{{short description|American writer and game designer}} {{Use American English|date=April 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox writer | name = Matthew Colville | nickname = Matt Colville | occupation = Game designer, writer | genre = Fantasy, tabletop role-playing games | years_active = 1997–present }} '''Matt Colville''' is a writer and game designer. He is a former employee of Pandemic Studios and Turtle Rock Studios; Colville is now the Head of Writing and Design at MCDM Productions, a tabletop role-playing game design studio he founded in 2018. He is also known for his YouTube web series "Running the Game" where he gives guidance to players and dungeon masters of the tabletop role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons''.
==Career==
=== Game design and writing === Colville first worked for Last Unicorn Games.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Manuel |first=Thomas |date=April 23, 2026 |title=How Wizards of the Coast almost published a Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG |url=https://www.rascal.news/how-wizards-of-the-coast-almost-published-a-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-rpg/ |url-access=limited |access-date=April 23, 2026 |website=Rascal News |language=en}}</ref> He stated that in 1997, he "started out in the tabletop industry working on the ''Dune'' CCG & RPG" before he joined Pandemic Studios where he "worked as a designer and then Lead Writer for [the video games] ''Mercenaries 1 & 2''".<ref>{{Cite web |title=About |url=https://www.mcdmproductions.com/about |access-date=2025-04-27 |website=MCDM Productions |language=en-US}}</ref> Colville was then the lead writer for the video game ''Evolve'' (2015) when he worked for developer Turtle Rock Studios.<ref name="polygon">{{cite news |last=Nelson |first=Samantha |date=2023-12-07 |title=MCDM Productions is raising money to produce its own D&D alternative. With roots in video game development and at Critical Role, Matt Colville's crew is branching out |url=https://www.polygon.com/23989507/mcdm-rpg-backerkit-release-date-price |website=Polygon |accessdate=2025-04-26 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250426050448/https://www.polygon.com/23989507/mcdm-rpg-backerkit-release-date-price |archivedate=2025-04-26 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Milburn |first=Colin |editor1-last=op de Beke |editor1-first=Laura |editor2-last=Raessens |editor2-first=Joost |editor3-last=Werning |editor3-first=Stefan |editor4-last=Farca |editor4-first=Gerald |date=2024 |chapter=Mutate or Die: Neo-Lamarckian Ecogames and Responsible Evolution |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/oapen-20.500.12657-86369/page/395/ |title=Ecogames: Playful Perspectives on the Climate Crisis |url=https://archive.org/details/oapen-20.500.12657-86369/ |location=Amsterdam |publisher=Amsterdam University Press |via=Internet Archive |page=[https://archive.org/details/oapen-20.500.12657-86369/page/405/ 405] |isbn=978-94-6372-119-6 |accessdate=2025-04-26 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Wood |first=Austin |date=2018-06-05 |title=Evolve dev says '4v1 caused more problems than we ever imagined' |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/evolve-dev-says-4v1-caused-more-problems-than-we-ever-imagined/ |access-date=2025-04-27 |work=PC Gamer |language=en}}</ref> In 2024, Tyler Chancey of ''TechRaptor'' commented that "Colville's influence in the TTRPG space cannot be understated", noting that Colville has contributed to "the CODA System ''Star Trek RPG'', the (now-discontinued) ''Arcadia'' magazine, and multiple supplements for ''D&D 3e".''<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Chancey |first=Tyler |date=2024-05-14 |title=Flee, Mortals! Now Available On D&D Beyond |url=https://techraptor.net/tabletop/news/flee-mortals-now-available-on-dd-beyond |access-date=2025-04-27 |website=TechRaptor |language=en}}</ref>
