Mind you, I've never gotten the impression that this was a terribly common practice even when I first got started in the hobby.

But it really seems like there just plain isn't any companies that would even take a pitch or a submission for a new RPG.

Mongoose has an email addy on their site for RPG submissions I found, and there were apparently even willing to risk signing a deal for Cthulutech, but that's about it.  

Obviously size has a lot to do with things, but even the biggest companies have very focused goals regarding book lines and things that really seem to sort of preclude efforts seperate from those game lines.  

I mean really, it's no wonder that electronic and PoD publishing have taken off the way the have, when there's not really any other means to get into things.

Well, I had a company invite a preliminary pitch just yesterday.  Granted, I sort of had my finger on the company pulse anyway, and I knew that they were accepting general inquiries, but, yes, there are some companies out there that are still open to submissions.

!i!

I'm open but not for any new systems

Same here, though I made an exception for FTA!. I spun off the F20 products I used to publish to Chine Games. OTOH, I should have five different Task Resolution sub-systems under the general StarCluster system, enough to please most folks.

-clash

We issued an open call a couple of months ago and got some great stuff submitted, more than I expected.

But then, that might be because there's fewer outlets for it these days.

We at least are looking at new games we get. But we do make clear, that coming back at the author can take a while, because we are nor really searching new games at the moment.

We also had an annoying (ok, mostly funny) experience with this.

At a tradeshow, a woman showed us a draft of her fantasy-rpg. She stated, that she took "the best from every existing rpg there is". I think i was very polite to her. I pretended to listen to her, even if my personal thoughts about copying "the best" from a dozend different games should have made me ask her to leave our booth. Well - anyway. She send me an email after this, with a weblink. I didn´t followed this any further, of course. 3 or 4 month later, i recieved an email from her, stating that she looked at our forum and saw, that we are planning a fantasy - rpg, called "anima". Now she was theatening us with her very good lawyer, who was already informed, because clearly we were copying her rpg, blah blah blah...

The reasons, she thought we were copying from her: we were using fantasy races in anima, we were using magic spells in anima, we were using differnt deitys in anima with different powers, we were using differnt kind of combat-schools, and so on... :rolleyes:

The best thing about that is, that Anima was released in it´s original (spanish) form about one year before i talked to that woman and we were only translating this rpg.

Since i really don´t need this kind of things, i´m now very carefull, how i handle submissions. We do have enough authors, licenses and prototype games of our own to last another couple of years. We really don´t need to rip off anyone (and why should we - not paying the authors of a game is really not a good idea). But there are some really paraniod people out there....:raise:

Hey, Silent Pat: How about doing the german pdf for "Forward to...Adventure!" ?

Set aside your fears, Pat! Pundy is actually a dream to work with. No bluff, no bluster, just straight good sense.

-clash

One thing I've learned about submissions is that when it comes time to submit stuff it doesn't pay to be the bitchy asshole fan who keeps complaining.

Oh well, the Refuges From a Perfect World solo will work just fine with MSPE instead of GURPS and eventually I'll figure out what to do with Awesome!

Most companies know exactly what they want and have a release schedule planned at least 2 years ahead. Chances are, if you aren't penned in to work within that release schedule, then you aren't going to get anywhere. I think it was Mike Mearls who said that chances are if you're not a full-time freelancer now, then you probably never will be (or something like that).

Ways to get in that schedule are variable. I'll post something to the RPG design thread about that shortly.

Ok, I have a silly question:

Beyond submissions... if I wanted to simply hand someone my game/world/other associated IP, as long as they did something with it within say 3 years, would someone take it?

Chris Magoun
Runebearer RPG
http://www.runebearer.com

Quote from: cmagounOk, I have a silly question:

Beyond submissions... if I wanted to simply hand someone my game/world/other associated IP, as long as they did something with it within say 3 years, would someone take it?

Chris Magoun
Runebearer RPG
http://www.runebearer.com

Sure. PM me.

Quote from: flyingmiceSet aside your fears, Pat! Pundy is actually a dream to work with. No bluff, no bluster, just straight good sense.

You really get that from reading FtA!  Even the foreword is very professional.

Quote from: pigames.netSure. PM me.

Damn, I was going to post that for you.  And FYI, Brett's easy to work with AND your product is guaranteed to look spiffy when he's done.  

As to the OP's original question, Small Niche Games is accepting d20 Modern submissions for the Quick Play Adventures line.  We're also looking to expand to locations, something similar to the Critical Locations product Wizards put out, so if you have any ideas for either, feel free to pitch them to me at smallniche-AT-att.net

Pete

Last time I checked, I saw that SJ Games and Goodman Games, along with Mongoose, were taking submissions.  From the reading I did, it seemed like you would have to use particular systems (GURPs and d20) in order to even think about going forward with your pitch.  

I guess the next question would be why do you want to submit to another company rather than go solo or with partners.  I am not saying its wrong to go one way or another but it might help to tailor the pitch and see what kind of goals you actually have.

Quote from: ancientgamerI guess the next question would be why do you want to submit to another company rather than go solo or with partners.  I am not saying its wrong to go one way or another but it might help to tailor the pitch and see what kind of goals you actually have.

There are a lot of reasons not to go solo including art, layout, marketing, and getting set up as a vendor somewhere people actual browse (RPGNow costs $30 or something to open a new account).  These aren't HUGE hurdles, but some people might just be interested in the writing part and not everything else.  

Pete