*Multi-Award Winning* ROLEPLAYING GAME DESIGN, WRITING, DEVELOPMENT EDITING & CONSULTANCY

TESTIMONIALS

“His adventure writing is some of the best I’d ever come across [. . .] a go-to writer no matter which publisher I’m working with” – Chris ‘Shep’ Shepperson, Hansor Publishing

“A beautifully executed sandbox style campaign” – Dave Thaumavore RPG Reviews, on ALIEN RPG, ‘Building Better Worlds’

“The campaign is impressive in its detail and variety…[and] this campaign alone is worth the price of the book…the sandbox exploration campaign is excellent” – RPG.net on ALIEN RPG, ‘Building Better Worlds’

“Superb first draft [. . .] you have worked a small miracle” – Rob Hebblethwaite, Modiphius Manager for Dreams and Machines and Cohors Cthulhu

“A perfect unknown tale to get to know the system” – RPG Nook, on ALIEN RPG Introductory Scenario, ‘Hope’s Last Day’

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Hey!

Thanks for taking the time to look me up, and welcome to my brief bio-page!

I am a multi-award winning game designer, writer, and development editor, most recently the UK Games Expo Judges’ Award for the Best RPG Expansion 2024, for Alien RPG ‘Building Better Worlds’.

I have been been working in the industry as a freelancer writer, designer, development editor and consultant since 2019, and went full time in 2023. Having 45 years’ experience as a roleplayer and games master, I offer a wide range of services, and – in my career so far – have worked on games that have won several top awards. Most recently I was the lead writer for Free League Publishing’s ALIEN RPG sourcebook, Building Better Worlds, and have had a leading freelance role on Modiphius Entertainment’s new RPG, Dreams And Machines, as setting and scenario writer, campaign designer and cartography design.

In this last year I have co-founded Effekt Publishing, a two-man band. In March 2025 we are completing fulfillment of our first project, Tales of the Old West RPG (www.effektpublishing.com).

I’m always looking for new opportunities so please get in touch to discuss any projects you may have in mind, and I’m always happy to offer more insight into my freelancing experience to date.

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AWARDS:

I’m delighted to have won the following 13 awards:

Gold ENNIE, Best Supplement, 2024 – ALIEN RPG: BUILDING BETTER WORLDS, as lead writer

Gold ENNIE, Best Game, 2020 – ALIEN RPG, as writer and scenario designer

Gold ENNIE, Best Setting, 2023 – VAESEN: MYTHIC BRITAIN & IRELAND, as writer and development editor

Gold ENNIE, Product of the Year, 2023 – VAESEN: MYTHIC BRITAIN & IRELAND, as writer and development editor

Silver ENNIE, Best Cartography, 2024 – ALIEN RPG: BUILDING BETTER WORLDS, map designer and lead writer

Silver ENNIE, Best Adventure, 2021 – ALIEN RPG: DESTROYER OF WORLDS, writer and development editor

Silver ENNIE, Best Cartography, 2021 – ALIEN RPG: DESTROYER OF WORLDS, writer and development editor

UKGE Judges’ Award, Best Adventure 2021 – ALIEN RPG: DESTROYER OF WORLDS, writer and development editor

UKGE Judges’ Award, Best RPG 2022 – TWILIGHT 2000, 4th Edition, writer

UKGE Judges’ Award, Best Expansion 2024 – ALIEN RPG: BUILDING BETTER WORLDS, as lead writer

UKGE Peoples’ Award, Best RPG, 2020 – ALIEN RPG, writer and scenario design

UKGE Peoples’ Award, Best Adventure, 2021 – ALIEN RPG: DESTROYER OF WORLDS, writer and development editor

UKGE Peoples’ Award, Best Expansion, 2022 – ALIEN RPG: COLONIAL MARINES OPERATIONS MANUAL, writer and development editor

WHAT I OFFER

• Writing, for settings, lore, scenarios and campaigns across the whole spectrum of roleplaying games. My particular strength is scenario writing and campaign design
• Game design, for a wide range of game mechanics across the board, from combat to NPCs and enemies, to sweeping battles and player character world building
• Development editing, to enhance scenarios and campaigns and maximise the player experience
• Rules consultation, especially the Year Zero Engine and variants
• My experience playing, writing and working across a vast range of roleplaying games and systems
• My focus on player experience, scenario playability, creating exciting worlds for players to immerse themselves in, and meeting deadlines (no matter how tight they may be!)

My portfolio of work includes:

• The multi-award winning Alien RPG, with Free League Publishing – the corebook and intro adventure, Hope’s Last Day, the cinematic scenarios Destroyer of Worlds and Heart of Darkness, the Colonial Marines Operations Manual and the latest release, Building Better Worlds. I continue to work on the new Alien Evolved Edition, coming to kickstarter in March 2025
• Vaesen and Twilight 2000 4th Ed, with Free League – Mythic Britain & Ireland and the T2K corebook
• War Stories RPG, with Firelock Games – rules consulation and writing for the corebook, and production of the campaign supplement, Rendezvous With Destiny: Normandy, and its follow-up, Rendezvous With Destiny: MARKET GARDEN
• Under The Black Sail RPG, with Firelock Games – rules consultation
• Dune RPG and Cohors Cthulhu, with Modiphius Entertainment – scenario writing
• Dreams And Machines RPG, with Modiphius – setting and lore world building for Modiphius’ newest IP, the campaign design of the Echoes of an Ancient Enemy campaign, and scenario writing
• Conan RPG with Monolith – adventure writing
• Mythic Battles: Ragnarok with Monolith – setting design and creation, campaign design, scenario writing
• I’m currently working on other projects and am always willing to discuss new opportunities, and excited to try new things.

Interested?

Contact me at dave@effektpublishing.com, or I can be found on Facebook and Discord as EffektDave.

ABOUT ME

I have been an avid roleplayer since 1981, as GM and player, and have been freelancing since 2019. I started Dave Semark Enterprises in 2023, when I went fulltime on this hobby that has become a career. I’ve been working with some key players in the RPG industry, including Free League Publishing, Modiphius Entertainment and Firelock Games.

I started roleplaying with AD&D – my first ever scenario was Q1, The Queen of the Demonweb Pits – and I never looked back. Over the years I’ve game mastered and played literally dozens of games. In 2016 I came across Free League Publishing, through their game Mutant Year Zero, and that led to my great love of their work, and the work of Jårnringen, now merged with Free League. Since then I now not only work for them as a freelancer, but also represent them at UK games conventions, most notably UK Games Expo and Dragonmeet.

I also co-host the popular EFFEKT podcast, a fortnightly magazine show talking all things RPG but with a focus on Swedish gaming, and our Actual Play channel. You can find them here:

https://www.effektpodcast.org/

and here:

https://www.effektap.org/

and on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@Effektpodcast

Outside of roleplaying I enjoy hill-walking, eating good food and drinking good beer, with my Swedish wife, Jenny, and our German Shepherd, Diggy. I’m also a huge fan of American Football, and have supported the Cincinnati Bengals since 1985 for no better reason than the teenaged me loved their tiger-striped uniforms.