He self-published the fantasy novels ''Priest'' (2011) and its sequel ''Thief'' (2014).<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj6gWx_GxI4 |title=My Novels, Priest and Thief |date=June 1, 2017 |last=Colville |first=Matthew |type=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Priest: Ratcatchers, Book One: A Fantasy Hardboiled |url=https://www.amazon.com/Priest-Ratcatchers-Book-Fantasy-Hardboiled/dp/0615512151 |access-date=April 27, 2025 |website=Amazon |type=Product page}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Thief: Ratcatchers, Volume Two: A Fantasy Hardboiled |url=https://www.amazon.com/Thief-Ratcatchers-Two-Fantasy-Hardboiled/dp/0692203214 |access-date=April 27, 2025 |website=Amazon |type=Product page}}</ref> In 2017, Colville started co-writing with Matt Mercer on the ''Critical Role'' comics line, ''Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins'', for Dark Horse Comics.<ref name=":18">{{cite news |last=Johnston |first=Rich |date=September 20, 2017 |title=Critical Role Gets A Comic Book Origin For The Vox Machina, Out Now |url=https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/09/20/critical-role-comic-origin-cox-machina/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923095832/https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/09/20/critical-role-comic-origin-cox-machina/ |archive-date=September 23, 2017 |access-date=September 23, 2017 |work=Bleeding Cool}}</ref> A hardcover collection of the first six issues was released in May 2018; the trade paperback was then released in October 2019.<ref name="comicsMarch19">{{cite web |last=Romero |first=Rachel |date=March 11, 2019 |title=HYPE: Dark Horse Comic Series Updates & The Mighty Nein Art Book |url=https://critrole.com/hype-dark-horse-comic-series-updates-the-mighty-nein-art-book/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190314184846/https://critrole.com/hype-dark-horse-comic-series-updates-the-mighty-nein-art-book/ |archive-date=March 14, 2019 |access-date=March 18, 2019 |publisher=Critical Role}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Smith |first=Tim |date=2019-05-24 |title='Vox Machina Origins' Collected From Dark Horse |url=https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/43292/vox-machina-origins-collected |magazine=ICv2 |accessdate=2025-04-26 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250426050115/https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/43292/vox-machina-origins-collected |archivedate=2025-04-26 }}</ref> In 2024, he contributed a vignette in the book ''Fifty Years of Dungeons & Dragons''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Colville |first=Matt |url=https://direct.mit.edu/books/edited-volume/5778/Fifty-Years-of-Dungeons-amp-Dragons |title=Fifty Years of Dungeons & Dragons |date=2024-05-14 |publisher=The MIT Press |isbn=978-0-262-37798-0 |pages=15-16, 120 |language=en |chapter=Designer Vignettes I & II |doi=10.7551/mitpress/15175.001.0001}}</ref>
=== YouTube === By 2014, Colville had been a Dungeon Master for 28 years, and as a writer and game designer he shared tips on Reddit "on how Dungeon Masters can best serve their players, their stories, and their games."<ref>{{cite news |last=Hamilton |first=Kirk |date=2014-07-14 |title=Excellent D&D Tips From A Veteran Dungeon Master |url=https://kotaku.com/excellent-d-d-tips-from-a-veteran-dungeon-master-1606954012 |website=Kotaku |accessdate=2025-04-26 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250426050717/https://kotaku.com/excellent-d-d-tips-from-a-veteran-dungeon-master-1606954012 |archivedate=2025-04-26 }}</ref> Colville started the YouTube series "Running the Game" in the 2010s;<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ashley |first=Kendall |date=June 8, 2016 |title=This Cool Webseries Teaches You How To Be A Great Dungeon Master |url=https://nerdist.com/article/running-the-game-teaches-you-how-to-be-a-great-beginning-dungeon-master/ |access-date=April 29, 2025 |website= |publisher=Geek & Sundry |language=en-US}}</ref> by 2018, his YouTube channel had over 180,000 subscribers and on Twitter he had around 40,000 followers.<ref name="theartifice" /> In 2019, Colville was the Dungeon Master of the actual play show ''The Chain'' which featured a custom character class, the illrigger, he designed.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Knox |first=Kelly |date=February 4, 2019 |title=Matt Colville's New D&D Campaign THE CHAIN Has an Evil Custom Class You Can Play Too |url=https://nerdist.com/article/matt-colvilles-new-dd-campaign-the-chain-has-an-evil-custom-class-you-can-play-too/ |access-date=2025-04-27 |website=Nerdist |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite thesis |last=Youakim |first=Gannon |title=Dungeon Classroom Guide: Using Tabletop Role-Playing Games in the Classroom |date=January 1, 2019 |access-date=April 27, 2025 |degree=Honors Capstone Projects |publisher=University of Minnesota Morris |url=https://digitalcommons.morris.umn.edu/honors/12/}}</ref>
