Submit an Application

ELIGIBILITY FOR ASSISTANCE
To be eligible to apply for and receive assistance from the RCRF, a person must meet two criteria:
1. One must qualify as a tabletop roleplaying game creator.
2. One must be suffering from a hardship that falls within the RCRF’s purview. See below.

ELIGIBILITY: BEING A TABLETOP ROLEPLAYING GAME CREATOR
The RCRF considers a person to be “a tabletop roleplaying game creator,” and thus eligible to apply for assistance from the RCRF, if that person has had published two or more pieces of tabletop RPG work during the two years prior to that person’s application for assistance, or ten pieces during the five years prior to the application.
Definitions: For purposes of determining if an applicant is a tabletop roleplaying game creator, the RCRF uses the following guidelines and definitions.

Tabletop Roleplaying Game: A tabletop roleplaying game (RPG) is a game which is designed and intended to involve some degree of roleplaying.
1a. A “game” is a form of entertainment in which participants, usually known as players, make decisions to manage resources through game tokens in the pursuit of a goal. In a tabletop RPG, the resources and tokens managed are typically the player’s character and that character’s possessions and abilities, all defined mathematically or in some other way appropriate to the individual RPG.
1b. “Roleplaying” is the assumption of a persona/role other than one’s real-world self, and then making decisions and managing game resources as appropriate for that role.
1c. The RCRF uses the term “tabletop” to distinguish the type of game in question from computer roleplaying games. It is not the intention of the RCRF to extend eligibility to apply for assistance to individuals working solely on computer RPGs.
Piece of Tabletop RPG Work: A “piece of tabletop RPG work” is defined as follows:
—a written contribution to an RPG product that is at least 500 words in length or is otherwise deemed acceptable by the RCRF;
—at least ten illustrations that are each at least one-quarter page in size, or similar graphic contributions to an RPG product otherwise deemed acceptable by the RCRF;
—50 or more pages of layout or graphic design work on an RPG product, or similar work otherwise deemed acceptable by the RCRF;
—100 or more pages of editing work on an RPG product, or similar work otherwise deemed acceptable by the RCRF; or
—any other work the RCRF deems acceptable as a “piece,” in its sole discretion.
2a. For purposes of eligibility to apply for RCRF assistance, the RCRF defines “published” as an RPG product being made available to the general public for purchase in any form (including but not limited to hardcopy books and electronic books/PDFs). Either the applicant himself or a third party may publish the product.

ELIGIBILITY: HARDSHIP
The purpose of the RCRF is to provide financial assistance to tabletop RPG creators suffering hardship. “Hardship” includes, but is not limited to:

medical emergencies and similar conditions;
injuries resulting from car wrecks, falls, and other such incidents;
injuries resulting from natural disasters (tornadoes, fires, floods, earthquakes, and the like); and
any other condition or situation the RCRF deems worthy of financial assistance, in its sole discretion.

As indicated by the above list, the RCRF considers assistance for unexpected medical hardship its primary purpose. However, we are willing to consider requests for assistance pertaining to other forms of hardship, including but not limited to the loss of property (particularly property used in the applicant’s work creating tabletop RPG products) due to natural disasters and other tragic circumstances.
Similarly, the RCRF’s focus tends to be on acute medical hardship rather than chronic or ongoing medical conditions. While we are willing to consider requests for assistance pertaining to chronic medical conditions, we consider it unlikely that we will be able to offer assistance in amounts capable of significantly diminishing the financial burdens of ongoing medical care.

ELIGIBILITY: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND CRITERIA

Family Members: While the RCRF primarily intends to provide assistance to tabletop RPG creators who suffer hardship themselves, it is willing to consider applications based on hardship suffered by a tabletop RPG creator’s spouse or children. For these purposes, the RCRF reserves the right to define a tabletop RPG creator’s wife/husband, civil union partner, life partner, or the like as a “spouse,” in its sole discretion. It also reserves the right to determine who qualifies as a tabletop RPG creator’s “children” in its sole discretion.
Extent And Duration Of Applicant’s Work: Regardless of eligibility and the nature of the hardship, the RCRF will consider the extent and duration of an applicant’s work as an RPG creator when determining whether to grant assistance (and if so how much). Generally speaking, the more work a person has done as a tabletop RPG creator, the more favorably the RCRF is likely to look upon his application.
No Guarantee Of Assistance Or Amount Of Assistance: Eligibility to apply for financial assistance from the RCRF does not guarantee that the RCRF will approve an application, that the applicant will receive any financial assistance, or that the applicant will receive the full amount of financial assistance he requests. The RCRF reserves the right to grant or deny any application for assistance for any reason and to any extent, and to grant or deny eligibility to apply for any reason.

OTHER RESOURCES
If eligibility is not met, here are some other areas you may find assistance:

Professional Artist Client Toolkit PACT is a tool to help freelance fantasy, sci-fi, comic book and other illustrators negotiate a better living for themselves. http://artpact.com/
Affordable Care Act: Under the law, a new “Patient’s Bill of Rights” gives the American people the stability and flexibility they need to make informed choices about their health. http://obama-care.org
Hero Initiative, helping comic creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays' creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. http://www.heroinitiative.org/
American Arbitration Association is a not-for-profit organization and has a long history and experience in the field of alternative dispute resolution, providing services to individuals and organizations who wish to resolve conflicts out of court. https://www.adr.org

Application for Assistance

* Indicates required field

Name *

First

Last

Email *

Location *

Phone Number *

Application is for: *

Spouses Name or Minor's Name *

Nature of Tabletop RPG Work *

Please provide a list of work credits. Please include the name you are listed as, the publisher, credit type and the year published. *

Explanation. Please tell us how long you've worked as an RPG creator, what companies you've worked for (if any), and any other pertinent information. *

Explanation: Please include the date the situation began or arose, how the situation has affected you professionally (if applicable) and financially, and other pertinent information that will help us evaluate your claim. *

Amount you are out of pocket *

Reason for Assistance *

Can you provide proof of loss *

Do you have Insurance that may apply *

State of Claim *

Total Medical Expenses to Date (if applicable) *

Medical expenses to date that remain unpaid or not covered by Insurance (if applicable) *

If your application is approved, RCRF prefers to pay via Paypal as it is more timely, however this is not a necessity. If you prefer paypal, please list your paypal email address below. If you prefer a check, please list your physical mailing address below:

Paypal Email *

or Physical Address for a Mailed Check *

Line 1

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City

State

Zip Code

Country

Terms and Conditions: I understand that whether to grant assistance, and if so, when and in what amount, is at the sole discretion of the RCRF, and that making an application does not guarantee I will receive assistance. I have read and understand the Terms and Conditions. *

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Once submitted, if you have not heard back in 10 business days, please contact us.