Stephen Collins

he/him

5.0

(9)

Timezone

America/new York

Language

English

Identity

Neurodivergent

About Stephen Collins

Hey! The name's Stephen, but you can call me "Bumble" if it suits ya. I've been running various RPG systems, including D&D 5e 2014, Starfinder 1e, FIST, and so on, for the better part of 9 years now. Though I find playing TTRPGs to be fun, what I love the most is running games for players! I like to work with my players and help them learn new things when playing games, be that rulesets, tech tricks with my various tools, or stories as a whole.

At a glance

1 year on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Creativity, Inclusive, Storytelling

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I got started GMing...

because of something funny that happened to me in high school! I had decided to start a D&D club, and was the only person who brought in anything for it. As such, I was made both the president of the club and the person running our little campaign. I sort of just fell into the role!

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

Starfinder 1st Edition (since I love the class design and nice crunchy tactical combat), FIST (because it runs a lot looser than other RPGs I've run while still allowing for some strategy), and Roll for Shoes (as it's a great little game for casual play with some awesome improv and RP).

How Stephen Collins runs games

I love games that strike a healthy balance between roleplay and tactical combat! To get more in-depth, however, the games I run tend to run more as tactical combat simulations with fun RP encounters intermixed between key storytelling moments. Often this is done within an original adventure, but I love a good prewritten adventure if it ticks all the right boxes! For my games specifically, I tend to enjoy games with a good amount of exploration and mystery, as well as tactical combat and key story beats. I've found myself taking a liking to Hex Crawls in recent memory as a result, since I find them much easier to plan. I like to make sure each of my players is accommodated for both in needs and preferences, as I prefer running a game that is fun first over anything else. However, I also tend to run with a "fair first, nice second" mentality. I love making sure my players have fun! But I also want to keep things fair, with consequences that matter. Just note that not every consequence is bad.

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My games focus on...

A healthy mix between mystery, combat, and roleplay moments! I love seeing players put the pieces of my story together, or to see them come up with unique and interesting strategies to best their foes. And if they can make connections with NPCs and find ways not to fight? Even better, I love it!

When it comes to voices

I love doing them! I'll never claim to give an Oscar-worthy performance, but I love defining and differentiating characters using different inflections, tones, and accents. It's the main way I learned how to help my players tell two characters apart from one another, so it just kinda stuck!

Stephen Collins's ideal table

I like running a table that's open to a healthy mix of strategic play as well as roleplay, while still trying to have a good time. I like running games that are able to have fun and goofy moments, but I also love introducing interesting storybeats that just ooze roleplay potential. I encourage players who can come in with an adaptable and open mindset, being willing to be inquisitive, ask questions, and just generally be creative!

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I am for a vibe that's...

All about collaboration! I love it when players bounce off of one another, both in and out of character. A cooperative experience is what TTRPGs are all about, so I highly encourage players who can bring that energy to my table!