Do you want to be an RPG designer? Maybe you’ve created some great homebrew content, have a few products on sale already, or have a cool tabletop RPG (TTRPG) idea you want to publish. Maybe you’re just curious about what it takes to create RPGs for a living and wonder where to start. Whatever the case, this article’s for you.
First Steps
The first thing you need to do is start.
TTRPGs involve a lot of creative energy. From creating your first character to running a months-long campaign, the hobby expects your creative investment at many levels. The trick is to take that creative investment, develop your craft (the ability to create and package that creativity), and ultimately deliver professional products.
Those customers might be an RPG publisher like Paizo, Wizards of the Coast, or Rising Phoenix Games, or you might be self-publishing on a site like DriveThruRPG or Itch.io. Either way, produce good work and be an asset to the roleplaying community.
An RPG designer is often part of a team. I’ve written rules, edited stat blocks, laid out books, created covers, made art assets, drawn maps, managed development teams, and made the tea. Mostly, that work is shared by a team of talented individuals, each with strengths and flaws. Being a team player is important, as is balancing your ego with a healthy dose of humility.
So, it’s worth learning as much as possible about writing and game design to be an asset to any development team you’re a part of. This collection of resources has proved very helpful to me, and I hope it’s helpful to you too.
Recommended Reading
I maintain a bookshelf on GoodReads with great RPG design resources. Check it out. All of the books I’ve listed are ones I refer back to often.
Writing
RPG Design Courses
Various courses on RPG game design:
RPG Product Marketing Courses
- Title Descriptions DriveThruRPG course video.
RPG and Fiction/Fantasy Writing Courses
Rapid Prototyping
The following tools are useful for making quick, iterative versions of your game ideas.
- Video about rapid prototyping for card games.
Pathfinder Second Edition
Specific tools and resources for creating Pathfinder Second Edition supplements.
Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition
- Rising Phoenix Game Monster Builder We’re building a 5e monster builder based on the excellent Blog of Holding’s monster maths.
- The Home Brew is a useful tool for formatting 5e content. Why not use it to inspire your own, unique formatting?
- How to Run Underwater Combat in 5e. We do love undersea content.
AI Tools
Many people take issue with AI tools, but — like any tool — knowing how to use the tool gives you more options to create better works. Enhance, rather than replace.
- Grammarly for AI-assisted text editing.
Free Web Tools
I use the following tools to improve my workflow, manage projects, and supplement my digital and real-world tools.
- Trello is a great management tool.
- Cloud Convert concerts file formats. Useful when you do a lot of work with PDFs.
Hi there, I’m Rodney.
Writer, Game Designer, Editor, Kitbasher, Skateboarder, and Ork ‘Ed Banga. But Nothing Without Christ!