David | The avidDM

he/him

5.0

(123)

Timezone

America/chicago

Language

English

About David | The avidDM

Hail and well met adventurers, Over the last couple years, I have met hundreds of incredible people around the virtual table. The stories we've shared have brought real-life joy, laughter, and a even a few tears into our lives. Many of these friends are still at the table today. They'll be quick to welcome you to and eager to hear your tales and experiences when you sit down to play. My road to becoming a professional Dungeon Master is a long and storied one that began with a few little fibs I used to tell as an extremely shy kid. When I met new people, I would tell them cowboy stories about adventures I had with my faithful steed. The more smiles I received, the longer the stories went on. Growing up in the Midwest region of the US, Dungeons & Dragons was all around me. I played in my neighborhood when my brother and his friends would let me. Later, he convinced the High School D&D club to let me come to the big table when I was still in Middle School. Fast Forward to 2016, I opened up the Lost Mines of Phandelver Box Set. After a 25 year hiatus from the hobby I loved, I sat down at the table with my kids and rediscovered the joy of Table Top Role-Playing Games. Like many others, the 2020 Pandemic lockdowns led me to an online game that quickly brought me to a joyous career of story-telling and playing games. The rest we say, is canon. Grab a seat, roll some dice, live the adventure, create epic stories, and make friends at the table. Hey, there's an open spot now! David, the avidDM

At a glance

4 years on StartPlaying

953 games hosted

Highly rated for: Teacher, Creativity, Knows the Rules

Average response time: Under 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

Featured Prompts

I became a GM because

I discovered online gaming in 202O and opportunity allowed me to transition to work at home playing TTRPGs. I haven't looked back since putting on the mantle of GM. I like folks I play with and look forward to my "job" every day. I became a GM because it's fun!

My favorite books are

mostly written by Terry Brooks but I'm also a big fan of Tolkien. My main diversion from Fantasy reading comes in the form of Modern Horror. "The Only Good Indians" by Stephen Graham Jones is a classic example. I appreciate Graphic Novels and Comics too, with a preference for MARVEL.

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

at home with the dad hat on. I have two school-aged kids, there's a cat and a dog and a lovely spouse too. We all love going to concerts, the beach, and hanging out with family. For me time, I like to read and do jig-saw puzzles on the dining room table.

How David | The avidDM runs games

▶️ Playstyle: While each table has it's own personality, I provide a home table experience for each one. Folks can look forward to friendly banter and spirited gameplay each week. I love to do NPC voicings and encourage players to engage in role-play. ⚔️ Combat: Encounters can be very challenging but are ran with pacing in mind. We stick mostly to rules-as-written and use automated character sheets to facilitate fluid battles. ⚖️ Balance: Social Interaction, Combat, and Exploration, the pillars of tabletop gaming, are represented in equal amounts over the course of a campaign. 📚 Campaigns Finished on SPG- name followed by number of times ran. Dragons of Stormwreck Isle - 5 Lost Mine of Phandelver - 6 The Sunless Citadel - 2 The Forge of Fury - 1 Curse of Strahd - 1 Ghosts of Slatmarsh - 1 Out of the Abyss - 1 Phandelver and Below - 2 Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen - 3 Vecna: Eve of Ruin (full 1-20 campaign!) - 1

Featured Prompts

I prep by

focusing on just one game each day. I read the modules ahead of time and prepare the maps and tokens well before game day, but the real prep for your session happens on the day it's played. I think about your characters, the story at hand, and possible outcomes. I'm always ready come gametime.

Rules are...

important and I stick close to the publications so that you know what you're playing when you sign up for a game. I trust the designers to balance the game and rarely tamper with them. Dice are all rolled publicly for a sense of fairness and so that we can all experience their chaos together.

When it comes to voices

I've been bringing more and more as I continue to grow in my craft. If others at the table are bringing it, I turn it up. If it's not your thing, well, you'll get more narration. Both styles of play are enjoyable for me, and heck, narration is much easier on the throat, but voices can be fun!

David | The avidDM's ideal table

My games feel like a table of friends getting together to play with the game being the focus. Sure we have some laughs and engage in light banter, but we all come ready to play and make the most of our time. While there is plenty of roleplay, we don't do a lot of shopping episodes and romance is not really a thing at the table.

Featured Prompts

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

Dragons.. The ultimate adversaries have been my favorite fantastical monsters since I first discovered Smaug in the depths of the Lonely Mountain. Give me a dragon and I'll play all day!

I love it when a player

embraces the role of their character and goes all in on being a member of the party. Rather than a jack-of-all trades approach I prefer single-class character builds that allow room for everyone to contribute to the efforts.