John Arcadian

Project Management, Problem Solving, and a Passion for Perpetual Learning

I am a diversely skilled project manager, digital strategist, technical lead, and developer with 15+ years of experience implementing strategies and managing cross-functional initiatives in the higher education, corporate, and creative industries.

I am also an award winning Writer, Game Developer, and Art Director with over 40 books and projects released for tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons. In my free time, and for a few clients, I’ve been creating video game and interactive experiences alongside my main career path.

Featured Projects

Books and Game Projects

Appearances

Testimonials

John consistently displays an excellence in his work that continues to impress me. He is dedicated to doing his best, doesn't cut corners and is always looking for ways to improve projects and processes. John is an asset to the college, we definitely could not have implemented our web update process without his skills and knowledge.

Toni Hare

Director of Strategic Marketing, Communications & Events - OSU College of Veterinary Medicine

John combines great technical skill with a solid understanding of the needs of our business and customers. He’s super easy to work with, proactive, and quick to respond when crises —inevitably— raise their ugly heads. We could not have grown our online presence, and our ecommerce store, at the rate we have without his great work!

Charles Ryan

COO - Monte Cook Games, LLC

Every time that anyone on the Fuld team (and beyond) needed anything related to our website or technology in general, John was on the job and meeting our needs with amazing skills, amazing depth of knowledge, amazing patience, amazing flexibility, and amazing commitment to getting it done right.

Lynn Gallagher-Ford

Chief Operating Officer and Clinical Core Director - Fuld National Institute for EBP

John and I have worked together on several web development projects. The projects included a wide range of platforms, including wordpress and shopify and extensive integrations with systems such as ERPLY. At all times, John provided a level of professionalism and confidence that impressed clients and improved overall teamwork.

Kurt Prosser

Owner - Easton Digital

Project Managaement Skills

Project Scheduling
Timeline Management
Budget Planning & Cost Control
Communication and Collaboration
Art Direction & Creative Oversight
Strategic Planning
Risk Assessment & Mitigation
Workflow Optimization
Process Improvement
Stakeholder Communications
Reporting & Performance Tracking
Cross-Functional Team Collaboration
Skillset Assessment
Resource Allocation
Adaptability & Problem-Solving
Critical Thinking & Decision-Making
Time and Priorities Management
Trello • Jira • Microsoft Teams
Agile & Waterfall Methodologies

Development, Design, Content, and Tech Skills

User Interface Design
Interaction Design
User Acceptance Testing
Usability Assessment
Information Architecture
Writing (Technical, Copywriting, Creative)
Adobe CC (Photoshop, Premiere, Indesign, Illustrator, CC Animate)
Print Design / Book Layout
Videography and Video Editing
Graphic Design and Layout
Typography and Iconography
Frontend Development
HTML/CSS and PHP (Symfony and Laravel)
JS Frameworks (Jquery, Angular, React)
SQL and Databases
CMS Development (WordPress, Drupal)
Apache / Cpanel / Docker

Featured Projects

I have been fortunate to have led and managed a wide variety of projects across multiple disciplines, guiding teams through complex challenges in technology, design, and creative development. I specialize in bringing clarity, coordination, and leadership to cross-disciplinary teams. From web development across varied languages and architectures to creative initiatives in motion graphics, video production, and game development, I thrive on guiding projects from concept to completion while aligning technical execution with strategic goals.

Video Game Escape Room - The Ohio State University

An outside collaborator approached us with a simple text-based escape room concept. Recognizing its potential, I secured buy-in to expand it into a robust, graphical, and interactive learning experience. Working closely with the subject matter expert and external contractors, we transformed the prototype into a national training tool that blended storytelling, problem-solving, and educational design.

Led project planning and development of an interactive training game from concept to deployment, overseeing all phases from scope definition to launch.
Budgeted time and resources to coordinate cross-functional teams of subject matter experts, designers, developers, and contractors to storyboard, structure, and deliver the game for use in academic curricula, later scaling it for external client use.
Directed technical and creative production, managing external 3D artists and implementing efficient asset pipelines to meet visual goals under tight budget constraints.
Ensured instructional accuracy and engagement, collaborating with SMEs to design user pathways, integrate assessment mechanisms, and align with CE credit requirements.
Documented workflows and transition plans, creating detailed training and process materials to support sustainable project continuity after handoff.

Artificial Reality Game - Monte Cook Games

Technical Lead, Community Liason, Game Structure and Organization, Developer

As the long-term technical manager and lead developer for Monte Cook Games through my company Bee Zen Web Design, I helped streamline and manage their complex promotional, interactive, and fulfillment systems. My work spanned both creative promotional projects and initiatives centered around improving the efficiency of daily operations.

