This week we’ve got something slightly different: Alison Whetton was involved in a self-publishing venture that began in the 90s, but it wasn’t a novel. No, she published a role play game.

Parents leave their offspring to do as they please, defending the evil that results, as they wish not their own to be recognised or blamed. They give nothing and take constantly, uncaring of those they take from, for they believe they are owed – perhaps they should think of the sick and the dying whose money they steal.

Doctors help those they can to live, even when life is pain, for they cannot do otherwise. Were the pain inflicted by another the victim’s suffering would soon end, yet when it is disease or injury who are the tormentors, the doctors must be their accomplices.

Above this, in steel and glass towers, corporate knights duel with diamond pens in a war of words, striving to rule a fantasy world of stocks and bonds and numbers. Each day another triumph, another victim, but no one keeps the crown for long, or is remembered by those who succeed them. Corporations, like dinosaurs, tear and strike at one another in the insane pointless dance of trade, healing setbacks in moments. Until at last one falls and the others tear it apart and subsume it, while lesser companies fight for the scraps, and asset-strippers scavenge what they can.

There are those out there, not merely part of one world, but of them all, seeking a living in the shadows inside the steel spires, unnoticed by the corporations they are part of, fearing the half seen darkness on the streets around them. In the day they work as they live, in the night return to their homes and watch their television and pretend that everything is alright and that there was nothing they could do if it was not.

The good among them fight for others’ rights. They comfort a few and in places their work endures for a few moments and makes others feel happier with the lie that nothing is wrong. Most will not act – yet do not think of themselves as evil. They are happy in their lives and blind to the shadow at the edge of vision and if on occasion they feel sorrow or unease, they do not know for what it is they grieve.

Tell me a little about your RPG!

My first published book was the Principia Malefex RPG. It was set in modern Britain and was a low combat game with horror and fantasy overtones. I’d been working on it, on and off, for years, and when I got to University I decided to publish it. For an RPG in the mid-nineties this meant self-publishing, as the established imprints all published material for their own systems.

I found a group of friends who were prepared to help, and despite making some classic mistakes along the way, it was a success. The project was underway in 1996 and launched at Gencon UK in 1997.

Classic mistakes? Can you expand on some of them?

A few of our classic mistakes? We didn’t hire a typesetter and the layout on the initial print run was an appalling mess of different fonts, indents and worse. We also underestimated what it takes to move a printrun, and ended up shuttling it back and forth by car. With later print runs portions were collected by the distributors from the printer, which saved my suspension.

We also did not send out review copies before the main launch, instead relying entirely on the web. Since we were doing a trade convention launch we got the distributors and handed out review copies there, but it would have been easier if we could have sent it out before then. Finally when we arrived at the convention we discovered that no one on the team actually knew how to sell. We managed to clear the first printing at the convention, but we really should have paid more attention to logistics.

The other thing we should have focused on was presentation. We’d been doing everything cheaply and focusing on keep production costs down so, as well as the font-happy book layout, our initial supporting release was comb-bound. When we switched to saddlestitched, later releases far outsold it. It really is worth spending a little extra to make sure that the book is well-presented.

Now we have templates and stylesheets to manage layout, so the newer books look consistant, and with established distribution links it makes new releases much simpler.

Do you think self-publishing is still the best way to go for RPGs, or would you recommend a different route to newcomers?

Sorry if this is a bit long, but I’m trying to condense a lot of experience into a few lines. It’s a very different world to novel writing.

It depends what you want to write, since RPGs and supporting supplements are tied to a particular rules system. Most of the larger RPG companies own their own systems, so if you want to write for an existing system you need to get their permission or look for a role as a house writer. Every house has different ways to recruit, and many commission work at a flat rate or per word, rather than pay royalties.

If you want to launch your own system and have full creative control, as we did, then self-publishing under your own imprint is the normal route. Most companies start that way, which means there is less stigma to self-publishing in RPGs than general fiction – as long as you have a good product.

With the advent of the Open Gaming Licence, you can also write content for that system and self-publish with a ready-made audience. However, there is a lot of competition.

Nothing wrong with long! You mentioned forgetting to send out review copies earlier. What other kinds of promotion do you reccommend for RPGs?

The effect of personal contact with the market really can’t be overstated. Conventions and clubs provide a good way to meet gamers face to face to talk about and demonstrate the game. An online presence is also very important, not simply by setting up your own website but by getting involved with the existing communities.

The key to selling books, from our experience at least, was definitely word of mouth. Try to make it easy for other people to promote your game with convention packs, or free games that they can download and try out. Supporting clubs like universities or college game groups with free books can help raise your profile, as well as creating leaflets or advertising in genre magazines.

You know, I think we’ve pretty much covered everything I wanted to ask now. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I’ve been racking my brains, and I can’t think of anything else.

The only other bit of advice I would give? Don’t be afraid to ask others in the industry for help or advice. At least in the UK most of them have been where you are now and are only to happy to help.

Principia Malefex has its own site, where you can purchase the game and expansion packs, and is also available on Amazon!