Real Job LLC is community of individuals bound together by a common desire to create great games. Spurred on by positive response to the then-budding Third Age project, Real Job was founded in 2012 as a partnership between Nathan Bastert and Erik Hansen. After securing proper funding and gathering a team of young, talented individuals, Real Job began its task to develop Third Age into a high-quality, professional product. At Real Job LLC we are passionate about what we do, and are excited to present our fellow gamers with our vision for the future of physical board and card games.

Nathan Bastert is a founding member of Real Job LLC and main systems designer for the card game Third Age. Upon graduating from Illinois State University with a degree in Secondary Social Science Education Nathan pursued his master's degree from the same institution in History. During his time completing his master's degree, Nathan sought to advance his involvement in another interest: gaming. A lifelong fan games in all forms, Nathan currently blames absolutely all his nerdy habits on his love of Pokémon. Over the years he has played far too many board/card/video games to count. However, of all the different forms of games his favorite remains the physical. Nathan seeks to apply what he has learned about games in his involvement with Real Job.

Matt Martin is the Art Director for Real Job LLC, charged with the creation and layout of design and directing the many fine artists who produce art for our games. Matt received his BFA in Art from Illinois Wesleyan University and his MFA in Art from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As Matt is often faced with the very real dilemma of whether or not he should be playing games or working on his own art (the choice should be obvious, right?), it was only natural to merge those specialties together in his current position. Matt's gaming beginnings started with adventuring through Hero Quest with his dad and zoning out at family gatherings playing Link's Awakening. As he keeps playing, Matt is always looking for games that appeal to his inner Vorthos Timmy psychograph, something that he hopes to bring to his work at Real Job.

Sam Wilson is the Lead Editor for Third Age, and is responsible for all language and text in the game. Sam is currently pursuing his Master's in Communication at the University of Illinois. In his role for Third Age, he is able to combine his love of language, writing, and storytelling with the nitty-gritty of editing. A votary of rich storytelling and writing, Sam loves tales like The Aeneid or Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. Likewise, he is a fan of the adroit weaving of lore and gameplay of the Dark Souls series. Sam strives to bring the intersection of these interests to Third Age by providing not only precise, clean language, but a rich, flavorful world for Third Age to exist--and thrive--in. Otium sine litteris mors est!

Artists