About

Image from one of my recent Tackling The Tarrasque games.
A promotional shot from the TEDx talk I did recently.

Writing and Game Design

I’ve been writing and designing games since ~ 2002, but my passion for good stories and games is lifelong. I love tabletop RPGs for their stories, and their collaborative nature. You get to sit down with a group of people and work out the story together. It’s a unique medium, and one I enjoy enabling for others.

Art Direction

A lot of my work in the game industry is art direction. I work with companies to buy art and build the vision for their product, helping keep all the moving pieces moving and all the artists happy and well compensated. Art is expensive, pay your artists what they are worth and then some.

The Name?

I’ve been asked this a few times, so yes, my real, legal, printed on my birth certificate name is John Arcadian. If you google that name, you are likely finding me, unless you find my dopplebro, who is not me.

Personal

I like making stuff and can easily lose myself in a project. I love to pick up a new thing, learn how to do it, then figure out how to do something else once I’m done. Overall, I like making stuff.
Kilt – If you’ve seen me at a gaming convention, it’s probably in my kilt. I’m often in my kilt, and have done 3 day long hikes in my kilt, interviewed for jobs in my kilt, and given a TEDx talk in my kilt. It’s a unique piece of clothing, but at the end of the day, it’s just a piece of clothing.

Reach Out

I’m available for freelancing if you need some stretch goal writers, an art director, or just want to reach out and say “I like your stuff”. Follow me @johnarcadian on twitter (#teamfollowback) or shoot me an email at arcadian@johnarcadian.com and I’ll do my best to respond quickly. I tend to over-commit to projects, so if I’m not available or don’t respond quickly, please don’t take it personally.

One thing I like to do when getting to know new artists is to get art of myself to use on social media. Check out some of the ways I’ve been turned into drawing below.