Hey, I’m Keith, a writer with over a decade of professional experience writing in the tabletop roleplaying game industry. I’ve worked on household name brands like Star Wars, doing everything from game development/design, to worldbuilding, and adventure writing. As you might notice from the page header, I also run an online writing school, helping aspiring TTRPG writers get their core skills to a publishable level, and how to break into the industry.
Before earning my BA in creative writing from Colombia College Chicago, I was an enlisted sailor in the US Navy. I served as an Intelligence Specialist at Naval Space Command, and later aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) aircraft carrier. As an Intelligence Specialist, I maintained a TS/SCI security clearance, and got to see and learn a lot about the wider world and how it’s all held together.
My specialized military experience and extensive tabletop game design and writing background mean I can bring a unique perspective to any narrative team. My years of experience working in collaborative team writing environments under strict deadlines mean I can deliver quality words on time and under pressure.
Portfolio Contents
- Script (three separate short scripts of varying tones)
- Short Story “Terrafarmer”
- Reflections on Key Previous Works
- Resume
- Full Bibliography
- Social Media
Writing Samples
Reflections on Previous Works
I’ve been fortunate enough to work on over two dozen roleplaying game products, more than half of which were in the beloved Star Wars setting. Below are a few career highlight works.
Star Wars: Force & Destiny Core Rulebook
F&D CRB was my first core rulebook work, just a couple years after breaking into the industry. My contributions included the book’s introduction, and all of Chapter X: The Galaxy.
The opportunity to introduce players to this much-anticipated book covering Force Powers and classes was a privilege. In the planetary gazetteer, I got to detail a number of new and previously established Star Wars locations, planting adventure seeds to entice gamemasters to tell stories in those settings.
The Star Wars Force & Destiny Core Rulebook won the 2015 Origin Award for Best Tabletop Roleplaying Game.
In general, the more than half a million words of official Star Wars content I’ve produced were incredibly rewarding. I engaged several forms of tabletop RPG writing, including worldbuilding, adventure/quest writing, codex-style entries, character and item profiles, and so much more. While much required detailed research on the existing Star Wars lore, I was also free to create new creatures, places, and experiences for players.
Arkham Horror Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook
Released in November 2024, the Arkham Horror Core Rulebook was an opportunity for me to contribute more to game design and development alongside my writing. I helped project developer Sam Gregor-Stewart design the game’s “knacks”, which are special abilities akin to talents or feats.
I also wrote the entire equipment section, Chapter 5, which includes not just the world-building and flavor text, but the mechanical profiles for various weapons, armor, and equipment, and how the impact the game.
The primary goal of the writing for this section was bringing in the flavor of 1926 New England Americana while incorporating the pulp and Lovecraftian themes, which was great fun!
Beyond the Core Rulebook, I also wrote one of the adventures in the Arkham Mysteries book, due to release March 28th, 2025, and contributed to the Terra Antarctica Premium Box Adventure, due out in 2025, and more.
Ready….Fight! An Unarmed Combat Supplement for Genesys
Ready….Fight! was my first self-published TTRPG title. It uses the same game rules/engine as the Star Wars RPG, and I wrote it as an opportunity to explore unarmed combat mechanics (including grappling!) within that rules framework.
The book was a great success, achieving a gold sales medal and leading the Genesys community content publishing program (the Genesys Foundry), and was featured by Fantasy Flight Games as a Foundry Spotlight.
The primary challenge of this work was learning about all the non-writing work that goes into producing a TTRPG product. I wrote art briefs for freelance artists, worked with layout and design freelancers, and playtesters. I also wrote performed marketing duties for the book.
