The Founder

Hi, I'm Will, and I wrote this, and I built Wanderhold. I've spent over 20 years building web software at scale, from a scrappy startup in San Antonio to senior leadership at public and private companies across B2B, B2C, and traditional retail ecommerce. I've always had an entrepreneurial mindset and a love for boardgames and RPGs, so I set out to build Wanderhold.

A few years ago I stepped off the corporate track and started Studio Lybrand, and I spent time deep in learning generative AI, building concepts and tools that take advantage of the AI wave. But I became quickly disillusioned with what we all collectively now call AI slop. Then, as the use of AI pivoted toward different capabilities like agentic development and automation, I kept circling back to a hobby that feels constantly out of reach for me, gaming. I wanted to build something new and innovative, needing the types of solutions AI can easily solve for, but without the sacrifices AI usually forces on you.

So I pulled out my role playing books and got started. Could an oracle system powered by a software engine, coupled with AI for narration, create an amazing role playing experience? That felt like a solvable problem. I had the engineering and gaming background to make it work. I had enough unplayed boardgames and unfinished campaigns to fuel the motivation.

So I built Wanderhold, a solo narrative RPG platform where the campaign evolves based on your choices, and remembers everything for you, without all the complex rulesets. It's built on simple mechanics, generating a story that responds to your history and input. It isn't a replacement for the table. It's a way to keep the story alive when the table isn't available. It's also a way to stop doomscrolling, and to start reading and creating.

Get In Touch

Feedback and questions welcome at [email protected].