Ryan
Schapals
is a Writer and Game Designer
From indie to AAA, Ryan has worked in the belly of the gaming beast for over ten years, crafting immersive and interactive narratives across a broad spectrum of mediums and genres.
Currently, he is the Narrative Director & Principal Writer for Mortal Shell II and the co-founder of Parts and Labor Games.
Portfolio
From indie tabletop RPGs to 30-year-old video game franchises, Ryan is experienced in developing and adapting both new and timeless IPs.
Mortal Shell
Lead Writer | Cold Symmetry
Mortal Shell is a deep action-RPG that tests your sanity and resilience in a shattered world. I was the Lead Writer, working with the founders of Cold Symmetry to develop a tragic and detailed setting full of bizarre and haunting characters.
Project Alchemy
Game Director | Parts and Labor Games
Project Alchemy is a tactical turn-based deckbuilding game, filled with shoddy robots and plucky survivors fighting for survival.
Co-founded with industry veteran Trevor Claxton, Parts and Labor Games is a new studio building human-crafted games by hand, with love.
Sea of Legends
Creative Direction | Guildhall Studios
Sea of Legends is a narrative-driven, open-world tabletop game for 1 - 4 players that raised over a half-million dollars on Kickstarter.
As the Creative Director, I collaborated with studio founders, Zach and Jordan Weisman, and a team of over 30 writers and artists to develop the Sea of Legends IP.
Battletech
Narrative Designer | Harebrained Schemes
As a Narrative Designer for BATTLETECH, I wrote, designed, and implemented interactive stories for the Flashpoint, Urban Warfare, and Heavy Metal expansions. BATTLETECH is a tactical strategy game with systemic and branching narratives.
About Ryan
Ryan Schapals is a writer and game designer from Chicago, now based in the West Coast. Currently, he’s the Narrative Director at Cold Symmetry. He’s also the co-founder of Parts and Labor Games, alongside Trevor Claxton.
He has extensive experience crafting narratives for video games, tabletop, and even hybrid mediums. He’s worked alongside gaming icons like Matt Mercer, Erica Ishii, Jordan Weisman, and Mitch Gitelman to bring countless stories to life.
He is married to a beautiful and talented gremlin princess. When he’s not attending to her, he can be found catching waves on the Oregon coast, playing cards with Rose City Premodern, and petting his favorite cat, Betty White.
"The story is not in the plot but in the telling."
— Ursula K. LeGuin