Hello everyone, my name is Zale, and I’m here to offer my services in historical research and consultation. So, if you’re interested in that, read on!
I have a degree in History, specializing in Medieval studies. My focus in the high and late Medieval period encompasses religion, folk belief and the role of women in history. In terms of medieval esoterica, I am deeply familiar with Agrippa’s Three Books of Occult Philosophy and other contemporary works (The Sworn Book of Honorius, The Picatrix, and similar).
That’s my specialty, but I also have an eclectic mix of other areas owing to a diverse education and breadth of interests. I’ve done extensive research into Greco-Roman magic during the Classical period, as well as Renaissance magic and modern occultism.
I am familiar with modern research techniques, as well as more traditional ones- I highly value accuracy in my work.
If you’re doing non-commercial work, see the bottom of this post.
Timezone : Pacific Standard Time (UTC - 7) (Portland, Oregon)
Services Offered
I can help you by performing historical research on topics you’re interested in. Many readers (and writers) value historicity in fantasy works, or in AUs set in the past.
I am willing to work on any of the following topics or time-periods:
- Medieval (General)
- Classical (Religion, Magic)
- Renaissance (Magic, Occultism, Scholarship)
- Early Modern (Occultism involving the Golden Dawn or similar)
As you can tell, I specialize in the presentation of magic in culture. In addition to research involving it, I offer rates for world-building or feedback to increase the historicity of your magic systems.
In terms of game design, I have been reading, playing and writing for TTRPGs for over 10 years. As such, I am very comfortable with helping to translate historical concepts into effective mechanics.
Here’s some specific things I can do with the rates I charge:
Research
- Annotated Bibliography: You tell me about what you’re interested in, and I provide you with a list of 3-5 books or journals suitable for that purpose, as well as summaries of each with why they’re relevant. $50
- Overview of Topic: You tell me about what you want to know, and I do my own research and provide you with a brief (2000-3000) overview of that topic, with citations. $100
- In-Depth Consultation: I perform my own research on the chosen topic and provide more significant deep-dive into it, with as many follow-up questions as you like. $150
- Casual Questions: If you’re interested in short answers about topics that don’t require a lot of in-depth research on my part, I charge $25, which covers the initial question and five or so follow-up questions.
Clarifications on what I’ve presented or discussed are free unless they’re incredibly extensive.
Game Design
- General Consultation: I review the mechanics you’re presenting and give you feedback on structure, incentive and potential pit-falls. $25
- If you want me to do very extensive work on this, then we can discuss an hourly rate.
Non-Commercial Work
If you’re working on something for your personal entertainment or use, then I will adjust my rates on a sliding scale based on your budget out of a desire to support the arts. I don’t charge for casual questions for non-commercial works.
Contact
You can reach my via PM, or via zroman@tuta.com.
For the most expedient response, please include the following information in your message:
- The topic you’re interested in.
- The service you are interested in.
- Questions you have about services offered, if any.
- Links to your work, if publicly posted.
Payments will be processed through Paypal.