game master profile header image
Xan!!!

Xan!!! (they/them)

5.0

(23)

LGBTQ+
Queer
Neurodivergent
Published Writer
Teacher/Educator
Voice Actor
Game Designer

4 years on StartPlaying

96 games hosted

Highly rated for: Inclusive, Creativity, Storytelling

Average response time: 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

About me

Former fire-breather turned therapeutic GM. Cool, now that I've got your attention. I'm Xan, if the Therapeutic GMing is what got your eye the check out my psychology today listing at the bottom! My numbers and accomplishments are cool, so I'll list them below. Here's who I am though. I'm a life-long storyteller and performer. The love the smell of honey suckles and the sound of a cat's purr. I'll give you a run for your money with a pun contest *any* day of the week, and I live by the motto "Manic enthusiasm is still enthusiasm". Games have brought me joy, relief, and catharsis over the years and I can say without hesitation that they, and the friends I've made through them, have been a huge positive impact on my life. So I'm here to pay that joy back and be the background tapestry for your happy memories and kickass stories. "Rule of Cool" always par for the course and expect me to be just as invested in your characters as you are. I love to flesh a game out through how your character sees the world, "you walk into the market and an unexpected scent brings you back home for a split second. What is it?". I prioritize safety and making sure that I'm making my game suited to the players, not the other way around. Feel free to reach out to me if you'd like to talk about booking a private game or consultation about your own game. I'd love to help you make your own time as a GM the most rewarding it can be. I'm also available if you are looking for guests or experts in the topics at the intersection of mental health and TTRPGs. And, the numbers! 22 years theater/acting 21 years with TTRPGs, GMing consistently for 18 of them 20+ Featured Speaking events (PAX, Save Against Fear, Therapeutic and Applied Gaming Growth Summit) 8 Years professional GM 1 published adventure in Rock and Roll 5e (zine) 50+ homebrew materials for the larger games 4 Hacks written 1 original game developed 1 Full length game in development 33 years of being a total badass Therapeutic Skill building‽‽ With games (or just with a cool coach)‽‽ Yup! Full disclosure though, listings on Startplaying *are not* therapeutic sessions. Those require a different approach, intent, and structure. Reach out on my Psychology Today page if you're interested and I'm happy to have that conversation with you on a HIPAA compliant server :) https://www.psychologytoday.com/profile/1380727

GM Style

I have a background in improv, traditional theater, and voice acting so telling the story is where I thrive. If you are looking for a GM who dives into NPC voices, builds worlds to suit your wishes instead of the same premade stories, takes a cinematic approach to scene setting, and strongly believes in the "rule of cool" then look no further. I prefer to keep things in the realm of Theater of the Mind, but I do enjoy VTT character sheets and have no problem using a grided map when we're doing some crunch combat. Additionally, as long as I have more than a passing familiarity with the system in use, I am more willing and able to write some homebrew to fit your wants without breaking the game. My usual stories have themes of hope, choosing the least destructive option in bad situations, emotional turmoil, and/or fighting a corrupt power that looms over the players. I like a good grim story too, but I don't run games with a rating above R. As a GM I value open collaboration with my players instead of the more traditional antagonistic player vs DM mindset. I'll keep some things hidden, but you'll know that there is something I'm not reveling will, no "gotcha!" style moments with me. I am a strong believer in safety tools pre-game, in game, and find stars/wishes after the sessions to be supremely helpful in making sure that everyone stays invested in the story. I'm here to run the story you want to play in, not the one my ego has decided is the "right" one. It didn't give me the offer for Afterlife: Wandering Souls in my preferred game systems, but that is my all-time favorite, if that gives you any insight to my GMing style.

Social
Game Master Reviews (23)

Proficiencies

Players say this GM is great at:

Inclusive

Creativity

Storytelling

Azrael avatar

Azrael

Played 30 sessions

Friendly, supportive, and geared towards making sure everyone is having fun!

Mykal avatar

Mykal

Played 29 sessions

Does a great job of including the player while creating a great safe environment. Checking in on concerns of players and potential pitfalls. Not only that allowing for player creativity to give my most themes and concepts of metaphors character. Top Gremlin of a writer kind of character making it work with characters as well as their concepts come forth. Where something as silly as Sesame Street children's book contains merit and weight to the story. Bringing in consequences for choices. Giving the top tier choices on top of that. Telling a magnificent story weaved into mechanics of things.

Greg avatar

Greg

Played 23 sessions

I've only played in one game run by Xan, but it's been going on for almost two years now. Xan is adept at running for a mixed group of people, staying communicative and organized enough to keep every session engaging. Blades in the Dark is a lot of fun, and the extra work that Xan put in for our game to take place in Ankh-Morpork has really enhanced the experience. They let our whims and the game's mechanics guide us towards adventures that build on top of each other, and if Xan handles every game like they do Blades then I can't recommend them enough

Dillon  avatar

Dillon

Played 10 sessions

So funny, great at creating a vibe for the world that we are playing in. Probably should have led with this but I am in a sorta satirical Beam Saber game of Xan's and the setting they've put together is a send up of some of my favorite scifi tropes and least favorite bits of modern life. Let's us riff and improvise and doesn't hate me for my character's "deliberately" bad Southern accent.

Michael avatar

Michael

Played 7 sessions

Xan was an excellent GM for the time I got to play with them. They know the rules well enough for a smooth session but allowed for rule of cool more often than not and all around they were very understanding when it came to real life situations. I would recommend them if you get a chance to play in one of their games.

Josh avatar

Josh

Played 5 sessions

Xan is great at setting up players to explore their creative desires, and is very respectful of players time and any sensitive material they don’t want to have to work around. Great experiences with them.

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.