Quote from: Elliot WilenI have no experience writing for RPGs, but one thing I think I'd want to make sure of...will you, in the end, get paid? I've heard multiple horror stories of people not getting paid, or having to bug someone for far too long before seeing anything.

I would check around and see if you can find any horror stories.  Also, remember it's a long trek between writing and getting paid.  For instance, I was offered a gig at a couple of different times and then a monkeywrench was thrown in.  Once was because a game came out that dealt with similar material and they did not want to compete with company X and another was a mutual decision due to circumstances on both sides.  I had a proposal accepted and the other was based on a game I wrote.  

Those are just a couple of examples from my own life.  I am not saying anything like this will happen to you but keep your eyes open and be adaptive to changing circumstances.

Quote from: Elliot WilenI have no experience writing for RPGs, but one thing I think I'd want to make sure of...will you, in the end, get paid? I've heard multiple horror stories of people not getting paid, or having to bug someone for far too long before seeing anything.

In the US most states take a very dim view of not paying people for work completed.  If in the US, check with your states Attorney General's office usually under consumer protection but call and ask, they are there for you.  If you need to know who to bug at the company, that info is usaully with your state's Secretary of State.  

For example, in some states there can be procedures where you send a formal letter stating your greviences and factual basis for your claim to get paid.  Failure to respond (not necessarily pay) in a set time could result in a default judgement in your favor possibly with increased damages.  

Now getting a judgement and getting the money are two differnt things, but you'll have it and maybe you can even file some sort of lein against them, which may make them pay-up.   Remember, in the US this varies from state to state, some states providing more options than others, so be sure to check with your local state before relying on any such backstop to getting your money.

Four cents a word is great, the stuff I wrote for JTAS only got me three cents a word - and that is a SJGs licensee.