Man, what a rush. Dread is finally in print.

The project has evolved considerably from the initial conceit. Playtesting saw to that. Well, not so much playtesting as playing. I had a group consisting of two guys who'd been gaming for a couple of months, and four girls who'd never gamed before. They played Dread in groups of 3-7, and we had a hell of a lot of fun doing it. I learned a few things from them. For instance: question everything. Every assumption, every decision. Why's this rule important? What's the point of that? Is this supposed to be fun? They asked polite but direct questions, and got me thinking pretty hard about what I wanted from the game.

I had about six billion ideas for the publishing model, but wound up going with a color-cover perfect-bound book (with a promotional "soundtrack" thrown in for good measure). I contacted every printer in the tri-city area. I'm not exaggerating. If you're thinking about putting your game out, make the calls. Contact everyone. If you leave a message and don't get a return call, walk. Don't work with anyone that comes across as indifferent or unprofessional. You're paying for a service, and if you're not taken seriously, you're wasting your money.

I wound up going with this massive publishing company in the next city over. They've got a warehouse, like that one in the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark. I was like, damn. And they're so insanely customer-friendly, it's hard to describe. One of them, an older gentleman who knew nothing of RPGs when we met, actually surprised me on our second meeting. He told me, "I hope it turns out to be the next Doom."

Now, this guy must have gone online, done a Google Search for "violent scary game" and come up with Doom. The fact is, he wanted to learn my crazy gamer language, and did the research so we could "relate." I found that to be touching. He returned calls promptly, delivered on time, went above and beyond (before I'd paid a single dollar or signed anything), and generally made it apparent that he took the project seriously, despite its relatively small scale. That is what you are looking for. That is what you need in your corner.

The artwork was culled from friends initially, but I wound up picking up a few artists along the way. Generally, I proposed ideas, and they executed them, but I was also open to any phantasmagoria that they wanted to contribute. The mind of the artist is a tricky thing; you must be open to -- I’m just kidding. I don’t know anything about artists. But I did learn that if you let them have some creative freedom, to submit what they think works, you get some ferocious stuff.

Layout was difficult. I used Quark 4.0, which is a fairly good program. If you can get your hands on it, I recommend it. The final file wasn’t too big. 12 megs, I think. The cover art, however, was 250 megs. A logistical nightmare? Yes. It was mammoth. Pretty much put my computer in a coma every time I saved or opened the file. Crazy.

Lessons learned (these might help you, and they might not):
• Exploit your resources. That’s what they’re there for.
• Ask questions constantly. Read everything on the subject. Read about small business operation.
• Never complain about anything. Just fix your problems.
• Don’t disagree. Listen and evaluate. Consider.
• Promise nothing, unless you’re sure you can deliver.
• If your mouse and keyboard stop working, you might need a USB adaptor.
• You might also need an exorcist.
• Have a spare monitor. Actually, have two.
• Ask clerks and receptionists for advice. They hear all, see all. They can help.
• Keep your site simple and clean. No mess.
• The Forge is an amazing resource. When you are bored, surfing the web, stop. Read old posts on the Forge instead.
• Study, study, study. Study the other guys. How they lay out their books, how they describe things, how they present art. Learn from them.
• Read and re-read your work. Hand it to other people. Listen to what they have to say. Think about it carefully.
• Everyone’s an expert. Just remember that your name’s going to be on the book, so be sure before you decide anything. Advice is great, but consider everything carefully.
• Support other game designers. Do what you can for the community. I mean, what -- are you in this for the fucking money? Come on. Help your peeps out when you can. It’s good for your soul.

That’s all I got right now. If I think of anything else, I’ll let you guys know.

Ron, Clinton, if I hadn’t had the resources here, the game wouldn’t have happened. Word is bond.


-- Rafael

Great post Rafael and congratulations.

Pete

Raf,

Thanks for sharing your insights. Very cool stuff.

You should have already received an e-mail notification of my pending payment for Dread. All I can say is how dare you release it on the same day as Brotherhood of the Wolf. Oh well...bill collectors can wait.

- Scott

Brotherhood of the Wolf the movie or is there an rpg with the same name?

Rafael, any links to your site by the way?

Demonspahn, hardcoremoose -- thanks, peoples. Rock on, and keep rocking.

Pale Fire wrote: Brotherhood of the Wolf the movie or is there an rpg with the same name?

Rafael, any links to your site by the way?

Yeeeeeaahhh!! I'm buying my copy right now.

Rafael, thanks for all the kind words. You and your achievements are exactly what the Forge is all about.

Best,
Ron

rafael wrote: Man, what a rush. Dread is finally in print.

rafael wrote: Now, this guy must have gone online, done a Google Search for "violent scary game" and come up with Doom. The fact is, he wanted to learn my crazy gamer language, and did the research so we could "relate." I found that to be touching. He returned calls promptly, delivered on time, went above and beyond (before I'd paid a single dollar or signed anything), and generally made it apparent that he took the project seriously, despite its relatively small scale. That is what you are looking for. That is what you need in your corner.

Thanks, Ron! And thanks for the heads-up in your email. I'm on it.

Grex wrote:
Sounds like a stand-up guy. Is this the guy you used?

Slightly OT:
You'd think some enterprising soul would create a printhouse that catered to RPG makers. I mean, really. Undercut the prices of other guys and make up for the low profit margin with a constant stream of books.

If you're good and you provide good customer service, word of mouth alone should make the business kick ass, financially speaking.

OT:
I ordered Dread and am looking forward to reading it! Raf is so metal, it hurts.

- J

Well done rafael

Cant wait for the book, that sounds like a cool guy you worked with for printing.

EDIT: How did your cover get that big?

-- Seamus

Jared A. Sorensen wrote: Slightly OT:
You'd think some enterprising soul would create a printhouse that catered to RPG makers. I mean, really. Undercut the prices of other guys and make up for the low profit margin with a constant stream of books.

If you're good and you provide good customer service, word of mouth alone should make the business kick ass, financially speaking.

OT:
I ordered Dread and am looking forward to reading it! Raf is so metal, it hurts.

- J