Ben McFarland

he/him

Timezone

America/new York

Language

English

Identity

Veteran

Game Designer

About Ben McFarland

Hi! I'm an Ennie-award winning game designer for Kobold Press, Paizo, Wizards of the Coast, Atlas Games, Storm Bunny Studios & more! I've been running games for 40 years & in a ton of different systems. There's no hobby I love more than RPGs & no better way for friends to hang out together. I've competed at Iron GM, run games at Gencon & taught tables of merciless 12-year olds at the local library. Let me bring that experience to you!

At a glance

5 years on StartPlaying

Featured Prompts

I became a GM because

I was the guy with the books, and then I was always the GM because I really knew the rules, and then I just ended up staying in the seat because my friends asked me to run, but at this point, I'm still the GM because I love GMing.

My 3 systems I'd bring to a desert island would be

Ars Magica-- I've designed for it, I adore it, it's my greatest love Blades in the Dark-- I'm looking to run it but _Haunted City_ gave me a monster crush for it. Either 5e or PF1, but that's because I can run either without even thinking hard. I've got those games mostly internalized.

When I'm not running games I'm...

at the swimming pool, watching my kiddos swim. Seriously, I'm at the pool a lot.

How Ben McFarland runs games

I'm the full package-- I love the voices, I dig description, and I'm equally at home in heavy roleplaying as I am roaring into combat as I am skulking into the shadows. Do you want your background incorporated into the storyline? Awesome! Did you want to just roam the wilderness for weeks on end, exploring ruins and facing down dinosaurs? You got it. Hexcrawl to bar brawl, I'm your GM. (safety tools included!)