Hey there!
Curious who this Dex person is?
I am a queer (trans, gay, ace), auDHD neurodivergent, all around friendly guy living in Chicago. Just mix a little leftist punk, a helping of Mr. Rogers, and a splash of goofy goblin. Everything I do, I approach with the intent to help lift others up, make them smile on a dreary day, or give them space to dream and grow. I am an artist, an author, a professional game master, a game designer and… okay, lest I ramble all day, a friend dubbed me a creative whirlwind and honestly that is the most fitting description I can imagine!
Art!
I’m an illustrator and graphic designer. I have a degree in traditional animation, and took art lessons from a wonderful teacher and impressionist painter for nearly ten years before that. I have worked on a wide range of projects including logos and brand design, acrylic and watercolor paintings, tattoo designs, pins and sticker design, art prints for my Patreon print club, children’s book illustration, fiction and nonfiction book covers, creature concept art, and fantasy maps! Use the contact form if you want to commission artwork from me. Or visit one of my online shops to buy cool stuff with my art on it.
Writing!
I write science fiction and fantasy stories, mostly for adults. I am the co-creator of the Tales of the Automazombs, a mosaic novel series (short stories in a connected world, where the events of each show hints to the bigger world events!) featuring steampunk, cyborg zombies. I have also sold several short stories, and am working on a couple of new novels that I am incredibly excited about. Ask me about them if you dare!
Games!
I’m a bit of a latecomer when it comes to tabletop roleplaying games, having only gotten my start a couple of years before the pandemic. But it truly is amazing to run games for people, guiding them through their adventures, and giving them an evening of daring, danger, humor, and touching moments. And, of course, loot! I even designed a player reward I call the Gaming Gold Star to give to players.
One campaign I wrote called the Adventurers Summer Camp is a wonderful introduction to ttrpgs for gamers of all ages. I had the privilege to run it at Flamecon in NYC in 2024, and I occasionally run it for local groups.
My current campaign (that anyone can join on StartPlaying) uses a system called Adventure Skeletons that I modified to allow for non-skeleton characters. If you’re interested, join us for role play and mayhem!
My pride and joy in regards to games is Tarot RPG. A way to use tarot cards and a few dice rolls to create infinite adventures that only take about 15 minutes to play. And thanks to Rough Magic, I’ve been able to spread the collaborative storytelling love at C2E2.
This year is my first with the amazing Rough Magic Games. Look for me at their local Chicago events, and even on their livestream. If you want to book me as your GM for your own event, they can help set you up.