Matt James

Military Service

In April 2003, James enlisted in the United States Army at age 21. He volunteered for airborne training, qualifying as a paratrooper in February 2004. He was assigned to the 327th Signal Battalion (Airborne), 35th Signal Brigade (Airborne), as part of the 18th Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, deploying to Iraq later that year.

In April 2005, while stationed at Camp Victory, James provided critical medical aid to a U.S. Marine who had been severely injured, earning the Bronze Star Medal for his actions. The following month, he sustained severe combat injuries during an IED ambush, resulting in permanent disability. He was awarded the Purple Heart by President George W. Bush during his recovery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

James was medically retired from military service in 2006. He now lives in the Washington, D.C. area, where he advocates for disabled veterans through gaming programs that promote creativity and community.

Game Design Career

James grew up in the Washington, D.C. area, where he developed a passion for role-playing games early on — writing content for a live-action roleplaying game called Avalon LARP. After his military retirement, he pursued cybersecurity work while transitioning into freelance game design.

Breaking into the industry wasn't easy. James submitted over 40 queries to Wizards of the Coast within six months before landing his first assignment: “Monument of the Ancients”, published in Dungeon Magazine issue #170 (2009), co-authored with his brother Brian R. James. From there, he became a regular contributor to both Dragon Magazine and Dungeon Magazine.

James went on to design for some of the most respected names in tabletop gaming, including Wizards of the Coast, Paizo Publishing, Privateer Press, and Wolfgang Baur's Kobold Press. His work spans tactical combat design, bestiaries, adventure content, and Forgotten Realms lore.

Notable Works & Awards

Dungeons & Dragons — Wizards of the Coast

• Monument of the Ancients — Dungeon Magazine #170 (2009)
• Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale (2011) — Designer
• Into the Unknown: The Dungeon Survival Handbook (2012) — Designer
• Fortune Cards: Drow Treachery (2012) — Lead Designer
• Lair Assault: Attack of the Tyrantclaw (2012) — Designer
• Numerous Dragon Magazine and Dungeon Magazine contributions

Pathfinder — Paizo Publishing

• Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Ultimate Equipment Guide (2012) — Designer
• Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Bestiary 4 (2013) — Designer, featuring over 280 creatures

Other Publishers

• Soldiers of Fortune: War and Military Adventure in a Fantasy World (2011) — Kobold Press
• Iron Kingdoms: Full Metal Fantasy (2012) — Privateer Press
• Iron Kingdoms: Unleashed (2015) — Privateer Press

Awards

• 2012 Silver ENnie Award — Best Monster/Adversary for Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale
• 2012 Origins Award Nomination — Best Roleplaying Supplement or Adventure for Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale
• 2014 Gold ENnie Award — Best Monster/Adversary for Pathfinder: Bestiary 4

Vorpal Games

In 2013, Matt co-founded Vorpal Games with his brother Brian R. James. The company's flagship project, the Red Aegis Roleplaying Game, was successfully funded through a Kickstarter campaign that raised over $66,000. Released in 2016, Red Aegis introduced the Loremaster Game System — a framework for multi-generational dynasty play where decisions echo across eras.

Vorpal Games also produced the Red Aegis Unleashed adventure path, a nine-era campaign featuring contributions from Ed Greenwood, creator of the Forgotten Realms.

Rogue Spartan

In 2013, James published Rogue Spartan, an independent dystopian science-fiction novel featuring original world-building that draws on his background in both military service and speculative fiction.

Loremaster

Loremaster is the culmination of decades of experience in tabletop RPG design, brought into the digital age. Built for game masters and players alike, the platform offers a suite of tools for creating, playing, and sharing tabletop adventures.

• Campaign Builder — AI-assisted world-building with the Arcane Scribe, bringing narrative generation, NPC creation, and location design to your campaigns.
• Vaults of Namarune — A classic RPG experience inspired by the Gold Box era, where you assemble a party and explore a living world.
• Red Aegis — A digital adaptation of the Red Aegis Roleplaying Game, bringing multi-generational strategy and clan warfare to the browser.
• Chronicles — A social platform for sharing campaign stories, following fellow adventurers, and building a community of storytellers.