Let the Games Begin!

It’s been a bit since I last ran a tabletop role-playing game and I am antsy as all get out to get back into it. And so I’m looking for four friends to play in some TTRPG adventures that I want to run online, starting in January. Friends who like playing “Let’s Pretend” for similar reasons as I do, who like hamming it up when playing their characters, who like “yes, and”-ing their fellow players, and who have the time, energy, and interest in committing to playing regularly (every two weeks, preferably, around 3 hours for a session).

My aim is to run a long campaign, but I want to start with running some shorter campaigns–with Starfinder, Warhammer FRP (not the miniatures wargame) some Old School Renaissance games like Mothership, Dolmenwood, and maybe some others–and see where things go from there. I like running games that are epic, melodramatic, heroic, colorful, strange, funny, maybe don’t always make perfect sense–but are also earnest, authentic, and vulnerable, no matter how silly or over the top things get.

I’M TALKING COOL, WEIRD FUN WITH BIG FEELS, FOLKS!

I like my games to be cooperative, not antagonistic or competitive. I lean into collaborative storytelling and theatrics, giving players a lot of agency. I try to flow with what the players want to do–this isn’t my story, this is our story. I’m happy for player characters to go off on tangents and sidequests, and I like to have lots of opportunities for dialoguing and monologuing.

I like to stick to the rules as written as much as possible, but I also play by the principles of Maximum Game Fun and Rule of Cool–what’s most enjoyable and entertaining for everyone playing is more important than specific game mechanics and “realism.” If a written rule makes things less fun for us, we can tweak it or throw it out. I don’t like tactical combat. I’ve almost exclusively played “Theater of the Mind” (except my friends and I never called it that) my entire life, and I like fight scenes to be fast-paced and cinematic. (I’m firmly on the Ross Bryant side of this debate.)

If you have zero to little TTRPG experience, or you’ve only played D&D so far, no worries. I’ll take enthusiasm and curiosity over experience any day.

Some of my inspirations for the serious/funny, epic/personal, melodramatic/earnest energy I aim for: Doctor Who, Star Trek, Star Wars, the Arrowverse, Superman: The Movie, the Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy movies, Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.

If this all sounds like something you want to do and can do, comment below or message me. Let me know what days and times are good for you, and whatever video conferencing preferences you might have.

(A note about playing online: I much prefer playing in person, but at this point in my life, the logistics of getting a group of people to be in the same place at the same time on a regular basis are just too difficult and frustrating. Speaking for myself, if I’m having anxiety or depression or just feeling ill, it’s much easier for me to jump online and play anyway than it is to get myself out of the house.)