Narrative/Dialogue Writer wanted (RPG) | ~10-20 cents per word

COMPANY/PUBLICATION: THOSE WHO RULE

I am creating a tactical RPG, turn based strategy game called Those Who Rule, which is inspired by the likes of Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Tactics Ogre. The setting is a gritty, medieval, low power, and low fantasy world. There is no magic. I've done some of the writing myself, and hired out some parts to freelancers in the past, but what has changed now is I need a lot of writing done fairly quickly. About 2 "chapters" (~12 scenes) a month. The plan is to finish the game Q4 2024.

The main themes of the story are based on political intrigue.

The first main theme is the frustration of trying to make social change in a slow moving system, and how opposition builds up to an eventual revolution, and that revolution not always being better than the system it looks to replace.

The second main theme is the reality of power, and how the relentless pursuit of national interests effects ordinary people.

The third main theme is the struggle for freedom for what we call "Fiefborn", who can be thought of essentially the same as serfs, and how an eventual path to freedom looks for them, and the struggle which ignites a lot of the political uprisings. This path to freedom is based on the Prussian Reform movement of the early 19th century where Prussian reformers were looking to put an end to serfdom (we will use the word fiefborn instead of serfs in our story). However, expanded rights to the Fiefborn pose an obvious risk of taking power away from nobility, and they currently hold the power to change laws, creating political tension.

WHAT I HAVE DONE:

The entire story arc is complete from start to finish. I've only implemented the first 5 chapters so far, and I need someone to write the next ~15. I want to stress that nothing is set in stone and I value collaboration with another creative mind as well. I want the person doing the writing to have a good amount of creative freedom.

There are about 50 characters complete with art right now, with about half of them having fleshed out backstories. Again, all subject to change if it suits telling a better story.

A game "glossary" that's always growing and that briefly describes each nation's culture, political systems, government, religions. And just a fun place for coming up with new terms/vocabulary that is used the give a unique "life" to the world.

WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR:

I'm looking for someone who can write intriguing and engaging dialogue between characters as they navigate throughout the story in an almost screenplay/visual novel format (please see examples below, or the game's Steam page for examples). The dialogue should take into account character's unique voice/background/perspective and how it plays into their relationships. The scenes range wildly on the playful-serious spectrum, and I need someone who can handle setting a multitude of different moods.

I'm also looking for someone to collaborate with. Someone who is comfortable having frank conversations. Tell me when you don't agree with my ideas, and that can handle having the same done with theirs. I know it's hard to get passionate about someone else's story, but I want someone who at least has a preference for/experience with these kinds of low power, more realistic fantasy worlds.

I would give you which part of the story is happening during the chapter, and we'd collaborate on the scenes that move the story forward. Flashbacks? Random scenes with villagers? Scenes in completely different nations? Everything is on the table, and I'd love to harness your creativity here. Would prefer to get on a Discord call for 30 min to an hour to hash out a basic framework if possible. You would then write the dialogue for that chapter, utilizing the character backstories, nuances, conflicts, etc. I'd do some final editing and we'd move on to the next chapter!

PAYMENT:

This is negotiable, but I'm looking to pay between $100-$200 per chapter, depending on the responsibilities you can take on. For reference, my average chapter so far has 5-6 scenes, each scene averages 150-200 words. The math comes out to a range of roughly $0.10-$0.20 cents a word. I prefer to pay over PayPal, but willing to hear other payment providers. There are also ~4 "base/support conversations" that are just exploring the characters backstories before any battles that I enjoy writing, but wouldn't be opposed to letting you take on if that's something you'd be interested in.

If possible I'd like to agree on a "base" level price per chapter, and then we can build off that if you do extra work like hash out scenes over a Discord call, do the "support" conversations in during the base phase of a chapter, or if the scenes go over average. I do have to manage costs a bit here though.