Planned and facilitated the creation of ARGs with timed, interactive components — unlocking multimedia content as real-world clues were solved. Planned and executed transition of game site into a promotional platform.
Participated in exhibit hall appearances to manage the technical aspects and digital promotional materials and mitigate multiple issues to ensure smooth setup and teardown.
Scoped out and oversaw integration of e-commerce platforms with Kickstarter, BackerKit, and other drop shipping fulfillment systems to manage hundFreds of thousands of orders with improved efficiency and accuracy and automated processes to reduce manual workflow.
Coordinated technical development for community engagement tools, including online character creators, themed fan forums hidden behind fake “in-world” agent websites, and integrated web experiences to combine various sites across the eco-system.
Managed technical production of themed sites and interactive experiences for audiences ranging from parents and children (No Thank You, Evil!) to dedicated fanbases of various IPs (Numenera, The Strange, Cypher System, Invisible Sun).

Interactive Online Map - Kobold Press

Technical Lead, Contractor Organization, Resource and Asset Management

I was fortunate to collaborate with Wolfgang Baur and his publishing company, Kobold Press, over many years, leading a range of technical and promotional projects. When he approached me to investigate the potential creation of an interactive map based on the IP of his biggest product line, I put together a proposal and scope document that outlined what open source tools were available to fit the vision he had and what personnel resources we could use to perform the manual work to achieve the level of detail desired.

Planned and managed the full technical development process, defining requirements, scoping and researching open-source solutions to tile creation and GIS coordinate solutions, and adapting libraries for a fantasy world with world-accurate distance and measurement tools.
Directed and coordinated contributors, artists, data-entry contractors, and developers to ensure cohesive design, accurate world-lore detail, custom pathfinding code unique to the world’s geographic parameters, and timely deliverables.
Created clear documentation and workflows that empowered non-technical collaborators to update and expand the map content independently, fostering sustainable community participation and ensuring a more client-friendly budget.
Expanded the project from original concept into a multi-map platform, duplicating and refining core code structures to support regional sub-maps and scalable future updates integrated into the central navigation structures.
Championed user experience and audience engagement, securing buy-in to integrate intuitive filtering, iconography, and search tools that enhanced usability and reinforced community goodwill toward the brand.

Website Redevelopment Management

Project Manager, Process Manager, Technical Lead, Developer

For my role at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, I led the communications team through a complete overhaul of the design and content on multiple decades-old websites. Combining my technical knowledge, design considerations, and organizational expertise I collaborated with other organizational stakeholders, managed the work of external vendors and internal I.T. teams, and kept stakeholders and audiences informed of timelines process changes.

Led the 2-year, large-scale Drupal migration for 20,000+ users, integrating audience feedback and stakeholder requirements.
Streamlined 10,000+ legacy content pieces into 200 structured pages, applying UI/UX best practices and achieving full WCAG compliance to enhance accessibility and usability.
Developed quantitative tracking systems in available tools to handle project timelines, deliverables, and resource allocation. Provided executive leadership and team members real-time visibility into project health, progress, and potential risks.
Developed integrated training resources and video tutorials within the site, empowering content owners to self-manage pages and reducing ongoing support requests by 40%.
Created onboarding and instructional guides for rotating and remote staff, ensuring consistent content practices across departments.
Established clear project phases and milestone timelines, managing risk and adjusting scope in coordination with internal stakeholders and external partners to maintain alignment and efficiency.
Led comprehensive requirements gathering sessions across 15+ departments to identify institutional pain points and balance creative, technical, and user experience goals.
Championed change management efforts across stakeholder groups, building advocacy through communication, testing, and phased rollouts that increased adoption and trust.

Ecommerce Site Management and Kickstarter Integration Solutions

Technical Lead, Process Management, Team Liason, Stakeholder Communications, Developer

Running a bespoke ecommerce site that you need to manage alongside large kickstarters can bring up many challenges. For many of my clients through my Bee Zen Web Design business, I have managed the planning, coordination, and technical oversight required to restructure and modernize their e-commerce platforms. I oversaw requirements gathering, coordinated with stakeholders, delivered technical solutions through myself or other developers and content experts, and created clear documentation and processes to organize the teams and personell involved throughout the initial process and for long-term repeatable processes like adding new items or modifying stock.

For clients like Monte Cook Games, I led the integration of Kickstarter, Backerkit, and other crowdfunding data into their ecommerce sitessite, overseeing both the technical solutions and working closely with internal and external fulfillment partners to ensure an automated but double checked process for drop shipping. Finding ways to integrate this and other sales channels (such as auctions, humble bundles, discounts for backers and fans, and community management and support) I was constantly coordinating contractors, client teams, structuring deadlines and deliverables, and ensuring that each solution is both technically sound and strategically effective.

