TTRPG editing

Hi, I’m Tim Gray. I provide freelance editing and proofreading services for tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPG).

If you’re looking for high accuracy, insightful feedback and a supportive approach please read on!

Clients have included small and large publishers — there’s a list of past projects at the bottom of the page. Maybe you’ve got a kickstarter that you want help completing, or a translated work that you want turned into smooth English. If you’re looking for help with boardgame rules, we can talk about that too.

To explore how I can help your project be its best, please do drop me a line.

Past projects snapshot

  • Recent work: editing and proofreading books for Sanction (light ruleset), Rustwater (dark fantasy), Out of the Ashes (community-based fantasy) and Liminal (urban fantasy).
  • Earlier work includes books for the Call of Cthulhu line, Warhammer Fantasy including The Enemy Within, and the Conan line from Modiphius.

 

A selection of books I have worked on.
Some books I’ve worked on.

Skill areas

I’m a word wrangler with a strong eye for detail, and for the way that information needs to be structured and presented as a learning guide. I can zap errors and see how to make your text smoother and clearer while working to your style guide and tone.

There’s a surprising level of technicality to RPGs, easy to miss if you’re used to them. Having been publishing my own games for over twenty years, and reading them for longer, I know what works in the structure of the document, how to set out sections, and how tools and terminology are normally used.

I’m also a system monkey with experience of lots of rulesets (including developing my own) and the way that mechanics contribute to the feel of play and a setting’s narrative physics. If you’d like help with writing, design or development then do get in touch.

Tim Gray is always my first choice as editor for any RPG project I publish. He is reliable, quick, and rigorous. Tim is skilled at seeing the sense and flow of a text, helping me better express ideas and achieve consistency.

– Paul Mitchener, Wordplay Games

Tim is a reliable and talented proofreader. He is careful and focused. Not only does he spot problems, he also suggests solutions. He has a good eye for spotting inconsistencies in design and layout, as well as in text.

– Síne Quinn, Managing Editor, Cubicle 7 Entertainment Ltd

Levels of editing

People use different terminology for what they want, and it can get confusing. Here are some broad standards in the TTRPG field.

Development editing. Involvement with an early draft, including feedback on the structure and shape of the document. It’s less common to use freelancers for this.

Copyediting. The usual term for an edit of the text before it goes to layout. Done by making tracked change notes on a word processor document. Looks at typos and style consistency, gives feedback (eg on reader-friendliness), and may look at moving sections within the structure.

Proofreading. The last stage before the product is finished; final quality control. Done after layout, usually by marking notes on a pdf. Catches errors in text or layout (like images covering text), and ensures style guide consistency.

At each stage the editor’s notes are there for the client to implement or not, as they decide. (I tend to be thorough, providing notes on whatever I spot, so you have the option of changing it rather than risk missing it.)

Editing for small RPG publishers

You may be new to the process, or have limited resources, so we can talk about what level of input you need. Maybe that’s a single editing pass, or maybe you could use support at multiple stages of the project. I’m good at explaining things to people who aren’t familiar with them. If you don’t already have a style guide we can make one as a simple first step.

Editing for larger game publishers

You’ll already have a process and a style guide. You’re looking for quality control, to keep your products’ reputation high and your community on board. I can come in at copyediting or proofreading stage and do high-quality work to a deadline. I also provide a fresh perspective and years of experience, so I can give suggestions about reader-friendliness and structure.

Boardgame rules editing

I can also work on boardgames — checking your rules for errors and for sense, clarity and user-friendliness. You’re trying to convey procedures without ambiguity in a tight space. I can suggest ways to make that work better.

Past projects

Chaosium
Editing: A Darkness at Runegate (Runequest)
Proofreading: Gateways to Terror (Call of Cthulhu); Shadows Over Stillwater (Call of Cthulhu); Masks of Nyarlathotep (Call of Cthulhu)

Cubicle 7
Proofreading: The Horned Rat Companion (WFRP); The Horned Rat (WFRP); Sullasara’s Spells (WFRP); Altdorf (WFRP); Something Knocking (WFRP); Grey Mountain Gold (WFRP); Patrons of the Empire I & II (WFRP); Power Behind The Throne Companion (WFRP); Power Behind the Throne (partial, WFRP); Middenheim (WFRP); Fateful Night (Soulbound); Death on the Reik (WFRP); Ubersreik Adventures (WFRP); The Guilty Party (WFRP); Enemy in Shadows Companion (WFRP); The One Ring (2nd edition, unpublished); Enemy in Shadows (WFRP); The Mad Men of Gotheim (WFRP)

Just Crunch Games
Editing: Sanction

Kismet Games
Editing: Rustwater

Modiphius
Editing: Conan – Horrors of the Hyborian Age; Conan – The Monolith Sourcebook; Conan the Scout; Conan – Nameless Cults; Conan – Ancient Ruins
Proofreading: John Carter – Jeddak of Jeddaks Era Sourcebook; John Carter – Prince of Helium Era Sourcebook; John Carter – Dotar Sojat Era Sourcebook; Conan the Brigand; Conan the Pirate; Conan the Barbarian

Pelgrane Press
Editing: Swords of the Serpentine; Mutant City Blues (second edition corebook); Even Death Can Die (Cthulhu Confidential)

Wordplay Games
Editing: The Book of Quests (Out of the Ashes), The Book of Beasts (Out of the Ashes), The Giant of Horcum (Liminal); Out of the Ashes quickstart; Out of the Ashes; The Oak and the Amulet (Liminal); Shadow to the Light (Liminal); Beneath the Stones (Liminal); Faeries and Folklore (Liminal)
Proofreading: Liminal Casebook

Contact me

If you’d like to talk about how I can help with your project, please email me at info@silverbranch.co.uk.

 

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