The Story Behind

Clever Ghoul Studio

Studio Philosophy

Clever Ghoul Studio creates worlds that feel alive. We tell stories that heal, challenge, and endure. Whimseys and Sands of Fate are two sides of the same soul, one light and one shadow, both bound by the player’s choice to feel.

Core Message: You are part of the echo. Whether you build in ruin or dream in peace, your actions shape the same world.

We are a studio built by roleplayers, for roleplayers. Our founders met through roleplay, and that shared love of collaborative storytelling, living worlds, and player-driven narrative is baked into every thing we build. We don't just make games. We build stages, and we hand the spotlight to the players.

Meet the Ghouls Behind the Chaos

Clever Ghoul Studio is led by three co-founders who each bring something completely different to the table, and somehow, together, it works. Chaos has never been so organized!

Gemma | Founder, CEO & Creative Director
She/Her · Minnesota, USA

Hi! I'm Gemma, founder, CEO and creative director of Clever Ghoul Studio. CGS started as a passion project born from a deep love of storytelling, roleplaying and a whole lotta chaos. I met Steph through Ark roleplay, and eventually met Nelle through RedM roleplay. What started as friendships forged in fictional worlds became a studio that shares a vision, and a found family of creatives who believe the best games are the ones where the players write the story.

I'm a storyteller, chaos enthusiast, and a firm believer in the power of imagination. My goal will always be to bring whimsy, weirdness, and heart into everything we make and I hope that energy shines through in every project we share with the world.

Steph | Co-Founder & Operations Director
He/Her/Them · Minnesota, USA

Hi! I'm Steph, co-founder and operations director of Clever Ghoul Studio. I came into CGS through Ark roleplay, back when Gemma was building her first roleplay server. Which is honestly, the most on-brand origin story for a studio like this. What started as a shared love of collaborative storytelling turned into something much bigger. Now I help keep the chaos organized (or at least mostly organized) as the person making sure the studio runs the way it should behind the scenes.

Like Gemma, I'm a storyteller. Watching players build out their roleplay based on a nugget of story I've created is the highlight and reason why I joined CGS. We need more spaces that celebrate roleplayers, and I am glad we are choosing to do that with our studio.

Nelle | Co-Founder, Art & Illustrative Lead
She/Her · Queensland, Australia

Hi! I’m Nelle, Co-Founder, Art & Illustrative Lead at Clever Ghoul Studio. Which basically means I’m the person responsible for making everything look as chaotically beautiful as possible.

I met Gemma through RedM roleplay and somehow ended up pouring my heart into building the entire visual identity of CGS. From Sands of Fate’s dark mystical world, to the chaotic adorable energy of Whimseys, to the merch designs over at Whimseys Loot. If it has art, I probably had my hands all over it.

Based in Australia, I bring the aussie half of our ‘crafted with chaos & caffeine from around the world’ energy, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

What We're Building

Clever Ghoul Studio is not just one game. It’s a whole diverse universe that spans across a growing family of projects, each connected by shared lore, history, and a deep respect for the players who inhabit them.

Whimseys takes place on Erethor, the world before the great cataclysm. Bright, whimsical, cozy, and full of heart.

Sands of Fate takes place on Elarin, the imperfectly rebuilt version of Erethor. Dark, atmospheric, and uniquely driven by player choice and consequence.

Players who experience both games will witness the full arc of what the world was and what it becomes. Beyond those two worlds, we’re also building tools, apps, card games, platforms, and experiences that all feed back into our community and our universe of Azthera.

We’re building something for every dreamer and we mean that.

Clever Ghoul Studio, Where hearts heal, worlds grow, and whimsy never dies.