Shawn Merwin

Shawn Merwin is a full-time RPG writer, designer, and editor who began his career as an administrator and contributor to countless organized play programs (Living Greyhawk, Living Forgotten Realms, D&D Adventurers League, Xen'drik Expeditions, Ashes of Athas, Living Kingdoms of Kalamar, Oracle of War, etc.). He's worked as a freelancer and contractor for Wizards of the Coast on numerous books, magazine articles, and adventures. His early published credits include Designer in the WotC book Dungeon Delve and the co-Designer (with Bruce Cordell) on Assault on Nightwyrm Fortress. He also co-designed Halls of Undermountain with Matt Sernett. For 5e, he was credited as a co-Lead Designer for the D&D Acquisitions Incorporated hardcover, as well as a Designer for Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus.

Shawn has worked on several seasons of D&D Encounters, and he has written many convention adventures for Wizards' in 3e, 4e, and 5e rules, including several incarnations of the D*D Open. He was the Resource Manager for the Eberron: Oracle of War Adventurers League campaign. Shawn also regularly worked on 5e projects for Kobold Press, Alligator Alley Entertainment, and other publishers in the D&D arena. In 2021, he became Executive Lead Designer for Ghostfire Gaming and oversaw design on Grim Hollow: The Player's Guide, Grim Hollow: The Monster Grimoire, and Arora: Age of Desolation. He is a co-host on the Eldritch Lorecast podcast and stream.

Outside of D&D, Shawn also contributed to projects as diverse as Star Trek Adventures and the Dracula Dossier. He also designed and edited projects for Encoded Designs, which include such products as the Dungeon World adventure Dangerous Space Jail and the Fate Core system Part-Time Gods of Fate. Shawn has written game-design articles for D&D Beyond, and he hosts a weekly podcast called Mastering Dungeons. He has an MFA in Creative Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and has taught creative writing at the undergraduate and post-graduate level. He also teaches a course on Writing for RPGs at Fredonia State University.