Colin McComb

Colin is a game designer with over thirty years of experience in tabletop and computer RPGs. He started at TSR (the creators of Dungeons & Dragons) where he won two Origins Awards for the Birthright Campaign Setting and the boxed adventure Dragon Mountain, and contributed significantly to the Planescape setting. He took this knowledge to Black Isle Studios, where he worked on the classic Planescape: Torment and Fallout 2. He was creative lead for 2017's Torment: Tides of Numenera, designed for Wasteland 2 and 3, contributed to Baldur's Gate 3, and was again creative lead for Australian post-apoc CRPG Broken Roads. He's co-owner of VR/XR developer 3lb Games.

https://3lbgames.com/

GDEX 2025 Workshop: Whose Story Is This, Anyway? Designing Characters Who Steal the Spotlight | Some characters are written to serve the plot. Others walk on stage and take over. This session explores how to design NPCs, companions, and major story figures with the kind of presence and specificity that make them impossible to ignore. We’ll break down techniques for creating vivid personalities through dialogue, behavior, pacing, and contrast, so every character, no matter their role, leaves a lasting impact. Come away with practical tools for writing characters that drive scenes, challenge expectations, and refuse to fade into the background.

GDEX 2025 Panel: Game Writing Tips & Tricks Panel | Learn from industry professional games writers as we discuss creating engaging and unique stories and side quests that make an impression with your players.