RPG Editors You Don’t Know But Should

Posted on May 2, 2013 by ayvalentine

By the very nature of freelance work, there are often a lot of really talented people continuously looking for work. Some people are really quite good at the difficult-to-learn skill of putting their names out there—if you’re looking for an RPG editor and you don’t know about John Adamus or Ryan Macklin, you just haven’t done your homework yet.

Particularly when you’re just starting out, though, it can be really hard to throw your hat in the public ring. To that end, here are some people I think you ought to consider if you’re in the market for an RPG editor:

Jessica Banks

Seems I’ve known Jess just about forever and we’ve done all kinds of things together (taught writing, made jewelry, had kids—my boy and her oldest boy are only two weeks apart), but we’ve never officially worked together on an RPG product! But I know the dedication and attention to detail that she brings to whatever she does. Someday I’m sure we’ll make wonderful RPGs together, too.

Previous and Current Work

  • Editor/Proofreader and Art Director for Ars Magica Fifth Edition: Antagonists, Hermetic Projects, and The Cradle & The Crescent (Atlas Games)
  • Editor for Mecha Core Book and Mecha Mercenaries (Heroic Journey Publications)

Contacting Jessica

Sally Christensen

I first worked with Sally on the Smallville High School Yearbook where she was a writer and I was the editor. Her feedback during proofing was so solid that we brought her on as an editor for Marvel Heroic Roleplaying. And recently she worked with me on the Cortex Plus Dramatic Roleplaying Game where I was a writer and she was the editor! Things come around. Now we’re working together as editors on the Firefly Role-Playing Game.

Previous and Current Work

  • Managing Editor at www.nerdgirlpinups.com from July 2010 to June 2012
  • Editor for www.silversnail.com
  • Editor for Marvel Heroic Roleplaying: Civil War, plus Young Avengers/Runaways and X-Men (Margaret Weis Productions)
  • Editor for Leverage Companions 1-10 (Margaret Weis Productions)
  • Editor for Cortex Plus Hacker’s Guide (Margaret Weis Productions)
  • Editor for Firefly Role-Playing Game: Echoes of War (Margaret Weis Productions)

Contacting Sally

Manda Collis

I haven’t directly worked with Manda in an editing capacity, but she is one of my favorite people. When she has editing questions, she doesn’t hesitate to come to me or to John Adamus to get some advice—her desire to learn and her willingness to admit she could use some help, rather than just muddling through and hoping it’s ok, make me confident in recommending her before I’ve really had a chance to work with her on a project.

Previous and Current Work

  • Editor for Court/Ship by J.R. Blackwell (part of Fate Worlds for Fate Core – Evil Hat Productions)

Contacting Manda

Rachael Derrick

Between summer internships, Rachael managed to squeeze in a little editing on Annihilation for Marvel Heroic Roleplaying. She did a lot of work on the character writeups, figuring out how to clearly consolidate decades of history into a few paragraphs. It was impressive.

Previous and Current Work

  • Editor for Marvel Heroic Roleplaying: Annihilation (Margaret Weis Productions)

Contacting Rachael

Matthew Gandy

I’ve known Matthew for years, but it’s only recently that I’ve had a chance to work with him. When we needed a rules editor for Marvel Heroic Roleplaying, he was my first choice and he didn’t let me down. His grasp of rules and eye for detail is wonderful.

Previous and Current Work

  • Editor for Dresden Files RPG casefiles “Neutral Grounds,” “Night Fears,” and “Evil Acts” (Evil Hat Productions)
  • Editor for Fiasco playset “Hocus Focus” (Bully Pulpit Games)
  • Rules editor for Marvel Heroic Roleplaying line (Margaret Weis Productions)
  • Writer of “From Scratch” for Mortal Coil (Galileo Games)

Contacting Matthew

  • Twitter: mdgandy
  • Email: mdgandy AT gmail DOT com

Alexander Perry

I worked with Alex on Marvel Heroic Roleplaying. He was easy to work with and happy to help with brainstorming. He has a nice mix of skill at both text and rules editing, and he’s a great team player.

Previous and Current Work

  • Various books in the Marvel Heroic Roleplaying line (Margaret Weis Productions)

Alex has worked as a freelance writer, editor, and journalist for several Chicago newspapers and magazines including Arte Y Vida Chicago, Hoy, Extra News, TimeOut Chicago, and the Chicago Sinfonietta Orchestra. He’s also edited numerous academic papers (published and working paper drafts) in a wide spectrum of fields from religion and literature, to behavioral finance and economics.

Contacting Alexander

Karen Twelves

Karen bailed me out when I needed a proofreader for Beyond Dinocalypse—she was fast, thorough, and asked for direction rather than just barreling ahead with what she assumed I needed. I don’t know Karen very well yet, but she was easy to work with and I look forward to working with her in the future.

Previous and Current Work

  • Editor for Apocalypse Galactica (Sean Nittner)
  • Editor for Role Playing Girl (Black and Green Games)
  • Editor for event programs for Big Bad Con, 2011 and 2012
  • Proofreader for Beyond Dinocalypse (Evil Hat Productions)
  • Proofreader for Hamlet’s Hit Points (Gameplaywright Press)

Contacting Karen

Joshua Yearsley

I haven’t worked with Joshua yet, but we’ve been chatting for a while. He’s worked on some cool stuff, and I happen to know that his graduate program is very good! (I’m a bit biased, as a PSU grad and former PSU instructor.) Someday I look forward to working on a project with Joshua and being able to meet for actual coffee in an actual coffee shop to work on it together.

Previous and Current Work

  • Editor for Nova Praxis (Void Star Studios)
  • Editor for Path of Jade and the upcoming Path of the Wicked (LPJ Design)
  • Editor for Cutting Edge Machinesmith, Fleshwraith, and Temple of the Forbidden God (LPJ Design)

Outside of the gaming world, Joshua has a lot of experience in editing for science journals and authors submitting to those journals, serving individuals and publishers alike. This work is challenging yet rewarding because of the large number of ESL authors that he works with on a daily basis.

Contacting Joshua

 

This isn’t anywhere near a complete list—I’ll continue to add people as I get a chance, and please feel free to sing the praises of your favorite not-nearly-famous-enough RPG editors for hire!

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