Backend Private Forum / Store - Jon Bon Jovi Backstage

Project Coordinator, Technical Troubleshooting and Organization

Tasked with a impending deadline, the company managing the Bon Jovi Backstage Club brought me in to help align resolve some of their coding issues and help provide the team some structure. I helped the other local and off-shore developers begin logging changes, noticing patterns, and communicating fixes and issues. By coordinating efforts, streamlining problem-solving, and ensuring consistency across fixes, I helped the team overcome blockers and meet tight project deadlines (the next morning) with confidence. The project required my experience in custom WordPress builds, PHP, and JavaScript skills, but benefited most from the collaborative nature and centralized processes and documentation I helped the team implement.

Publications

I have art directed, led development, written, designed, and managed the launch of over 40 books, publications, and projects in the Tabletop Role-playing Game industry. Here is a mostly up to date list of my gamiung-centric works and where to find them.

Everyday Magic Unlocked

Project Lead, Writer, Developer, Graphic Design

2023 – Encoded Designs

Feats and Features Unlocked

Project Lead, Writer, Developer, Graphic Design

2023 – Encoded Designs

Items and Armaments Unlocked

Project Lead, Writer, Developer, Graphic Design

2022 – Encoded Designs

Haunted West Roll20 Character Sheet

Development

2021 – Darker Hues Studios

Erebor Adventures

Writer

2019 – Cubicle 7

Gnome Stew

Owner and Project Lead (2015 to 2021)

Author (2008 to Current)

Streets of Avalon

Art Director

2019 – Encoded Designs

Iron Edda Accelerated

Art Director

2019 – Encoded Designs

Matt Morrow Coloring Book

Project Lead, Art Director, Graphic Design, Layout

2019 – Encoded Designs

Laughter Of Dragons

Writer

2018 – Cubicle 7

Hydro Hacker Operatives

Art Director

2018 – Encoded Designs

Bystanders

Project Lead, Writer, Layout

2018 – Encoded Designs

Assault on Hellmaw Island

Preliminary Developer

2018 – M.T. Black

Midgard Interactive Map

Project Lead, Web Developer, Coder

2018 – Kobold Press

Tales Of The Skalds

Art Director

2018 – Encoded Designs

Love and Justice

Art Director, Graphic Design, Layout

2018 – Encoded Designs

Mad Wizard’s Menagerie

Art Director

2018 – Encoded Designs

Twenty Six Point Five Shades of Scarlet

Project Lead, Art Director, Layout

2017 – Gnome Stew April Fools / Encoded Designs

Paranoia – 30 Treasonous Plots

Art Director

2017 – Encoded Designs

The Book of the Tarrasque

Project Lead, Writer, Art Director, Graphic Design, Layout, Cartography

2017 – Encoded Designs

The First Adventure

Project Lead, Writer, Art Director, Layout

2016 – Encoded Designs

Rockerboys & Vending Machines

Art Director, Layout

2016 – Encoded Designs

On The Border Of Hot Sauce, Blue Cheese, and Canadian Beer

Artist, Layout

2016 – Encoded Designs

Character Cache

Project Coordinator, Developer, Art Director

2016 – Encoded Designs / Matt Morrow

Encoded Inkwell

Project Coordinator, Art Director

2016 – Encoded Designs

Fated Minions Of The Source

Developer

2016 – Encoded Designs / 3rd Eye Games

Five Temples of the Earthmother: Life and Moon

Art Director, Layout

2016 – Encoded Designs

Divine Instruments of Fate

Developer

2015 – Encoded Designs / 3rd Eye Games

Focal Point

Author, Art Director

2015 – Engine Publishing

Liber Magica

Translation

2014 – Cubicle 7

Staring Down at Madison Avenue

Project Lead, Author, Art Director

2014 – Terrapin Foundries

Blood Red Mars

Cameo

2014 – Cubicle 7

Dangerous Space Jail

Art Director

2014 – Encoded Designs

Victoriana 3rd Edition

Translation

2013 – Cubicle 7

Odyssey

Art Director

2012 – Engine Publishing

Never Unprepared

Art Director

2012 – Engine Publishing

Masks

Author, Art Director

2011 – Engine Publishing

SVG Core Rulebook & Cyrus Worldbook

Lead Developer, CEO, Project Manager, Art Director

2010 – Silvervine Games

Eureka

Author, Art Director

2010 – Engine Publishing

Appearances

Here is an incomplete list of the various podcasts, presentations, or appearances I’ve done in the TTRPG industry over the years.

TEDx Talk – Tabletop Roleplaying Games as Social Practice Presenter

2018