From Homebrew to Final Product

A Roadmap to Publishing Your TTRPG Creations

As GMs, we often create our own content for the table. Whether we are just homebrewing monsters and adjusting modules, or writing our own worlds from our imagination, the act of running a game involves a huge amount of creation. At some point every GM makes something that they would want to make something more out of. Sometimes, it is possible to take your work to the next level, and turn your home game material into something you can share with others, and maybe even sell.

The Plan

Making a sellable product can seem daunting at first. While I have been GMing for a long time, I have only recently started working on creating material that I felt could be shared with the community. The biggest project I have been a part of , Baba Lysaga’s Nocturnes and Nightmares, taught me a lot about the process that goes into creating a quality product. Over the course of this project I have gotten a good idea on the steps needed to create something worth sharing with the community.

Step 1 -The Idea

The first step in creating a project is coming up with your idea. The main purpose of this is to figure out some specific elements of your intended product. I find it useful to ask yourself a few questions while doing this phase to help think about some specifics regarding what I intend to create. You can summarize these by asking yourself a few questions.

You can start off by asking yourself, “What am I trying to make?”. You might already have a basic idea, probably from something you used at your table, but reiterating it can help you decide if you want to expand upon your original idea. Perhaps you created a few monsters, and want to expand to include some items and spells as well. Something simple may work at your table, but not enough for a sellable product.

You also want to ask yourself, “Who am I trying to reach?”. You may have a product that appeals to potential buyers in a certain way. Maybe you created this product for a specific setting that you want to stick with. You may have focused on making your product more accessible. Try to determine your focus and keep that in mind.

Finally, you want to ask “Why is my product unique?”. The tabletop community has many talented creators, with some making and selling their own material. A useful tip when doing this is to browse digital marketplaces, such as DMsGuild, and search for similar products to what you intend to make. This can help you figure out if there are a lot of other products like what you intend to create, and an idea of what else others provide.

Step 2 - The Scope

Once you have a clear idea of the product, the time comes to decide how much you intend to create, also known as the project. Scope comes down to the resources you have and how much of those you intend to spend on the project.

We can classify a lot as resources. Having the skills to do things like editing your work, doing a layout, or creating artwork. I realized early in working on Nocturnes and Nightmares that having proficiency with a program to lay out a document was incredibly useful. With this as my first project, I was not as skilled at using Homebrewery, the layout tool we used to create our book, than others. Other members of the group could use their skills to make the product look amazing.It also includes time, how much you want to invest and what kind of deadline you are assuming you will have. If you want to get your project finished and available soon, it may need to be a shorter project relative to one you want to spend long term working on and refining. 

Funds to invest ahead of time can also change a lot. If you have the money to either pay for tools or resources outright can cut down on the time and energy, allowing you to release a project quickly. As I learned recently, having access to some of the paid tools can make processes easier. Something like Photoshop or Lightroom can make creating artwork much easier if you plan to work on it yourself (though free versions of these do exist). 

You can even potentially buy or commission artwork, which can take a lot off of your plate. However, that can be a costly investment that might not be workable when you start on your first project. While art can really elevate a project, it might be out of possibility if you are publishing by yourself.

Scope can change dramatically if you have a team instead of working on a project solo. Getting a group together with a variety of skills can make larger scope projects a lot easier. I witnessed this firsthand with the work of Nocturnes and Nightmares. Group projects have their own benefits and challenges, however, and I will touch on those in a later post.

Step 3 - Create Critique

Once you understand what the end goal for your project as well as the resources you have and want to put towards them, the creation time can begin. You can start working on your project, filling in what you want to generate. You can take your idea and build out outlines and drafts of what you intend your finished project to be. This doesn’t have to be the final product. In fact, it most likely will not be the final product. I have found that even when I take the time and try to make a ready to go product, it will need a few passes after the fact, which we will talk about next. What is more important here is taking your ideas and intentions and giving them some sort of form. I try to focus less on making a perfect product on the first pass, and just getting my thoughts out. That refinement can come later.

Step 3 - Edit, Refine, Beautify

With your ideas ready to go, you will want to refine what you have created for the finished product, something that others would want to purchase. This includes editing your actual content to match up with other material in your system, such as 5e. Dungeons and Dragons have a particular way that spells and effects are worded and organized. Making sure that anything you make matches that will help improve overall usability, which will lead to more people being able to use your product.

This step can take the longest to complete. You want to have the best product you can, and often you may need to make multiple reviews and adjustments to make a product that feels ready to release. This is the point where I usually take my draft document and format it to something that looks more official through either formatting in Google Docs or Homebrewery. Either will work, though both have their strengths and weaknesses. Docs might be easier to get information into, but Homebrewery can have a more polished looking product with less work once you know how to use it.

Step 6 - Outside Eyes

At this point, you have worked on this project for a while and invested a decent amount of time and energy into it. While it may look great to you, the perspective of an outside source can help point out elements that hide from you but are visible to others.

We can find these people in a variety of locations. The difference in this step is that these reviewers will look at smaller items, as well as the project overall. These reviewers can help you with spotlighting your project once you make it public. Letting them get a look at your product before everyone else means that they can share their thoughts the moment it comes out. This visibility can help when you start out, giving you a nice push in the beginning.

Step 7 Profit, Rest, Repeat

That’s it! You can let people know about your project after it's done. As people interact and (hopefully) grab whatever you made, you can take a moment and enjoy the release of your product. That being said, Be sure to be prepared for feedback (link feedback article) from people that buy your product. This can be useful, as constructive feedback can help you with either making revisions to your product or knowing for next time. But take a break. You have worked hard, created something, and you deserve it. You can reflect on what you see from the community, but it is important to recharge, even if you found the whole process fun. Once the dust settles, if you think this might be something that you enjoy doing, it may make sense to start up again, creating something else.

Final Thoughts

While everyone’s process will differ slightly, just like everyone’s GMing style. As you create that experience will help you figure out what works best for you. An easier way to create, however, is collaborating with a group. With Nocturnes and Nightmares (coming out October 21st on DMsGuild) we built a team of individuals to work together. Collaboration makes the process easier. This post did not focus on working with a group. I will discuss collaboration later on.

Our group started our coordination through a Discord server created specifically to facilitate collaboration between tabletop creators. The server where we all met is called the Creator’s Cove, and is a growing community. If you need to find others to work with, or a place to just workshop ideas, The Cove is a great place to go.

Conclusion

It is possible to take an idea from a table to a finished product. You want to start off with your basic idea, figuring out what needs to be added in order to create something people would be interested in buying. Then you want to figure out your Project Scope, how many resources you want to devote to this project. With the basics figured out, you can start drafting out your project, getting critiques and adjustments as you go along. Once your draft is finished, you can refine and polish up your project, taking it from rough draft to some polished and ready to go. After that, release your project and enjoy the feeling of a job well done.

My newsletter, Bjarke’s Dissonant Whispers, is now live! Find out what I am up to, what is coming up, and other miscellaneous things. If you are interested in signing up, check here. Most recent email is available here.

Have a question I have not covered and want my thoughts? Want to collaborate on some work in the future? Reach out to me on Twitter or here and let me know! I love getting new ideas and collaborating with other creators. Either way, I hope to hear from you!

I, along with some other talented creators, have material for 5e coming out on October 21st (THIS FRIDAY!!!), called Baba Lysaga’s Nocturnes and Nightmares. This supplement will contain everything you need to run horror this Halloween season. From monsters and items to locales and adventures, you won’t want to miss out on this frightening collection.