Brandon // Arcade Abyssal

he/him

5.0

(28)

Timezone

America/kentucky/louisville

Language

English

Identity

Streamer

Game Designer

About Brandon // Arcade Abyssal

Hi, I’m Brandon! I’ve been playing TTRPGs for 20 years... well, really much longer than that if you include tiny cameos in my dad's games in the 90's! 😆 But yes, I've been playing D&D since 3rd Edition, and DMing for the better part of 10 years now. I enjoy playing other systems, as well as modifying the D&D system to fit nontraditional settings. I have a degree in game design with a focus on level design, technical art, and environment art. With that comes a passion for mechanics and design, for crafting challenges and encouraging creative gameplay... and also for being surprised when emergent play catches you off-guard. I’m currently running two longform D&D campaigns on Roll20/Discord.

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

13 games hosted

Highly rated for: Creativity, Inclusive, Teacher

Average response time: 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

Featured Prompts

I became a GM because

I like supporting others and having fun with my friends. I love collaborative storytelling and worldbuilding, both of which are central to every game I run. And I also love understanding systems. Short version of the story... I have a lot of fun "behind the screen"!

My favorite shows/movies are

Some shows… Andor, Agatha All Along, Strange New Worlds, Doctor Who, Firefly. And a few movies… Lord of the Rings (all of them), Inglourious Basterds, Fifth Element. (These lists could both get way too long if I go on!)

The three words my players would use to describe me are...

Prepared, thoughtful, and approachable.

How Brandon // Arcade Abyssal runs games

I love cooperative storytelling. It's the whole point of TTRPGs for me. My adventures are player-focused, and usually open-world/sandbox. These games are the most fun for everyone when the heroes are at the center of the story and their decisions have impacts on the world. I love to add a personal touch to the game in a lot of ways. I place a lot of focus on listening to players and catering the game to their expectations and wants. I will work with you directly to make the game as fun as possible for you, and spend whatever amount of time it takes to create that shared experience. I present a game that is balanced between roleplay, exploration, and combat. But I also constantly tweak where the gameplay emphasis point is, depending on the preferences of the players at the table. I draw some of my own maps, create a lot of graphics and handouts, and often find myself needing to design game mechanics to supplement whatever system I’m running. I approach DMing from the perspective of a game designer and storyteller first and foremost.

Featured Prompts

I deal with rules issues by...

Trusting the player’s interpretation in the moment, and saying we’ll look it up or discuss it later when we take a break (or between games). No rule is so important that we can’t keep the game moving and “fix it in post”.

I prep by

Focusing on the player character heroes first and foremost, then building everything out from there. I review the PCs and their choices, build arcs around them, draw up spotlight moments for them, drop in loot they’d like, and provide characters made for them to interact with. PCs first. Always.

Rules are...

Important because restrictions create more interesting narrative than abilities. But ultimately, rules are there to serve the narrative. If there's an edge of the rules where the story is made better by bending a line, then we will bend the line. I like rules quite a lot, but I love narrative.

Brandon // Arcade Abyssal's ideal table

My ideal table is friendly and supportive, where everyone (including me) cheers on all the other players. I also prefer to have as diverse a table as possible, in all sorts of ways — gender, age, race, identity, playing experience, personality, problem-solving mode, and anything else. My games tend to be character-focused, so the table works best with players who care about their characters and everyone else’s. And I love when the table is active! Both from a meta perspective of bringing lots of energy, but also making bold choices that drive the story forward! Because that's what heroes do!

Featured Prompts

I love it when a player

Laughs at something; thwarts my plans with a clutch roll; comes up with a creative solution to a problem that I hadn’t even considered. Also, when someone really digs into a mystery or engages with an NPC. If the player and the world are interacting well, then things are usually going smoothly.

I think min/maxing...

Is a perfectly fine and valid way to enjoy the TTRPG hobby, but I do ask for two compromises: 1. Try to have SOME sort of narrative justification for your choices, and… 2. Don’t expect every other player at the table to optimize as thoroughly as you do.

My table is not the place for...

Unconsenting PvP, breaking established safety preferences, and any form of racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, or transphobia.