Submission Guidelines
Out next call for submissions opens on September 1, 2026 and runs until November 1, 2026, under the theme Histories.
About
Playtest Material publishes critical writing on tabletop roleplaying games. We welcome submissions from designers, players, scholars, organisers, critics, artists, and first-time writers alike. We are particularly interested in work which is well researched and attentive to the specific qualities of roleplaying games as a medium.
We’re open to essays, reviews, interviews, experimental criticism, and hybrid forms (such as annotated transcripts). We are less interested in consumer recommendation, ranking, or “good/bad” evaluation than in criticism which explores how games function and how they are understood.
Submission Guidelines
Send submissions and pitches to editor@playtestmaterial.org
Please submit pieces as .docx, .odt, or as a Google Doc link (make sure you give viewing access).
- Essays and criticism: approximately 1,500–5,000 words
- Reviews: approximately 800–2,000 words
- Experimental or hybrid forms: flexible
- Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please inform us immediately if work is accepted elsewhere
- We are currently accepting previously published work, but this may change in the future
- Please include a short biography (50–100 words) with your submission
- Refer to our style guide for details about referencing, house style, etc.
Please do not use generative AI. We especially ask that you do not use AI to generate references or bibliographies, as it has a tendency to hallucinate and cause editorial headaches.
We strongly encourage pitches, partial drafts, and exploratory proposals, especially for unusual or experimental formats. We can get back to you and help you flesh out and structure your proposals.
Contributors will be contacted directly regarding acceptance, editing, and publication timelines.
Style Guide
Please consult our style guide before you begin writing.
Submission Fees & Remuneration
We do not charge a reading fee for submissions.
We are currently not in a position to pay contributors a flat fee for accepted pieces. However, we are seeking sponsors to enable this.
In the meantime, guest editors and contributors will receive a royalty payment from sales of the journal, with an exact percentage dependent on how many individual contributors we publish.