Adam (Is Up To Something)

he/him

5.0

(11)

Timezone

America/los Angeles

Language

English

Identity

LGBTQ+

Artist

Teacher/Educator

Voice Actor

Game Designer

About Adam (Is Up To Something)

I'm Adam (he/him, 🏳️‍🌈), and I try to run the sort of games I want to play in. My players' characters pretty much live in my head. I spend a lot of time thinking about their stories, about how to make backstories campaign-relevant, and strategizing how to provide satisfying challenges for them. I play the long game and I'm all about the little details, leaving both clues and little jokes for observant players to notice. I also know to check my privilege because I'm white and cisgender-male. I'm a cat dad, and you may see my Purrtato's tail on-cam from time to time. I moved to the west coast years ago, where I found my community through running D&D games. I didn't know I had a talent for voices until I started playing D&D 3.5 and felt emboldened by another shameless roleplayer at the table. I'd love to give other people a platform for finding and using their voices.

At a glance

2 years on StartPlaying

92 games hosted

Highly rated for: Voices, Storytelling, Creativity

Featured Prompts

I became a GM because

I wanted to play D&D with friends, and nobody else wanted to be the DM. Turns out I was good at it! Later, I wanted to DM professionally because my existing players kept telling me I could and should, and I want to love what I do for a living.

People are always surprised when I tell them

I'm not on drugs. Seriously, this is just my personality.

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

Writing and marking art; I love creating and sharing things. I have a day job in training and IT support, but RPGs are where my passion is. I've been teaching myself to draw, and some of that makes its way into my games.

How Adam (Is Up To Something) runs games

I've got a number of voices in my pocket, and I'm always working to develop new ones. I'm a big fan of player-character secrets and doling out unique campaign-relevant lore to each player. I lean heavily toward maps and top-down minis for combat, but I also use maps for other scenes so they don't always imply imminent violence. I try to make battle a challenge, but I'm rooting for the players to win. (Rhetorically, however, I'm absolutely trying to murder your PCs.) I'll either play straight with or subvert genre tropes depending on the game I'm running and the vibe my players are into. If I'm running a comedic story, I'll lampshade some of the weirder narrative elements of the fantasy TTRPG genre. In a more serious campaign, though, I work to let my players immerse themselves in the setting. Tonal variation is my jam. Did anyone else catch their first episode of Critical Role or Dimension 20 and think, "Man, I'd love to (DM/play in) a game like that?" I honestly think it's possible with thorough enough session zero agreements and a group interested in trying. TTRPGs are a perfect place to let your inner actor out to play.

Featured Prompts

I deal with rules issues by...

In combat, I'll issue a ruling in the moment and recruit a player, if willing, to look it up when it's not their turn. If it turns out I mis-ruled, I'm open to revising the scene or issuing some compensation. Outside of battle, I lean toward whatever seems most fun for the table.

I once ran a session...

Beware when I get a mad look in my eye and say, "Tonight, we're going to do something a little bit different." Once in a while, I'd run a session in which I'd hand everyone a character sheet, and they'd end up playing... [spoilers], fleshing out and ratcheting up the tension of the campaign.

I prep by

Spending a lot of time percolating about the player characters, waiting for the idea that gets me giggling like a happy chipmunk because I know it's going to delight someone. Oh, and I put a stupid amount of time into mapmaking, tokens, and prepping a soundtrack that's evocative but not distracting.

Adam (Is Up To Something)'s ideal table

The vibe I try to provide is friendly, sassy, and light. I want my players to laugh and enjoy themselves. Players should feel safe, although their characters... not so much. The rest of table dynamics come from your fellow players, and I've been lucky to game with some seriously amazing people.

Featured Prompts

I love it when a player

turns out to be a generous actor, prompting scenes that can draw other PCs into the story. I also love it when I get handed a backstory that gives me a clear vibe for the kind of stories the player might enjoy experiencing.