Chris McGowan (he/him)
5.0
(18)
4 years on StartPlaying
283 games hosted
Highly rated for: Storytelling, Inclusive, Creativity
About me
I've always enjoyed the rise and fall, the highs and lows, the victories and defeats, in stories. As a reader and writer as far back as I can remember, I fell into a world and went on an adventure with those characters and then inevitably, a new world would come along and I'd go follow them... Later in life, I became an improviser. The spontaneity of both the creator and the audience to create a similar story was always a thrill. TTRPGs, for me, feel very similar. Whether as player or GM, we are telling an improvised story together. We are creating it as we go and who knows what'll happen! It, for me, is a pure exercise in storytelling. Let's create a story together!
GM Style
I enjoy all aspects of TTRPGs, though admittedly I'm a roleplay-centric GM. Plenty of combat and puzzles to go around, but with my background in improv (trained in both Chicago and Los Angeles), a shared narrative draws me in for each session. I bring surprises, fun times, variety of characters to meet and mysteries to solve. I can't wait to see who we get to meet and how their story unfolds!
Games played
Game Master Reviews (18)
Proficiencies
Players say this GM is great at:
Storytelling
Inclusive
Creativity
Kael
Played 30 sessions
Chris is awesome! Always on time, prepared, makes use of tools and platforms to enhance the gaming, and offers great improvisation and obstacles to make our sessions highly entertaining. I’m on my second campaign with him as Game Master. I highly recommend him!
Markedly
Played 30 sessions
My singular hesitation about leaving a positive review for Chris is that it might make him significantly harder to book in future... (I'm for sure hoping my frequent gamer card status ensures me privileges!) Chris DM'd Rime of the Frostmaiden for an eclectic group of PCs (and players...so, normal, perhaps?), a campaign that I joined half-way through. I found Chris to be an engaging DM who worked hard to give the players space to be the best (or worst) version of their quirky selves, and kept things interesting for everyone, even as our party repeatedly refused to stay together and meandered about the map with nonchalant disregard to 'Don't Split the Party' dogma. He's run this adventure multiple times, and has made adaptations and extensions to various aspects of it for playability and entertainment. As a DM, he was accessible out of game. In game, he tracked psychic damage attributable to bad dad jokes, which he gets. He's got a handful of sensible house-rules, but it's an easy table to get into and enjoy. He's skilled with Roll20 and well equipped therewith. He's got some voices, the NPCs have personas, and he's encouraging of inspired shenanigans, which makes for a very memorable session, every time. And did I mention he's bad dad joke-accommodating? All in, two thumbs up and certified fresh!
Eric
Played 2 sessions
Chris did a great job! Our group played this because our normal campaign was off that week and we brought a lot of chaos to the game but Chris navigated it well and even fully embraced our craziness! I highly recommend him!
Rick
Played 31 sessions
Chris was incredibly encouraging of our individual creativity in making the world of the game. He was flexible about our comfort with different technology platforms like Roll20. He was conversant with the rules of Delta Green, but also showed flexibility so that it would make for a great game experience.
Anya
This wasn't a game, but rather a "how to play" tutorial for Thirsty Sword Lesbians! I found the tutorial very informative and Chris really helped us to understand how the different mechanics work. I can't wait to start running my own TSL games! Thanks for hosting this, Chris!
El
Played 1 sessions
Chris knows his stuff and is patient enough to answer all my questions. Highly recommend!
What's StartPlaying?
Tabletop Roleplaying Games Run by Game Masters
Find a game to join solo or search for a professional game master for you and your friends/coworkers/family.
Book your session and wait for the Game Master to approve you.
If you don't have a blast with your first game, your next game is on us.