Rob Smith (he/him)
5.0
(8)
3 years on StartPlaying
13 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Rule of Cool, World Builder
About me
I’m Rob, a 43-year old family man from Jersey, but living in Music City USA. I was exclusively a player in RPGs (D&D 2.0, 3.5/Pathfinder and 5E) for about 20 years, until I took over GM duties out of necessity for a long-running group in 2020. I unlocked a skillset, leveled it up, and haven’t looked back since! I’m more of a sci-fi nerd than a fantasy nerd, so I was INSTANTLY hooked when I discovered Mothership in 2020. It has become my main system, although I’m down to run ANYTHING that tells a good story. I am also an advocate for RPGs, and will sing the hobby’s praises to anyone who will listen! I love introducing people to the hobby. Teaching them to play and watching as they learn, grow and have fun never fails to bring me joy.
GM Style
Collaborative, interactive story-telling is what drew me to RPGs in the first place, and I use this approach in my games. I love working with my players to tie their characters into the game world, and give them as much personal investment in the story as they want. This collaborative approach leads to great off-the-cuff and improvised moments that enrich the story and world-building. In my experience it's those moments that players tend to remember the most fondly. Tonally, I like to keep my games light with humor, even in the face of the darkest mind-shattering horrors that the players face. I like to encourage my players to come up with creative and innovative solutions, and I definitely lean toward the “Rule-of-Cool.” Tell me what you want to do and how you’re going to try to do it, then roll the dice (where applicable) and see how it plays out! I try to use a “fail-forward” approach as much as possible, where most failures lead to something interesting or funny! Oh...and I love doing voices! I am NOT professionally trained, but I love to try to inhabit my NPCs and make them more interesting and fun to interact with. My games are always a safe place for everyone. I ask that you be kind and respectful of each other, as we're all here in the same spirit of joy and collaboration. I hope that everyone can have fun and get lost in the game! I love running Mothership, but I am also familiar with D&D 5E, Pathfinder 1E/Stafinder, Mork Borg, Free League’s Alien RPG, Zweihander and Dungeon Crawl Classics, and I will likely run them all at some point.
Rob Smith's Games
Game Master Reviews (8)
Proficiencies
Players say this GM is great at:
Creativity
Rule of Cool
World Builder
Cyrus
Played 13 sessions
It's rare to find a GM that's comfortable to let his players roleplay to their heart's content, keep up with them, and make those interactions part of the story. Rob had me excited to see what would happen next and made me feel like choices I made could and did affect the story. I would recommend him to anyone looking for an engaging time.
Chad
I'm a fan of playing unusual classes, races and what have you and Rob has always been very accommodating to reasonable requests regarding non-core/3rd party/homebrew content. He's very collaborative with his players and has a firm grasp on the rules of whatever system he's running. You can't go wrong taking a seat at Rob's table.
Brandon Ferris
Rob's an excellent GM. He maintains a wonderful balance of player agency along with guard rails to move the story along. He also does a great job balancing the difficulty. You'll feel challenged, but it won't feel impossible. You can expect a good mix of humor and drama, but neither is overdone or feels forced. Overall Rob will create a wonderful world for your adventure, and make sure it stays on the rails.
Krispy Waters
I've sat at the table both in person and virtually for Rob's sessions. Each and every time dude has brought his A game. Engaging, funny, great at creating immersive worlds full of living, breathing characters. Guy is one of a kind. He's able to adapt on the fly with.... "creative players" such as myself, and I can honestly say I've never left Rob's tables feeling like I didn't have a good time. Might have uses too many negatives in that last sentence and made it confusing. I'll simplify. Rob table good. Rob table fun. Also, dude has been a champion for Mothership. He's put his heart and soul into spreading awareness of the game, and has been a great ambassador for the system. I really wish I could pick more than 3 things for Rob in the choices below, cause he really does excel at so much. You won't regret sitting in on one of his sessions.
Ladd Turner
Rob is an absolute standout. His creativity knows no bounds, and his ability to think on the fly keeps every session engaging and immersive. He has a rare talent for getting player buy-in, making us feel invested in the world he crafts. It’s clear he genuinely enjoys the game while we play, and that energy is contagious. What sets him apart is the time and effort he puts in—he does the research, comes prepared, and isn’t afraid to ask questions or double-check details to make the game even better. Every session feels like an adventure worth remembering. I love that he lets us just role-play and figure things out. My only complaint has to do with my own schedule that causes me to miss out on his sessions! OK, that and my poor dice rolls which I'm also going to blame on him and his GM voodoo magic.
Michael Shepherd
Creative encounters and stories, easily adapts to our shenanigans.
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