Diego

n/a

4.8

(4)

Timezone

America/los Angeles

Language

English

Identity

Queer

BIMPOC

Hispanic/Latinx

Neurodivergent

Published Writer

Voice Actor

Game Designer

No Gen AI

About Diego

Hello! My name is Diego - I'm a professional nerd, and looking to run some games! I've been playing RPGs for over 7 years, and GM-ing the ENTIRE time. I'm one of those perennial GM-types. But it's okay - it suits me. In addition to playing all kinds of games (campaigns, one-shots, indie games, 5e, I even ran a year-long game of the ORIGINAL 1976 D&D ruleset), I'm also a game designer myself, and 1/2 of the game studio Marshland Games, where I've created games that have been published with Scryptid Games, Plus One Experience, and independently. In addition to playing and designing games, I'm also an improviser and actor! I taught for years at the Philly Improv Theater in, you guessed it, Philly, where I performed multiple times a week in addition to teaching. I've recently relocated to LA, where I perform and study at UCB, WGIS, and other acronymed theaters. My GM-ing style is focused on player agency. I'm a big advocate for the idea that a player's choices should matter and affect the story - you'll get no railroading from me! I rely on my improv chops and world-building prep to make things make sense, and honestly really love the pivoting and following the fun that comes with GM-ing. I love games of all kinds, but I'm a particularly big fan of games with unique rulesets, and as an indie designer myself, have a sweet spot for anything coming from a smaller publisher. But I'm honestly just excited to play with good folks who want to tell fun, meaningful stories. Join me?

At a glance

2 years on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: World Builder, Creativity, Voices

$15 per session

Featured Prompts

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

an avid student and performer of improv! You can catch me performing at WGIS and WE Improv in Los Angeles. When I'm not performing or running games, I'm designing them! For years I've been developing indie RPGs under my studio, Marshland Games, along with other publishers like Plus One EXP.

How Diego runs games

My style of GM-ing relies on solid world-building, whether it's on the fly, or rooted in truths of the world, or somewhere in between. I've done sandbox play, where the situations are laid out in keyed locations for the players to interact with as they wish. I've also done episodic games, where a very specific kind of story is told, and the players make the decisions as to how it plays out. But I love a good deep lore to pull from - it's one of my favorite things of prep. Thanks to my work in improv and sketch, I love (and would like to believe, am good at) playing unique and engaging characters, and can switch between weird little guys, concerned quest givers, and monsters galore! I pride myself on jump scaring an entire table with a dragon roar on more than one occasion. I'm a fan of many styles of play! I've done nitty gritty tactical combat, pure theater of the mind, deep prep (a Pokemon homebrew I've been running for 5 years took a YEAR of prep), and games where it's all been entirely on the spot. All of them have been near and dear to me, so I'm really a big fan of doing what the table is looking for, and what the game requires.

Diego's ideal table

I love a table that likes to play off each other - nothing feels more satisfying than watching players do bits off one another and really leaning into roleplaying together. I find that my games can be both pastoral and adventurous. I like giving downtime to PCs after a big event so people can feel the full scope of emotions and do some planning. It's also definitely common for me to use some of my comedy background to spice up the game a little. Expect NPCs to be a little goofy sometimes, but never at the expense of the story!

Featured Prompts

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

If you read a lot of Nancy Drew or liked Stranger Things, you'll probably fit right in at my table! I've had friends describe my style as "Kids peeking around at night with a flashlight-core." (Long winded, I think, but not incorrect.)

I love it when a player

I live for the moments when players create their own quests simply by existing in the world. Seeing people interact with the game in such a way that they have REAL desires and drives make the story feel alive. I encourage my players to follow what seems engaging to them!

My table is not the place for...

Ridiculing other players decisions and/or forcing decisions. I love a planning session and debriefing, but it's important to honor other people's thoughts! Should be obvious, but if you use any hate speech, bullying, or are consistently crossing boundaries, it's an easy way to get kicked out.