Kym Buchanan of ''PopMatters'' called Colville's "Running the Game" series "excellent" and said that "he tries to bolster expectancy among novice DMs. In so many (rapid fire) words, Colville encourages finding the sweet spot of facilitating anxiety."<ref name=":0">{{cite news |last=Buchanan |first=Kym |date=2017-05-11 |title=Hard Fun in Gaming: On Finding the Sweet Spot in Anxiety |url=https://www.popmatters.com/hard-fun-in-gaming-finding-sweet-spot-in-anxiety-2495393936.html |magazine=PopMatters |accessdate=2025-04-26 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250426044839/https://www.popmatters.com/hard-fun-in-gaming-finding-sweet-spot-in-anxiety-2495393936.html |archivedate=2025-04-26 }}</ref> On his introductory videos on how to play ''Dungeons & Dragons'', William Herkewitz of ''Popular Mechanics'' said, "Matt's amazing intro-to-D&D videos are lengthy, but they delve even deeper into the machinery of the game than I get to in this article."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Herkewitz |first=William |date=2018-03-20 |title=So You Want To Play Dungeons & Dragons... |url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/gaming/a19459855/dungeons-and-dragons-beginners-guide/ |magazine=Popular Mechanics |accessdate=2025-04-26 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250426051439/https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/gaming/a19459855/dungeons-and-dragons-beginners-guide/ |archivedate=2025-04-26}}</ref> Academics Michael Duddy and Benjamin Rosnau, in their study on the impact of TTRPG-specific media on players, highlighted a reference to the positive influence of Colville's instructional videos.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Duddy |first=Michael |last2=Rosnau |first2=Benjamin |date=2024 |title=Right Table, Wrong Idioculture: Examining the Impacts of TTRPG-specific Media at the Player Table Level |url=https://www.erudit.org/en/journals/nexj/2024-v4-n2-nexj09778/1115380ar/ |journal=New Explorations: Studies in Culture and Communications |language=en |volume=4 |issue=2 |doi=10.7202/1115380ar |issn=2563-3198|doi-access=free }}</ref>
=== MCDM Productions === Colville launched a Kickstarter in 2018 to publish a guide that would help players design strongholds and other features for a ''Dungeons & Dragons'' game campaign.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hoffer |first=Christian |date=2018-02-09 |title=Matt Colville Launches Kickstarter for a Dungeons & Dragons-Compatible Strongholds Guide |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-and-dragons-matt-colville-strongholds-and-followers/ |website=ComicBook.com |accessdate=2025-04-26 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250426051050/https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-and-dragons-matt-colville-strongholds-and-followers/ |archivedate=2025-04-26 }}</ref> After seven days, his Kickstarter for ''Strongholds & Followers'' raised over $1,000,000 USD, far exceeding its $50,000 goal.<ref name="comicbook">{{cite news |last=Hoffer |first=Christian |date=2018-02-16 |title=Matt Colville's 'Dungeons and Dragons' Kickstarter Raises One Million Dollars in a Week |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-and-dragons-matt-colville-kickstarter-one-million/ |website=ComicBook.com |accessdate=2025-04-26 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250426050903/https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-and-dragons-matt-colville-kickstarter-one-million/ |archivedate=2025-04-26 }}</ref> Colville became known as the "King of Kickstarter" after his success on this Kickstarter.<ref name="theartifice">{{cite news |last=Mannolini-Winwood |first=Sarai |date=2018-05-07 |title=Matt Colville: The King of Kickstarter |url=https://the-artifice.com/matt-colville-kickstarter/ |magazine=The Artifice |accessdate=2025-04-26 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250426051233/https://the-artifice.com/matt-colville-kickstarter/ |archivedate=2025-04-26 }}</ref> This led Colville to found MCDM Productions in 2018, with ''Strongholds & Followers'' as the company's first release.<ref name="polygon" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Colville |first=Matthew |date=March 12, 2018 |title=The Story of MCDM |url=https://www.mcdmproductions.com/story |access-date=2025-04-29 |website=MCDM Productions |language=en-US |type=Press release}}</ref> Colville is the tabletop role-playing game design studio's Head of Writing and Design.