About Me
I am a writer, a scholar and teacher of nineteenth-century American literature, an avid gamer, and recently, an RPG live-streamer. On any given day, if you don't find me in the classroom at Valparaiso University, you may find me hiking local trails, rolling twenty-sided dice with friends and family, or writing in a coffee shop. If it's a really good day, you'll find me doing all of the above...but generally not at the same time.
Dwellings & Driveways: Keep on the Cul-de-Sac!
Tie up those sweatpants, grab a potion of Cure Light Caffeine Headache, and dare to Keep on the Cul-de-Sac!
This hilarious parody module features a funny new perspective on your daily homebound escapades. Explore this keep with your family or friends, or use it as a model to design your own shelter-in-place quests using your favorite RPG system—and your OWN dwelling!
When a murderous zombie-like horde starts ravaging the land, a bold party of adventurers agrees to venture deep into the Slouismo Fen, where legend has it an ancient temple in the center of a dead lake holds a powerful relic known only as the “Bane of the Ancients.”
Players will face horrible monsters and discover wondrous relics of the Ancients, but can they find the cure and return to their village in time to save it?
Take the adventure and find out!
A 2nd-Level 5E-Compatible Adventure by Martin Buinicki
Somewhere in the middle of the ocean lies a wizard’s prized possession, and he’s offered you a handsome reward for retrieving it. All you need do is set sail on the Intrepid Eel! On your journey, you will work and play alongside the crew, brave fierce squalls, battle the cursed ship Albatross...and face the monster of the sea, the Dread Grampus!
Chaos Before the Mast is a Dungeon Crawl Classics-compatible nautical adventure for 4–6 2nd-level characters. Prepare to sing sea shanties, swab the decks, and battle the creatures of the deep!
Recent Work
What Walt Whitman Tells Us about Ourselves
A guest editorial for The New York Daily News in honor of Walt Whitman's 200th birthday.
"The Peasant's Fell Bargain"
An original short story providing background for the Gaming Honors module The Peasants' Fell Bargain
"Shadowforde"
An original short story providing background for the Gaming Honors module The Exodus of Wolfbane.
For several years, I've been blogging about American literature, life, and long runs. I'm not always as consistent as I would like, but I try to be candid and thoughtful. If you really want to learn more about how I see the world, you might want to start here.