A writer and designer focused on FTUEs and tutorials. I want to turn your first 30 minutes into an addicting 30 hours.

Nightingale: VR Nursing simulations (narrative designer)

At Nightingale Education Group, I lead narrative design and script development, working alongside nursing SMEs to write patient backgrounds and scenario storylines, and design branching choices for students to create immersive gameplay experiences for students that reinforce practical nursing skills and therapeutic communication. My focus is on designing engaging FTUEs for students that help them learn how to easily navigate a VR environment while also teaching nursing skills.

Paizo: Pathfinder Lost Omens The Unseen World (Pathfinder 2e, Partial nda)

CHALLENGE: Design new rules and mechanics for player abilities and adversaries for Pathfinder 2E in Pathfinder Lost Omens The Unseen World, working within given constraints: word count, specific design restrictions, and the established lore for in-game cultures and religions.

SOLUTION: With direction from my assigned designer at Paizo, I reviewed the tone, lore, and themes already in place; these became my guiding foci as I designed new mechanics and rules. I created each piece of content starting with existing lore first, whether that was small bits of flavor text or larger descriptions, rather than trying to force the IP to fit around mechanics I wanted to design. I expanded lore as needed based on the piece of content I was designing, with permission from my director. This process kept my work in scope naturally, and lead to more focused design decisions and clearer communication with my director regarding mechanics/rules, as we were using the same frame of reference to iterate together. It also created an opportunity to write a new interconnected lore piece from the perspective of one of the IP’s major characters. This was not a required deliverable, but because I approached my assignment from a lore-centered perspective, I felt comfortable offering it to my director for consideration.

RESULTS: Upon delivery for initial review, feedback was strong, with several balance tweaks requested but no major overhauls – the process I’d followed led to a solid core concept. I took the feedback and incorporated it into my final draft, which was accepted with only minor copyedits, and my additional lore content about the major character was accepted and well received too, with my director saying simply: “The flavor was great.”

ASCEND LEARNING: NURSING SIMULATIONS (Narrative designer)

At Ascend Learning, I’ve used my talents as a writer and a game designer to create interactive 3D nursing experiences for nursing students. During production, I create scripts and conversations design documents for the simulations, write dialogue for nurses and patients and design the flow of activities in the simulation. I then implement the logic for dialogue and activities using an in-house authoring tool. I am involved in the process every step of the way, working with the Design, Animation, and QA teams to bring the simulation to life. Released products can be found here.

mixologer (narrative and game designer)

Mixologer is a bar simulation game made in Game Maker Studio for the IGDA Foundation 2022 game jam. Take on the role of a newly hired bartender as you balance making drinks with making small talk. Craft fun cocktails and meet memorable characters in this fun but tense bartending experience! Download it here on Itch.io.

Heartache (lead designer and director)

Heartache: A Game of Love and Loss, is a 2D puzzle platformer that uses basic platformer mechanics and complicated, slower-paced puzzles to explore experiencing, processing, and overcoming the tragedy of heartbreak. Using the unique ColorFull mechanic and the narrative thrust of the player’s companion Care, Heartache aims to elevate the puzzle platforming genre by allowing the player to engage with complex emotions.

Heartache can be downloaded and played here on itch.io.

homeward bound (narrative designer, writer)

Homeward Bound is a narrative-driven top-down 2D adventure game where the player takes on the role of Captain Noah Sterling, lost at sea and needing to find his way back home to his wife and loyal dog. Carrying a cargo of fireworks, he needs to use them to light the stars and use them to navigate the treacherous waters.

Homeward Bound was developed by Team Rookies at American University for the Global Game Jam. I took on the role of narrative designer, as well as the game’s sole voice actor, portraying Captain Noah Sterling.

The game can be played here on itch.io.

Oath of the ironclad (creator)

Oath of the Ironclad is a homebrewed paladin oath for Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition. The oath aims to combine the theme of redemption and a trial by fire with the mechanics of a tank class that taunts and brings the enemy to them.

The oath has gone through frequent changes and will continue to be update when necessary. You can find the full Oath here at DMsGuild.

best friend (narrative designer, writer)

Best Friend is a narrative experience developed in Twine. The player inhabits the spirit of a dog and lives out the dog’s different lives, choosing different names and different breeds along the way. In each scenario, you make choices that effect the relationship with your owner, Will, as you continue to reincarnate and find your way back to him.

You can go and play Best Friend on itch.io

The System (creator)

The System is game of narrative choice developed in Twine. The player is an individual who discovers that they have been chosen by an AI called The System to answer a series of questions regarding humanity. The player also explores the room that The System resides in and can discover information about humanities past. With music, sound effects, branching choices, and multiple endings, The System offers a small but great narrative experience for players. The game is best experienced in Microsoft Edge.

The game can be played here.

age of winters (Creator)

Age of Winters is a Viking themed TTRPG based of the debut album of the band The Sword. The game combines a deck of playing cards, some d6, and metal music to create a quick and easy table top roleplaying game that weaves together narrative roleplaying and fast paced combat.

You can find it on itch.io here.