The game is sitting at ~3.3k wishlists (not amazing I know, but not bad for the limited marketing I've done), so if you want to incorporate rev share on top of the base price I can afford per chapter, it's something I'd be open to. I'd reserve this as an option really only for an experienced writer I couldn't otherwise afford.

SHOW ME YOUR MOVES:

But please do it in a format that respects both of our time. If you have a portfolio website, that is great, but please link me directly to dialogue writing that is in the vein of the style I am looking for. For example, if you mostly write novels, that's great, but this format of game is very heavy on the dialogue doing the talking (pun? I'm sorry for it either way) so I need examples to match that.

If you do not have any work in the style I'm looking for, I can give you a prompt for a scene similar to how I would if we were working together, and you can write a short scene to show what you can do. Emphasis on "short" because it feels like I'm getting work for free (I will not be using it in game for obvious legal reasons), and I don't think anyone should work for free, but don't want to miss out on potentially awesome writers that just have a bit of a portfolio mismatch.

WRITING EXAMPLES:

If you know your way around a tactical RPG and can make it past the battles, you can access all the prologue to chapter 3 writing in the demo here. The demo takes on average 2 hours though so I don't expect anyone to do that, but if you're interested, it's there. Here are snippets of dialogue instead:

Example 1:

• ZOLTAN: Comfortable, General Wesley? We strive for the best... especially for our distinguished guests.
• WESLEY: My men, Zoltan. Where are they?
• ZOLTAN: Are you thirsty, General?
• WESLEY: No.
• ZOLTAN: Pity. The locals tell me it's good wine.
• ZOLTAN: I must confess, my men are overjoyed at the thought of beheading a Ranger General. You've killed many of our people.
• WESLEY: And you ours.
• ZOLTAN: The scars of a war long past. Be at ease, General. I have no intention of continuing that cycle today.
• ZOLTAN: But, alas, our guests must sometimes pay a price...
• (Mujari soldier appears beside Wesley, pushing him to his knees)
• WESLEY: Arrrg...
• ZOLTAN: There are people in your country who want your head, and are ready to pay quite handsomely for it.
• WESLEYBEATEN: What are you-
• (The Mu'jari soldier chops off Wesley's hand)
• ZOLTAN: They'll have to settle for a hand.
• WESLEY: (pant... pant... pant...)
• (Wesley collapses)
• ZOLTAN: See to his wounds. The General's story is far from over. He'll have a part to play in the coming months.

Example 2:

• Benjen: That sigil... No doubt, Iroquan soldiers.
• Rho: Why would Duke Crawford have a caravan escorted by Iroquan guards?
• Wesley: We need to search their cargo if we are to have any answers.
• Rho: Let us wait until they sleep. Then we slit their throats.
• Wesley: Traveling through Fern is not a crime, Rho. We are not at war with these people any longer.
• Rho: Asking will get us nowhere. We need a plan, not pleasantries.
• Wesley: If my source was wrong, we would be killing innocent merchants.
• Rho: (bold)This(/bold) is when you start questioning your informant?
• Rho: Benjen don't just sit there, say something!
• Benjen: Hmph... Keep me out of this.
• Rho: They're Iroquans traveling under the cover of night, being confronted by Fern's Rangers.
• Rho: I think we all know how this is going to go.
• Wesley: All I ask is for a chance to parlay. To avoid unnecessary bloodshed.
• Rho: And when diplomacy fails?
• Wesley: That's where you come in.

I hope I don't come across as crazy for such a long wall of text, but I just wanted to lay all my cards on the table to hopefully find the right person who can help me take this game to completion. I will try to respond to everyone, as I believe I owe you at least that much for taking the time to put yourself out there and taking an interest in the project.

Looking forward to meeting you all, and thank you so much!

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Applications: Via Reddit (note: unless otherwise stated, you may connect with the advertiser by visiting their profile here and hitting "send message" under "more options" in the right sidebar, or by leaving a message in the comments section of the original post)

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