Aiden - The Next Stepping Stone

he/him

5.0

(7)

Timezone

America/new York

Language

English

Identity

Neurodivergent

About Aiden - The Next Stepping Stone

Welcome To Your Next Stepping Stone, I have a background in creative writing, film studies, and game design. Most recently, I have participated in the Grassroots Game Jam 2025. A world-building obsessed nerd, with 15 years of experience as a GM. I started with Dungeons & Dragons. Starting out, I made expansive homebrewed settings, rich in lore, with mysteries that lead to setting-shaking revelations. I enjoy creating campaigns that feel like ecosystems. Which arcs you complete, how, and in what order matter to the world. There are consequences for your actions (both good and bad), but they build up over time like pressure. Then those consequence burst the pipes in an explosive conclusion. Both new and experienced players of all backgrounds are welcome as we explore new, wonderful worlds, fearsome factions, menacing monsters, and deep dungeons. I’m excited to provide tense combat scenarios, high-stakes social encounters, endearing NPC companions, and a BBEG you can’t wait to smite before you even meet them.

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

1 games hosted

Highly rated for: Inclusive, Beginner Friendly, Storytelling

$28.75 per session

Featured Prompts

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

I would sooner drown in the ocean than be forced to choose.

My favorite shows/movies are

The show "Tales from the Loop", the entire LoTR extended edition trilogy, and the horror film "Alien".

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

... either designing my own TTRPG system, bouldering/hiking, or playing a video game. Sometimes I'll do a cooking project in which I make a new dish from a cuisine I haven't yet tackled.

How Aiden - The Next Stepping Stone runs games

When I GM, I seek a balance between roleplay, combat, and exploration while focusing objectives into arcs. My goal is to make the players' actions meaningful to the world and the setting they inhabit by playing to a system's strengths, collaborating with the players' decisions, and reacting to both the boons and banes their choices create. I believe the emotional attachment to a game, its PCs, and its NPCs shines brightest when there are stakes, but I know better than to rip away the goblin everyone loves without build-up or reason. In games like Lancer, you'll navigate intergalactic tensions through the jobs you take on. Which missions you take on, in what order, whom you side with, and how well you perform in each combat mission decide the outcome of a story arc. The stakes are immediately grander as you decide the outcome of corporate and military campaigns or the fate of a secluded colony just trying to get by. In games like D&D, you'll explore a setting through a hex crawl. The stakes will be intimate, shaped by your backstory and the need for your character to survive in a wild and magical world. Slowly, the layers of lore will be peeled away until ruinous truths are revealed. Truths that point toward a goal loftier than the need to eat and find shelter.

Featured Prompts

I deal with rules issues by...

... Looking at the specific circumstance, because sometimes someone (including myself) needs a reminder of what the rule is. Sometimes a rule is vague, and the table and I will need to work together to come to a consensus. Sometimes it doesn't work in a specific circumstance and is ignored.

Rules are...

Rules are made to enforce tension. Without a chance for failure, there are no stakes and thus no motivation to take risks or avoid them. That is the case for GOOD rules and thoughtful game design. Sometimes a rule has to be reworked for a table or set aside in extenuating circumstances.

When it comes to voices

I do voices selectively. I understand how a good voice can improve an NPC's character. I also know a bad voice can ruin a moment... or make it (I am willing to be the butt of a joke occasionally). I welcome my players to do voices where they can, if they can, and if they feel comfortable doing so.

Aiden - The Next Stepping Stone's ideal table

Featured Prompts

I am for a vibe that's...

... here to have fun and goof around, and locks in when the scene gets dramatic and high stakes.

My perfect party mix is

... Where everyone has a way they like to participate outside of combat. Some like RP, some like solving puzzles, and others like adventure and exploration. I do my best to implement these features when and where I can.

My table is not the place for...

... Anyone who is not LGBTQA+ friendly. People who are going to gatekeep or "correct" other players on how to play. People who only want combat or combat without consequences.