photography by Maxwell Lander
banner image by Anna Wolff
Lucas J.W. Johnson (he/him) is a queer writer, game designer, and entrepreneur. He is the author of several works of fiction including his 2022 debut novel THE CLOCKWORK EMPIRE, the Founder and Studio Director of videogame studio Silverstring Media, and currently the Narrative Director at Riyo Games.
Lucas has experimented with interactive narratives, game design, and emergent storytelling for his whole life, writing stories and running tabletop roleplaying games since he was young. He creates queer and diverse works that explore deep narratives, experimental game design, and meaningful storyworlds.
He has written several critically-acclaimed and award-winning games including Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between, Extrasolar, and Timespinner, and spoken at conferences across North America about game and transmedia design, education, and business practices. He recently started Crow’s Pen Publishing to self-publish fiction and tabletop RPG projects.
Lucas lives with his husband and cats in Vancouver, BC.
The Clockwork Empire
It is the height of the industrial revolution, and the Roman Empire has stood for thousands of years. Airborne fortresses and mechanically remade soldiers guard against threats outside the empire’s vast borders—even as it rots from the inside.
My debut novel, steampunk alt-history about queer found family fighting fascism.