My hackles are back up.

I’m so frustrated with trying to become a “pro” TTRPG designer.

Every time I hear something like this, it makes me want to find a tall bridge to get a better scenic view of the river below. Here’s the video that got me going this time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPDkXtC9Hi4&list=WL&index=8
My intention here is not to start some sort of Internet feud with James or even disagree completely with the video. It’s just the latest in a string of well-meaning videos on the subject. I’m so tired of hearing the same advice over and over that just doesn’t help.

I’m well versed in the topic of “Getting Hired in the TTRPG Industry” as I’ve tried to get a foot in the door and failed many, many times. I’m a pro at failing. Others have obviously had different experiences and I’m all happy for them. That’s great. Way to go.

Disclaimer: Statements expressed in this article are strictly my opinion. If you disagree or have a different opinion, that’s okay. I’m not an expert on everything. I’m not always right. I’m just writing from my experience as I know it. Your mileage may vary.

I’m not even going to criticize what was said in the video. I’m not trying to pick another fight on the Internet. If James sees this, I hope he doesn’t think I’m talking trash about him. I’m not. The TTRPG industry itself on the other hand, probably has it coming to them.

I have very strong feelings about being a Pro RPG Designer.

I commented on James’ video about this in fact. I’ve been trying to get a writing gig with a game company since I was a wide-eyed high school kid with dreams of meeting Mr Gygax in person. I have heard the old, tired, depressing comment, “Sorry kid. Come back to us when you’ve been published somewhere else,” more times than I can easily count.

I’ve come to the conclusion that the TTRPG industry is all about who you know or who you bl🦆w. (I can say it here. Sorry for the sailor talk.) It’s truthfully all about the nepotism. Wizards of the Coast has their own special hiring practices, I’m sure. Looking at Hasbro? I’d still say there’s a little nepotism there.

You can come at this argument any which way semantically, but it still parses out the same way. There is very little difference between trying to get work with Kobold Press or Monte Cook than there was trying to work with T$R in 1987. I’d imagine over 50 years the industry would have evolved beyond the old buddy standard, but I’m just not seeing it.

Maybe it’s me?

If anyone needs me, I’ll be under my desk. (LOL!)

I’m not proclaiming my own innocence here. I’m very guilty of going against the grain of a couple of the video’s talking points. I’m pretty awful when it comes to networking and any kind of in-person social interaction.

Online I’m sorta okay. I’m working on building my 3K-ish following from X (Twitter) over on other social media platforms. My YouTube channel will get some attention on days when the kids aren’t home. (If you have kids around, you know.) But meeting people and making “friends” is definitely where I fall off.

I also don’t have a “perfeshional portfolio.” We all know how I feel about that sort of thing. I’ll pull one together if I absolutely need to. I’ve got enough stuff on this blog after 573 days of posting to have something to show for it. I also have a metric crap-ton of stuff in files, notebooks, and running around in my brain that could go down rapidly in print if needed, too. But I’m a pretty casual person, and I’m not changing that for any job.

In case anyone is wondering, I get by with gaming groups okay. Most of the time it’s family. They’re used to me and vice versa. I used to run for people I worked with and roommates. Again, they’re used to my shenanigans and daily BS, so it’s cool. I have very few people I let into my personal bubble.

I can do almost anything I set my mind to, except for this one thing so far.

I can’t seem to get into the TTRPG industry in a meaningful way. I’m frustrated at the moment. My solo endeavors are taking a very long time and with no art. I’d rather do settings and sourcebooks than modules and adventures. It gets tiresome.

I’m not even looking for a full time TTRPG gig. I’m perfectly happy having it as a side hustle. Ever since I went on disability benefits, I’ve wanted to write TTRPG material to fill the void. Yeah, I can do it for fun and for me as I often do, but I want to do something more meaningful and profitable. But I’m one guy with little-no artistic ability. I can write, do my own layout, and even edit sometimes.

I would drop everything to run D&D in a Castle if they asked. I would run as many games as possible for free admission to a convention. If I know I’ll never see half the group again, I can run 4-6 hours of game session. (D&D in a Castle is longer, but it’s D&D in a frickin Castle!) Professional GMing is only off the table because of my family and my screwball schedule.

Writing TTRPGs has always been my passion.

I can’t even catalog all of the cool ideas I’ve had for settings, locations, characters, magic, technology, even adventures. Name a system and a genre; I’ll probably come up with something. Maybe I’m just not good with the Sell Yourself to a Publisher “RPG.”

So, I’m still flying solo in the “Come back to us when you have something good, kid” phase of the operation. I don’t know if I’ll ever have friends “on my level” as James’ video puts it. I doubt I’ll ever rub elbows with the famous likes of Ginny Di, Chris Perkins, or Sean Reynolds anywhere but online. (Assuming I’m not already blocked on social media *cough*)

I have a very strong vision of what the future is going to look like. The Law of Attraction experts always say, “Don’t worry about the ‘how.’” I’m here to tell you, that’s easier said than done. I’m going to trust the process and let go, but it ain’t always easy.

Back to fun statistic stuff and gaming forward things tomorrow. Thank you for being here. I appreciate it.

I’ve covered this professional designer topic a few times here on the blog: