How Dragon Age II's Tiny Writing Team Delivered a Massive Story in Record Time

Dragon Age II’s Writing Team Faced an Impossible Deadline

The Dragon Age II development team had just over a year to complete the game when 2010 began. But for David Gaider and his writing team, the real challenge was even more daunting: they were tasked with writing the entire game’s story—every line of dialogue, conversation, cinematic cutscene, and codex entry—in just a few short months.

“Everything we made created work for other people.”

— David Gaider, speaking to Charlotte Reber

Every word the writers produced had to be built, animated, recorded, and translated by other departments. This made the writers a critical bottleneck, forcing Gaider to set an earlier deadline to give the rest of the team time to execute their vision.

Gaider’s Direct Approach to the Challenge

Gaider gathered his team to ensure they understood not only the game’s concept but also the severity of the deadline and its limitations. He was blunt about the constraints:

“We have only this amount of time to do this. I’m not going to have time to give everything you make the attention that we would normally give, or that maybe it even deserves. So I am going to have to rely on all of you individually just to do your best work, and to figure it out.”

Despite the pressure, Gaider praised the team’s response: “And the writers did it. They all brought their A-game.”

The Five-Person Team Behind Dragon Age II’s Story

The writing team for Dragon Age II consisted of just five people, including Gaider himself. Among them was Lukas Kristjanson, the most veteran member of the group.

Lukas Kristjanson: The Legendary ‘Writer Zero’

Kristjanson was the first full-time writer ever hired at BioWare in 1996, working on Baldur’s Gate. His long tenure earned him affectionate nicknames like “Writer Zero” and “Old Man Luke.” He contributed to nearly every BioWare release, creating iconic characters such as barbarian Minsc (and his pet hamster Boo) in Baldur’s Gate. He later joined the Dragon Age team for Origins and its DLC, Leliana’s Song.

Jennifer Hepler: From Game Module Writer to Senior Storyteller

Hepler began as a game module writer in Los Angeles before relocating to BioWare Edmonton with her husband. She became the first woman to join the Dragon Age writing team and quickly established herself as one of its fastest contributors. On Origins, she crafted much of the game’s dwarf lore and the Dwarf Commoner origin story. By Dragon Age II, she had taken on a senior role, overseeing managerial quests and project management.

Sheryl Chee: The Self-Taught Modder Turned BioWare Writer

Chee grew up in Singapore as an avid BioWare fan. In college, she taught herself modding partly to play more games and partly to understand their creation process. When BioWare posted an open writing position, Chee submitted a mod as her application. This led to an interview and, ultimately, her role on the Dragon Age II team.