Design Services

A wide array of services, from design to development, and more

Whether your game project needs additional mechanical design or just a tune up, I offer game writing, critique, and advice to get your game back on track. This process begins with an analysis of your needs, to see if there is a way for my skills to help your project succeed. From there, I put my lifetime of game experience to work for you.

If you have any questions about the following services, check out the FAQ at the bottom of the page or send me an email through the form below. All rates are negotiable, based on the difficulty of the work and my interest in the subject matter.

Core Design

This covers all original design jobs, from building a core game engine to designing a novel subsystem to work within an existing framework.

Rates: No less than 20 cents/word of finished text*. For completely original works, where the entire game system is part of the order, I require a 5% commission on sales..

Additional

Design

This service covers the creation of additional content for an already established game or  rules system.

Rates: 15 to 20 cents/word of finished text*.

Game Development

For games that are already designed, this service includes an overall evaluation of the game, followed up by an analysis of its strengths and weaknesses, concluding with a report on ways to focus on the games positives and ideas on how to mitigate any problem areas. This does not include design writing.

Rates: The process starts with an evaluation of the game*. The final fee is negotiable , but can range anywhere from $200 for a simple card game, to several thousand for a large, complex TTRPG.

Cartography

The basic version of this service delivers an dynamic map sketch for use as reference to order full-color maps. The high detail version of this service delivers a black and white map with fine detail, suitable for printing. 

Rates: Minimum of $150 for a half-page black and white map ($300 for full page). Double these rates for a high detail map.

* At my discretion, I may require a $100 evaluation fee before beginning any work in an established system. This fee is non-refundable, but if I agree to any work, $50 is credited toward my final fee.

FAQ

What is the difference between core and additional design?

Core design focuses on creating entirely new play experiences, either as standalone games or within an existing game structure, whereas additional design is creating new rules within an existing framework inside a game. For example, creating new spells for a game that already has spells would be additional design. Creating a system of spells for a game that does not have spells at all is a bigger challenge and would be classified as core design.

How do I know if my game needs development?

Every game can be improved by having an additional designer, comb though it, looking for problems and opportunities. That said, the development services starts with an evaluation and if I don’t find any significant issues, I will skip directly to a final report, stating as much. 

Do you offer playtesting services?

Playtesting services are a possiblity as part of game development. If I feel that the game could benefit from playesting, I will contact you with the possibilities and costs associated with each option.

What are your development credentials?

Since I started working at Paizo in October, 2004, I have developed hundreds of articles, game books, adventures, and supplements, including 32 issues of Dragon Magazine, over a dozen modules, and 30+ hard cover books. For a more detailed look at my other credits, please see the  published works page of this site.

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