Fiction, and stuff

In the last 15 years, I have started 5 novels, finished two, lost the two, rewritten the two, and and eventually given up on two. I’ve penned a great number of short stories, three of which I felt were good enough to submit to publishers. I’ve written game fiction, science fiction, mystery stories, war stories, plays, fan fiction, and absolute crap.

I’ve published none of it. I have, however, written 10 roleplaying game adventures, published under the RPGA tournament program. The last (and largest) was very nearly published commercially last year. I’ve re-written (i.e., edited) 50 some roleplaying products, alternately making the work of others shine, raising it to a minimum level of competence, or completely redesigning it. In the adventure game industry, this is known as “developing” a game design.

But not design.

I’ve reinterpreted the work of others, using the open game license in its purest form. I’ve designed card and board games, watched the changes get discarded, watched them interpreted, and then watched them improved by others. I’ve designed far reaching marketing programs, initiatives, and events. Others have taken the credit, others are bearing the fruit of them, and others have taken the blame.

You’ve probably never seen my name on anything. I’m not a member of SFWA. I believe my membership in GAMA has lapsed, my game credits have all been erased by new editions, and I certainly have not set the world of Cosmology on its ear, as I had planned to do when I was young.

This will be changing, I think.

I have needs.