If anyone got a little burned, it might have been WotC. At least, that seems to be WotC's take on the situation, which is why they're putting tighter controls on the 4E OGL. (Or whatever the OGL's called now -- more like the [i]MM[/i]OGL -- am I right, people? They've turned D&D into one of those damn MMOs! Why, I tell ya.)


[quote](oh, and I'll bet that GR will, at some point in time, produce some 4E products)[/quote]
No doubt -- they're just not plunking down the five grand to do so right out of the gate. Besides, they're doing that M&M fantasy hack, which I'm dying to see and which will probably be a very popular alternative to 4E. As might FantasyCraft, which I'm also eager to see.

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Post by mordraine »


[quote="devlin1"]There's a definite perception among gamerdom that the majority of third-party D20 stuff is crap, which contributes to the perception among gamerdom that D20 is crap, which, in theory, hurts WotC and [i]all [/i]third-party publishers.[/quote]

Kinda like because Chevys are crappy, it hurts sales of [i]all[/i] American cars?

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Post by Neuro »

I work in a giant, empty void. I have no coworkers with whom to brainstorm. No one to bounce ideas off. Nobody to tell me when I have stepped off the deep end into producing crap. For a little while, it was awesome. Now, I understand why you would want people in one place. I never think people should do all their thinking in groups, but collaboration is a beautiful thing. Those fifteen minute kitchen conversations that periodically revealed to me the brilliant ideas of others that wouldn't have been passed down through official documentation I won't read anyway were genuinely worth something. Working in isolation breeds particular sorts of stresses that lots of people aren't really cut out for. The majority, probably, in fact. Not that some of us don't eventually turn out good work this way, just that I see a pressing reason to keep people gathered together.
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[quote="mordraine"]Kinda like because Chevys are crappy, it hurts sales of [i]all[/i] American cars?[/quote]
If that's happening, then yes. I know that for years I pretty much disregarded just about any D&D supplement that didn't come from WotC.

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Post by jimmy corrigan »


[quote="Barrier Peaks"]Sorry to hear that, Devlin. Keep trying, it can't hurt...[/quote]also, to echo what barrier peaks said, sorry to hear about all this. it's their loss, dude. having read your writing, i know you've got the proverbial chops. but i worry not. because i know that there's an awesome rpg-related gig out there just for you. i just know it. i know it in my heart.
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Post by Skyman »

Yes I concur with JC echoing of Barrier Peaks...you've got teh skillz and it is there loss
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devlin1
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Post by devlin1 »

Thanks for your support, fellas.

I got an email today from Mike Hurley at FFG saying that I'm a "strong candidate," so that's nice. Even nicer is that I'm still in the running for the Warhammer stuff. We'll see how that shakes out, I guess.
Mike Olson
‎"In this economy, it's not easy to feed a growing family. So we eat Haunkkah gelt for dinner and look at a picture of broccoli." --Paul F. Tompkins
Spirit of the Blank: A blog.
Roll Some Dice: Another blog.
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Count Zero
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Post by Count Zero »


[quote="mordraine"]Yeah Mongoose and Green Ronin would be crazy to hitch their wagon to *that* train, seeing as how hugely they were screwed the first time around.[/quote]

Mongoose jumped off that train pretty quick. So did FFG. They saw the market turning down and got the hell out of dodge pretty quick.



Mongoose produced mainly junk, but they did have a few good things here and there. There was a sudden down turn in the market after 3.5, and I think it was because of 3.5 you saw some companies disappear. Partly because of crap, but also because all this product they had in print was suddenly useless in the view of the public. Regardless of how long before it is announced, if you have stuff in print then you still need to move it and that isn't really possible.



OGL was good for companies in the beginning, but it dropped off and it probably burned some of them. I am sure the are being cautious this time around and making sure to be stable on their own. If I were going to publish games I would probably do some OGL stuff, but make sure not to put all my money into that one area. If it were such a "sure fire" way to make money, I doubt they would be scrapping their 4E program. They are most likely going to wait and see what happens, especially with the changes that are happening in the the D&D system. If it bombs, would you really want to have put tons of money into it? You can always produce those ideas you had a few months after release when you know the new system didn't tank.

Whenever I get confused about D&D alignment morality, I just imagine Abraham Lincoln and Mahatma Ghandi arm wrestling shirtless on the back of a killer whale.

In other words, I remember that it doesn't really make a whole lot of sense and deal with it best I can.
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devlin1
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Post by devlin1 »


[quote="Count Zero"]Mongoose jumped off that train pretty quick. So did FFG. They saw the market turning down and got the hell out of dodge pretty quick.[/quote]
Really? They both cranked out a ton of OGL D20 stuff. Green Ronin may have had True20 and M&M to deal with, but the amount of material they produced for D20 is really pretty significant. And Mongoose doesn't even really have a fall-back. Even Conan is D20, and they're still printing [i]that[/i].

Mike Olson
‎"In this economy, it's not easy to feed a growing family. So we eat Haunkkah gelt for dinner and look at a picture of broccoli." --Paul F. Tompkins
Spirit of the Blank: A blog.
Roll Some Dice: Another blog.
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