About us

"Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth" - Albert Camus, The Stranger

Ethan has been playing tabletop roleplaying games for more than 17 years. His background is in Linguistics, in which he holds a Master's Degree and is finishing his Ph.D. For him, science and fantasy both represent invaluable methods of exploring the human mind and its infinite creativity.

What most excites him about playing these games is the infinite potential to be surprised by the story and the promise that the story you generate with your group has never been told before. Whether playing with friends or strangers, new players or veterans, D&D is an amazing way to build strong bonds through collaborative storytelling!

Ethan's games often borrow from the themes and aesthetics of the broader dark fantasy literature, such that the game serves as a venue for heroes to explore moral quandaries as deep and mystifying as forgotten dungeons. Heroes of all races and backgrounds can work together to face the threats presented by nefarious cultists, lumbering undead, scheming nobles, or invaders from faraway worlds. However not all must be grim and dark - silliness and humor are expected and encouraged, too!

Ethan strives to provide an inclusive, respectful, and unique experience, since those three qualities are key to making it a fun experience.

Some Inspiration

Ethan's experience spans several different games, including Dungeons and Dragons (all editions), D20 Modern, Star Wars RPG, and Pathfinder.

He has almost all published modules for 5th edition, and many (in hard and digital copy) from past editions and other games as well. His favorites to run are Curse of Strahd, Descent into Avernus, and The Rime of the Frostmaiden. He's also written his own campaign setting, called Aerselion, which spans 190+ pages of lore and adventure options.

Some literary and popular media influences on Ethan's games include Dark Souls, Ravenloft, The Witcher, the works of H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allen Poe, Innistrad (Magic: the Gathering), Castlevania, Berserk, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Shanarra, etc.

We are a pair of passionate gamers and fantasy/sci-fi roleplay enthusiasts in the Chicago area. We appreciate the impact that momentary immersion in a world of fiction and heroics can have on a person's life. In the way that mankind has told stories together for thousands of years, we see tabletop roleplaying games as a ritual of creation and community, immersion and escapism - bringing people together through fantastic tales of terror and triumph. Our goal is to connect people through shared narratives, in the way that bards of the past sang songs of heroes around the fire.

We are a strong advocate of diversity in D&D and aim to create fun, exciting, and inclusive experiences for people of color, people of all genders, people with disabilities, youth, and the LGBTQ+ community. We endeavor to run an inclusive and exciting game for all players.

Testimonials

“Working with Ethan has been super helpful to me.  I wanted to play Dungeons and Dragons with my kids, but I was flummoxed by all the rules, so I hired Ethan as co-pilot.  He made sure we had a lot of fun and gave me the confidence to take over.”

-- Matt Bird, author of The Secrets of Character

"Ethan DM’d my first ever session and I had a blast! I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I hadn’t even rolled a 20-sided die before and he walked me through everything from picking a character class to creating a character to the nitty gritty details of combat.
Ethan was great at setting the scene and creating an immersive world filled with lore and depth and gave me as much freedom and difficulty to make my own decisions as I was comfortable with. Ultimately my freedom cost me my character’s life because I got cocky and made some poor decisions as a first-timer, but it made the experience that much more rewarding because I didn’t want to be pampered into the world of DnD.
Ethan is organized, efficient, and incredibly knowledgeable on the vast universe of DnD. Short, medium, or long campaigns – they all come packed with humor and carefully crafted detail. Don’t expect him to take it easy on you though if you don’t explicitly ask him to, but expect to be rewarded with a fantastic storyline that could span dozens of sessions over literally years."

-- Dan S.

"Playing with Ethan was my first ever experience in D&D. He is very nice and he can help me explore the best of my creativity, and feel the joy of creating and the ups and downs of the adventure. Plus he is brilliant with character voices. After playing with him, I am proud to say I am a D&D player for life now. When playing with him, he described details that made me feel like I was there and able to see the place and people around me. I was able to immerse myself and feel the tension and fantasy coming alive."

-- Aaron W.

"My husband and I had our first ever D&D session with Ethan and we had SO MUCH FUN! I was worried before the game since I had close to zero experience with any games in general but my husband had a ton from the video games he played. It turned out my concern was not necessary at all. Ethan explained the rules carefully and guided us through the character set up. He answered my hundreds of questions. He also made the game very easy to follow and very immersive. He catered to everyone’s interests and experience as the game went on. My husband later told me Ethan modified the storyline for me when I was stuck. But I didn’t realize that during the game. My husband was also very excited and happy. He felt like he was ‘in the world’ Ethan created for us. I would strongly recommend Ethan to anyone looking for a fun night or any couple on a date!"

-- Yue L.

"I hired Ethan to DM for an unconventional bachelorette party and it was an absolute blast! He wove an exceptionally fun and engaging story and drew everyone into the role play. Ethan sets a very comfortable vibe and went above and beyond to furnish everything we needed to step right into a session. I would highly recommend Lyres for Hire to anyone who's either looking to mix up their usual DnD group or just get started in the world of role playing games!"

-- Susie F.

Questions?

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