Alan - GM for all

he/him

5.0

(6)

Timezone

America/new York

Language

English

Identity

DMs Guild Writer

Teacher/Educator

Voice Actor

About Alan - GM for all

I live in New York, and I love to run Dungeons and Dragons and other role playing games, in person or online. I started playing D&D in 1981 and was DM'ing by 1985. I am looking to run D&D 5E (2014, not the new 2024 edition), D&D 1E or 2E, D&D BX (1981 or even 1983), and various other Role-Playing games such as: Marvel Super Heroes (1984/1986), Star Wars 1E by WEG (1987), various versions of Apocalypse World, the Burning Wheel, the Riddle of Steel, Torchbearer 1E, and many other games.

At a glance

1 year on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Knows the Rules, Storytelling, Creativity

Featured Prompts

I became a GM because

My father and my older brother GM'ed first, and I wanted to see what the game was like on the other side of the table. I've always been interested in both the player and the GM role in RPGs. Even today, I don't feel quite complete unless I spend time every year as both a player and a GM.

I got started GMing...

After playing Basic and Expert Set in 1981, my brothers and friends quickly moved to AD&D first edition. By 1984/5, I was running my own Dungeons and Dragons games. Throughout the 80's, I ran Marvel Super Heroes, Star Wars (d6), Talislanta, and Shawdowrun .

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

Burning Wheel (because it uses d6 dice pools) Apocalypse World or one of its PbtA derivatives. (because of its simple 2d6 resolution) Dust Devils (since it uses regular playing cards as the random mechanic)

How Alan - GM for all runs games

I prefer to run this game highly collaboratively, where player choices drive world creation as well as many other aspects of the game beyond their characters. My players have unforgettable experiences and give me the highest praise at the end sessions because of the techniques I use - the techniques that inspire players to make unique decisions spontaneously. I am a leader that has influenced other new DM's, so that they get the same results as I do by using similar methods. I prefer to use what is now called "Session Zero" to guide world-building with the players. When players know what to expect, I find that this method maximizes player engagement and as a group, we "fill many hours with fantastic and often unpredictable happenings, and an opportunity to watch a story unfold and a grand idea to grow and flourish." I tend to run games that are role-playing focused, combat-light, or contain at most moderate amounts of combat. I do not run combat heavy games, or "crawl" heavy games (dungeon or hex). I will use a tactical grid for combat anywhere from 0-2 times per session, other combats are handled with theater of mind or "zone" combat (a hybrid of grid and theater of mind combat). Come prepared to collaborate by embracing Compromise, Agreement and Trust (CAT or ACT if you prefer). With compromise, no one will get everything they want all the time. But by leaning on saying Yes to one another (I use some improvisation techniques), we can all get most of what we want, most of the time. You may start to feel like our game is as compelling as your favorite binge-worthy TV show. I am looking for truly open-minded players that can see themselves being receptive to my methods and want the experiences I've described.

Featured Prompts

I deal with rules issues by...

letting the story and characters drive the action first, then invoking the rules if they become necessary to determine failure, success and consequences.

My games focus on...

spontaneous, collaborative input from my players that drives the story forward.

Alan - GM for all's ideal table

My ideal has four players that trust everyone else at the table, can arrive at agreements easily, and are willing to compromise for the group and keep the whole enterprise moving. Players coming to my table with the kind of open mind mentioned above will walk away with mind-bending, "O-sh%7!", binge-worthy TV experiences. My players wind up doing most of the talking because they are elated to dig into their characters and the fictional world we create. I wind up mostly focusing on being the antagonists, a guide, and a facilitator to my players.

Featured Prompts

If you're into ___, you're going to love my table

fast and loose spit-balling in your game that leads to unexpected story events

I love it when a player

comes up with a creative solution or suggests a different action they think the bad guy might take...

I think it's a red flag when players...

frequently talk over other players or the DM. Every player's character (PC) should get roughly equal "screen time", and so every player should get roughly equal speaking time.