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Law |first=Eric |date=2023-01-11 |title=Dungeons and Dragons Content Creator Matt Colville is Making a New Roleplaying System |url=https://gamerant.com/dungeons-dragons-content-creator-matt-colville-new-roleplaying-system/ |access-date=2025-04-29 |website=Game Rant |language=en}}</ref> Following the release of ''Strongholds & Followers,'' MCDM Productions ran successful crowdfunding campaigns for additional ''Dungeons & Dragons'' supplements such as ''Kingdoms & Warfare'', ''Where Evil Lives'', and ''Flee, Mortals!''.<ref name="polygon" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-07-20 |title=Matt Colville’s new D&D supplement lets you rule your own kingdom |url=https://www.wargamer.com/dnd/matt-colville-supplement-kingdoms-and-warfare |access-date=2025-04-27 |website=Wargamer |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":2" />
He started a crowdfunding on BackerKit to publish an indie tabletop role-playing game and earned nearly $4,000,000 by January 2024.<ref>{{cite news |last=Randall |first=Harvey |date=2024-01-02 |title=Matt Colville's indie RPG, a direct challenge to D&D's jack-of-all-trades fumbling, has earned nearly $4 million on BackerKit |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/matt-colvilles-indie-rpg-a-direct-challenge-to-dandds-jack-of-all-trades-fumbling-has-earned-nearly-dollar4-million-on-kickstarter/ |magazine=PC Gamer |accessdate=2025-04-26 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250406175203/https://www.pcgamer.com/matt-colvilles-indie-rpg-a-direct-challenge-to-dandds-jack-of-all-trades-fumbling-has-earned-nearly-dollar4-million-on-kickstarter/ |archivedate=2025-04-06 }}</ref> He ultimately earned $4.6 million to create this fantasy role-playing game.<ref name=":1">{{cite news |last=Carter |first=Chase |date=2024-01-05 |title=YouTube's favourite dungeon master earns $4.6 million to create a fantasy RPG beyond the influence of D&D. Matt Colville's MCDM RPG escapes fantasy heartbreaker territory with a mega-successful crowdfunding campaign. |url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/games/mcdm-rpg/news/mcdm-rpg-crowdfunding-campaign-pulls-down-big-bucks |website=Dicebreaker |accessdate=2025-04-26 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250426045251/https://www.dicebreaker.com/games/mcdm-rpg/news/mcdm-rpg-crowdfunding-campaign-pulls-down-big-bucks |archivedate=2025-04-26 }}</ref> On the success of the crowdfunding campaign for the ''MCDM RPG'', Chase Carter of ''Dicebreaker'' commented, "chalk up part of that windfall to Colville's career as a YouTube creator and 5E designer – he gained acclaim as the internet's favourite dungeon master by doling out advice on running D&D campaigns with a killer combination of approachability and wisdom usually only seen in community college adjuncts".<ref name=":1" /> ''Draw Steel'', formerly titled the ''MCDM RPG'', was included on ''Polygon''<nowiki/>'s "The most anticipated TTRPG books of 2025" list.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nelson |first=Samantha |date=2025-01-01 |title=The most anticipated TTRPG books of 2025 |url=https://www.polygon.com/gaming/499436/2025-ttrpg-preview |access-date=2025-04-27 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}</ref> The game was released on July 31, 2025 <ref>{{Cite web |last=Colville |first=Matt |date=2025-07-31 |title=The "Draw Steel Is Out" Backerkit Post |url=https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/mcdm-productions/mcdm-rpg/updates/26311?ref=bk-noti-project-update-26311/ |access-date=2025-12-17 |website=Patreon |language=en}}</ref> with two sourcebooks: "''Draw Steel Heroes'' for players and ''Draw Steel Monsters'' for game masters".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nelson |first=Samantha |date=2025-08-04 |title=The highly ambitious TTRPG Draw Steel aims to build a better DnD |url=https://www.polygon.com/draw-steel-mcdm-combat-rules-dungeons-and-dragons/ |access-date=2025-08-05 |website=Polygon |language=en}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == {{Portal|Biography}} * [https://x.com/mattcolville?lang=en Matt Colville] on Twitter * [https://www.mcdmproductions.com/ MCDM Productions]
Category:American fantasy writers Category:American video game designers Category:Dungeons & Dragons game designers Category:Role-playing game designers