Story × Systems × Worlds
Corentin Michon
I'm a Game & Narrative Designer and novelist with an engineering background.
I approach narrative through systems: states, relationships, factions, player choices and emergent conditions, as well as linear story sequences.
My work focuses on designing worlds where narrative, mechanics and player interaction reinforce one another. I work remotely, independently, and across role boundaries.
View my CV ↗Get in touch ↗01 / Practice
02 / Research & imagination
A major part of my personal work is Käarde, an original universe developed through historical research and fiction writing.
I use historical structures as design material rather than reproducing them literally, building factions, political systems, trade, religion and characters that interact coherently.
Inspirations & research areas
03 / Original universe · Ongoing
Käarde is my long-term original universe, spanning historical fantasy, heroic fantasy and science fiction.
In it, I build feudal structures, religions, political conflicts, trade networks, dynastic relationships and factions with a systemic internal logic.
I write characters as actors inside those systems: their decisions emerge from their goals, position, loyalties and relationships.
Several of my novels and stories take place in this universe, and I keep the world coherent across them.
Method
To build Käarde, I formalised two complementary worldbuilding methods: PRI ISM and LORE. They share the same bank of questions and differ only in the order of creation, chosen according to one’s level of experience and the nature of the universe.
They are working frameworks for authors, screenwriters, game masters and game designers. This is only an overview: the full questionnaires remain a work in progress.
A linear, step-by-step path
Start with the essence of the world, then its inhabitants. Each step prepares the next: you can’t describe a culture without knowing where it lives, or tell a war without knowing the factions. Ideal for beginners and for densely populated universes (many peoples, factions, cities).
Four interconnected blocks
An organic approach: Laws, Organisations, Retrospective, Environments. You move freely between blocks, and each one ends with its own dangers. Suited to experienced authors, highly detailed universes, or projects that need a solid documentary base.
| PRI ISM | LORE | |
|---|---|---|
| Path | Linear, from the world to its peoples | Free, through interlinked blocks |
| Audience | Beginners, densely populated universes | Experienced authors, detailed worlds |
| Strength | Clarity and progression | Depth and overall coherence |
| Limit | Less freedom to navigate | No single thread, harder to pick up |
Once the world is set, a final part links it to the story: narrative voice and perspective, the frontiers of knowledge, the protagonist’s role and motivations, and the themes and symbols the world can express.
Education
2021–2023
ICAN / Pixel Academia
2015–2019
ESIEE Paris
Background / Experience
Oct. 2025 – Present
Haveagooday
2023–2025
Haveagooday
2020–2021
Ubisoft & Virtuos
I worked in production inside AAA game studios, with direct exposure to game-development pipelines.
2016–2019
Generali Vie