Michael Garcia
he/they
5.0
(7)
Timezone
Language
Identity
About Michael Garcia
Bay Area progressive who has been running for 25 years and playing for even longer. Since I came across Apocalypse World in the 2010's I've become adept at running games Powered by the Apocalypse including Monsterhearts, Monster of the Week, Masks, Apocalypse Keys, and Thirsty Sword Lesbians. I use Roll 20 as my game table of choice and host calls on my Discord server.
At a glance
4 years on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: Inclusive, Storytelling, Teacher
Featured Prompts
My favorite shows/movies are
Fallout, The Owl House, Steven Universe, Breaking Bad, Twin Peaks, Avatar, and Doroherdoro are some of my favorite shows I stream. For 2026, my favorite movies I've seen in theaters or on video: Sinners, Furiosa, Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair, Mother Mary [A24 thriller], and Argo.
The three words my players would use to describe me are...
respectful, collaborator, and patient.
When I'm not running games I'm...
listening to history and film podcasts, house husband to my breadwinning spouse and carer for our disabled dachshund. He baby. I play Metroidvanias and FromSoftware games when I get the chance. I love to playtest games/would be happy to be invited to one-shots on and off the Start-playing server.
How Michael Garcia runs games
Emotional and character driven narratives with a focus on drama, melodrama, and a touch humor. Enjoy taking a story and if the group desires, turning into a memorable-but-fun tragedy. I also enjoy melancholy and bittersweet and contrasting that with inspiring joy and delight.
Featured Prompts
I once ran a session...
where half the table was crying at the end. I was giving a eulogy for a beloved NPC who sacrificed himself to save his best friend's life [a player character].
Rules are...
Are the agreed upon bedrock for my players and I to build on.
When it comes to voices
I am best at performing fleshed out NPCs with players who have major buy-in. Not so much as doing impressions, as making unqiue identities to interact with. If I am firing on all cylinders, no NPC acts or sounds like the other.
Michael Garcia's ideal table
Players who love to "yes, and", and love to hear it back. Players who love player safety, including their own. Collaborators. Dreamers. People who want to live in the skin of their PCs for a time, but also want to make that experience happen for other players too.
Featured Prompts
If you're into ___, you're going to love my table
The Mighty Nien
I think metagaming...
is a tool for collaboration, and so it has it's place as that. Once it no longer functions as such, it should be set aside.
My table is not the place for...
racism, transphobia, homophobia, fatphobia, or racism. Do not play a fascist. Anti-social behavior is discouraged.
Michael Garcia's Preferences
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