I’m bouncing off the walls at the moment. I just received my paycheck for my first professional writing submission for an RPG. This is something I’ve wanted to do since I was the geeky kid in fourth grade cracking open a box of Dungeons and Dragons. I’m completely ecstatic right now, and secretly praying this will lead to more writing work. As for now, the hot cocoa’s on me!
Marshmallows for everybody!
What was it you worked on?
Congrats BTW! 
Gimme details! How much? How long did it take to receive a check? What game? COME ON, share the wealth!
I am jealous!!! All I ever get to do with RPGs is beta test, and they do not pay for that, lol. What game are you writing for?
Gratz!!! Details if you can…
very cool and congrats! Doing playtesting and getting my name in the credits is as far as I’ve gotten, but I do have a friend who makes at least part of his living writing game stuff. Keep up the good work!
The product in question is ‘The Rapier’s Edge’, a suplement for the 7th sea RPG. I contributed to its writing (as did many others). In answer to Spider’s questions: Not much (hey, it’s still money, but I’m not gonna make a living on it, methinks), and I sent in the work around September, IIRC. I was told that usually the payment comes after the publication, so I was quite pleasantly surprised to find the check in the mail yesterday!
Now I don’t know if I want to cash it or frame it! 
I’m a professional now! Woo!
Man, writing for an RPG. Talk about your dream job…
Congratulations!
Tell me about it! When I first got the contract, I was walking on air for days. I’ve got another project I’ve worked on as well for AEG, off their ‘Stargate RPG’ line. Hopefully these will lead to bigger and better things! Or, at least, more things! Things are good… I like things… (drools).
How do you get into a job writing RPGs?
Congratulations, ArrMatey! I’ve been trying to get RPG work myself. It’s a bit late, but Vanishing Goblin has an open call listed for some RPG work. The deadline is in a couple of days, though. I check the ENWorld and RPG.net forums every day looking for work, though nothing has yet panned out.
One way is to submit writing pieces to various RPG companies that have called for submissions. Another way is to gather a group of friends, form your own company, and work your little heart out while knowing you will be lucky to ever cover your costs while uttering the mantra “It’s for the love of gaming, not money” over and over.
Our site just went live a short time ago and its something that’s hard to make time for while working on the actual products.
We don’t pay our beta testers either. But we do treasure them. We are willing to pay minisucle amounts to an artist who could draw equipment for us.
Blackclaw, if you really need artists, post something on the rpg.net freelancer forums. It’s full of artists looking for work. Some are “big names” like Storn and V.Shane, but you’ll find plenty of talented new artists available just dying for work and willing to work fairly cheap.
I just wish more work were available for us writers.
My forray into it all was sort of serendipidous. I got into an online game with someone who was doing a major ammount of free work for the company. He bit off more than he could chew when the major summer gaming conventions (GenCon, Origins) rolled around, and I took up a bunch of the writing slack. When all was said and done, he’d done an amazing job for them, PR-wise (he’s a damn charismatic guy, and a great GM, so he drew a lot of people into the games). They offered him a paying job, and he sent my name in as a guy-what-knows-how-to-get-the-job-done. I’m flattered that he did so.
So, what does it mean? You never know when the opportunities are gonna come, I suppose. Keep your eyes and ears open, and your wits as sharp as your blade. 
And oddly, this thread isn’t about girlfriends…
(Of course, given that I’ve been being paid to write video games for 8+ years, I’ve probably gotten a bit jaded about just how damn lucky I am, professionally…)
Saw another Open Call from Silverthorne Games on the ENWorld forum.