AETHER & IRON
Immerse yourself in this Decopunk Narrative RPG set in an alternate 1930s where anti-gravitational technology has taken cars, roads, and even New York City into the sky. Muster a crew, master tactical turn-based combat, and unravel the dark secrets lurking beneath the floating metropolis.
Thoroughly researched and inspired by real-life counterparts from 1930s New York City, explore its backstreets, dive into its seedy underbelly, marvel at stunning architecture, and peel back the city's many layers of power and greed.
Your choices shape not just your path, but the city's fate as well. Will you rise as a savior, withdraw as a renegade, or evolve into a symbol of resilience in a world of authoritarian barons and high-stakes strategy?
SPECS
Company: Seismic Squirrel
Platforms: PC, Console, Steam Deck
Engine: Unity
Status: Released Mar 31, 2026
Game Team Size: 15+ full-time contributors (Seismic Squirrel and Chaos Theory)
Game Tools: Articy, Perforce
Team Tools: Confluence, Jira, Slack, Microsoft 365, Miro
SUMMARY
In 2025, I took on a short contract with Seismic Squirrel to support the development of their story-rich, party-based RPG Aether & Iron. With my background of mission design experience, I was tasked with writing and implementing original missions, designing ambush overworld encounters, and updating golden path dialogue with meaningful branches and skill checks.
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RPG DESIGN
My primary role on Aether & Iron was creating story-rich, party-based narrative-driven gameplay content for one of the three regions within the the game. I designed original missions, random encounters, and revised golden path content, building around companion responses, distinct progression trees, and how different builds would respond to various die-roll skill checks.
RPG MISSION DESIGN RESPONSIBILITES
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Pitched, implemented, and refined RPG missions and Companion interactions where player traits and party build were key in determining success or failure percentages in die-rolls
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Utilized text-based scripting in Articy to build mission content, interactable objects, and lootable spaces
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Contributed to regular design playtests, production meetings, and narrative discussions
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Successfully resolved bug tickets and iterated on content, striving for the highest possible polish bar and quality
SYSTEMS-AWARE NARRATIVE
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Designed missions that intersected with tactical turn-based combat, companion mechanics, vehicle systems, and dialogue — bridging narrative and systemic gameplay
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Worked within a "choices matter" framework where decisions carry genuine consequences for NPCs and the city itself, requiring careful tracking of state and downstream narrative impact​
WORLDBUILDING & TONE
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Built content within a richly researched alternate-history setting (1930s Decopunk New York), requiring strong consistency of tone, lore, and character voice
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Designed branching overworld encounters within a world where social class, power, and player agency are central themes
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Thoroughly researched style guide references, such as the iconic noir writer Raymond Chandler, to match the established voice of the setting
COLLABORATORS
​I had the privilege to collaborate with a wonderful team of writers at Seismic Squirrel. They have kindly agreed to speak to my contributions to the project.
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Tyler Whitney (Narrative Director)
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Justin Cummings (Senior Writer)
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Domini Gee (Writer)
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Padraig Nolan (Narrative Designer)​