Hi everyone!
Today I’m going to talk about indexing!
I know, boring, right? It’s certainly something that many creators don’t think is terribly important, judging by the indie roleplaying games I see. And yet, a good index at the end of a book greatly increases usability for anyone who wants to play that game.
I’ve always included indices in the games I create (as long as they’re not the really tiny pocket rulebooks). Recently, I’ve been re-indexing the Era: Survival 8th Anniversary Rulebook. It’s quite a big job – about 400 pages – but it’s incredibly important because, at the end of the day, I believe the usability of the book is one of the highest duties of a game creator. If I make a book that you can’t easily use, even if the game itself is brilliant, I haven’t really created anything of value for you.
You can hire indexers fairly inexpensively from platforms like UpWork or Fiverr, or you can do it yourself. Some proofreaders also offer indexing services, and the amazing Calyie Martin has indexed many of my books to date!
In short, if you’re a roleplaying game creator, yes, you should make an index! The number of people who flip to the back of my books, notice it, and say “Oh, an index! That’s great!” always leaves a positive impression.
It proves that you care about the book you’re producing, not just the game world you’re trying to sell.
Every little thing helps… and this one helps a lot.
– Ed
