Scott Courtney

Scott [he/him] has played D&D since the blue paperback Player's Handbook and video games since the Atari 2600. Originally from Missouri, he graduated BSEE/BSCompE, moved to Ohio, and spent 14 years developing industrial control systems, CAD /CAM middleware, and IT tools for a manufacturer. An off-hours technical essay that "went viral" created a new opportunity as a Linux technical journalist. The 2001 recession ate his media employer, and Scott pivoted to IT engineering at Sine Nomine Associates. Through two decades, the SNA team has guided multinational enterprises in re-engineering their ITSM (IT Service Management) and NOCs (Network Operation Centers), crafting new processes and tools and designing modern physical facilities and critical technical workspaces. Scott also led SNA's internal IT Team for over a decade in his...ahem!...copious spare time.

Long absent from video gaming, Scott and his wife, Kathie, encountered "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion" around 2008. Scott's experience in programming, CAD/CAM, and community theatre, and Kathie's talent as a writer, serendipitously collided. A small modding project underwent massive -- but intentional -- scope creep and became a five-year DLC-sized labor of love called "Rathunas." Manual workflows couldn't scale up, so Scott created a relational database and programs to manage the 3D assets, 102 characters, quests, dialog, and 3500 voice tracks.

After "Rathunas" released in 2015, Scott set upon a journey to become a full-time 3D professional and was fortunate to attain this without changing employers. He now leads the 3D Interactive Team at Sine Nomine, merging IT and engineering expertise with 3D tools such as Unreal Engine, Blender, and Unity. Unsurprisingly, Scott is enthusiastic about creating parametric and procedural tools to empower artists and designers.

Scott and Kathie recently celebrated 30 joyful years of marriage. They live in northeastern Ohio with their three feline companions, thousands of honey bees, uncounted books, and not nearly enough coffee and chocolate.