Available to hire
Cat McDonald is a queer storyteller and game designer living in Edmonton, Alberta, making fantastic, ethereal stories that help people see themselves and tell stories that reflect their reality. They love building tools—games, scripts, and interactive experiences—that turn lived experience into wonder.
Across fiction, tabletop RPG design, and actual-play podcast direction, Cat works to create inclusive, emotionally resonant worlds. Their projects emphasize character agency, connection, and craft—whether through playable systems, single-player ritual experiences, or improvised audio dramas.
Experienced with editing mid-market science fiction for On Spec magazine, writing science fiction and fantasy, and game design.
Experience Level
Work Experience
Cast Member & Editor (Chapter: Suburbanoia) at 30 Candles
January 1, 2024 - April 30, 2024Participated as a cast member and editor on a limited-run actual-play series. Performed in and edited the second chapter, “Suburbanoia,” focusing on preteens navigating the apocalypse; also apprenticed as an audio editor with coaching from the Game Master.
Cast Member & Editor (Mimi) at SuperIdols RPG – Blast Off! (Patreon bonus series)
November 1, 2022 - PresentPlays Mimi, an alien idol from outer space making friends on Earth. Took over editing after gaining experience; series originated from recordings in summer 2022 but was delayed before resuming with editorial involvement.
Organizer (Livestreamed Podcast Festival) at Rainbow Roll Festival
June 1, 2022 - PresentCo-leads and hosts a livestreamed festival celebrating queer-led actual-play podcasts. Supports multiple shows and hosts; includes fundraising impact, such as raising funds for Mermaids UK (supporting trans and nonbinary youth).
Director / Game Master (Actual Play Podcast) at Roar to Heaven
May 1, 2022 - December 31, 2023Runs an actual-play podcast based on Cat’s Blazing Hymn setting as a limited-run series funded by Kickstarter backers. Responsibilities include game mastering/story direction, website maintenance, episode uploads, plus organizing promotional campaign and funding to hire cast/crew and a sound engineer.
Cast Member (Drang of the Short Days) at Tales from the Tabletop Presents: Edge of the World (Bailehart)
August 1, 2021 - PresentPlays Drang of the Short Days, an anthropomorphic reindeer fae and an emotionally distant mother figure in an ongoing Dungeons & Dragons actual-play podcast.
Cast Member (Ariabel Mateus, WINDY) at The Deimos Paradox (Lancer)
June 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022Plays a tender-hearted but determined combat medic with a fear of guns and a mech that punches in an actual-play podcast set in Lancer.
Organizer (Charity Bundle) at Solo But Not Alone
January 1, 2021 - PresentOrganizes an annual bundle of single-player roleplaying games worldwide, donating proceeds to suicide prevention organizations Jasper’s Game Day and later Take This. Raised substantial funds in 2021–2024 with broad contributor participation, including Cat’s own published games.
Cast Member (Only Rachel) / Website & Episode Maintenance at Truth Hidden Among Hearts (Invisible Sun)
May 1, 2019 - March 31, 2020Played Only Rachel, a demon-summoning pigeon lady who lives in a giant mailbox. Maintained the show website and uploaded episodes for the actual-play podcast.
Director / Game Master (Actual Play Podcast) at Sword of Symphonies
May 1, 2019 - PresentDirects an actual-play podcast set in Cat’s own Heroic Chord world; primary responsibilities are story direction and improvisational challenge design for characters. Also maintains the website and uploads episodes. Recognized with awards including Best Actual Play Not Playing D&D and Best Ensemble Cast (2021 New Jersey Web Festival), plus Best GM of an Actual Play (2022) and Best Original Soundtrack (2023).
Tabletop Roleplaying Game Writer and Designer at Peach Garden Games
January 1, 2019 - PresentDesigned and produced multiple tabletop roleplaying games and single-player games, often as fully solo projects. Includes: Debtors dealing with demons (All That I Am), peaceful post-apocalyptic Rangers (Rangers of a Broken World), pirate-quest treasure search (Headless Guide), space-journey ritual with Familiars (Familiar Unfamiliar), GM-less reality-TV party play (I Came Here to Win), winter fairytale exploration using Carta engine (Into the Glacier), and multiple Carta/Harmony Drive SRDs and supporting tools for other designers.
Fiction Writer at Self-employed
January 1, 2011 - PresentPublished speculative and dark-fantasy short fiction, including re-envisionings of Hell, art-infused mysteries, festival-haunting drug stories, demonic-transported self-actualization, and postwar PTSD reconnection stories. Also published work featuring mythic-era and modern settings, exploring trauma, identity, and connection through ethereal lenses.
Tabletop Roleplaying Game Designer & Editor at Cabal Games / Peach Garden Games / Self-published projects
January 1, 2008 - PresentProduced both solo and team-written tabletop products, including card-based systems, RPG supplements, and engine SRDs that enable other designers to create new single-player games.
Fiction Editor (Slush Reader, Layout Designer, Interviewer) at On Spec Magazine (Copper Pig Writers’ Society)
January 1, 2008 - PresentServed in multiple roles for a Canadian speculative fiction magazine: slush reading and story selection, layout/design support, and conducting interviews. Primary current responsibility is interviewer work, contributing to the publication’s editorial and presentation quality.
Tabletop Roleplaying Game Writer and Designer at MOD / Cabal Games
January 1, 2003 - December 31, 2010Created and documented game systems built from modular components. Worked closely with peers to develop rules and then translate those rules into clear, readable manual text and layouts.
Education
Qualifications
Industry Experience
Gaming, Media & Entertainment, Non-Profit Organization
Experience Level
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