Adam Ward

he/him

Timezone

America/new York

Language

English

Spanish

Identity

Multi-lingual

About Adam Ward

I am a seasoned nerd who found his people playing D&D. I grew up in a small town, and I didn't fit in very well. I liked the idea of TTRPGs even back then, but there weren't enough of my peers to play with. So, I spent all my time reading. I love fantasy, as a genre, and I've even taken to writing as a personal hobby (I know, so stereotypical it hurts) which has given me a love of world-building in general. I finally started playing for real the summer of '19, and a friend asked me to DM for his first game literally three months later. I've been running Dungeons and Dragons (5e) games pretty consistently since then. The first time was out of a module, but the rest have been all my own design. I'm game to play out of a module again, but I will always throw my own twist on it.

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

Featured Prompts

My favorite books are

In no particular order The Lord of the Rings The Stormlight archive Avantris The Mistborn series The Harry Potter series (Trans rights are human rights) The Bartimaeus Sequence Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson related books

My favorite shows/movies are

Shows: 1. Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood 2. Leverage 3. Andor, a Star Wars story 4. Parasyte: the maxim 5. Avatar the Last Airbender Movies: 1. Jojo Rabbit 2. Captain America: Winter Soldier 3. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 4. Knives Out 5. The Fall Guy

People are always surprised when I tell them

That I lived in Honduras for 2 straight years. The experience resulted in me speaking Spanish fluently, becoming pretty much immune to insect/spider-related fear, and getting hospitalized with dysentery!

How Adam Ward runs games

I am more roleplay focused than combat focused. I still love combat, of course, but it's mainly to encourage the players to engage in interesting ways. There's nothing I love more than giving my players environments, items, and npcs to play with, and then getting absolutely wrecked by how they interact with/use them. In my experience, every tabletop gaming group needs to lay out clear expectations with each other, so I make sure to understand what my players want out of the game. If they aren't getting what they want, I encourage them to tell me so that I can adjust. I also love encouraging my players to do downtime activities that add to their characters, and rewarding them. You want to make a specific magic item? well, when you finish it, it'll pack a little extra punch. You want proficiency in an herbalism kit? go train with a turtle in the woods my guy, you'll make friends. Here's hoping we can tell wonderful stories together!

Featured Prompts

I deal with rules issues by...

First, trying to understand the Rules as Intended. I rule in the player's favor as often as I can. I'll look to the wording, generally, but if it's vague enough, or the player's argument persuasive enough, I don't mind overturning my idea

Rules are...

The framework within which creativity shines. Overcoming obstacles bring out the best in you. We've seen in the real world what happens to people when the rules don't apply to them. They stomp on others. That being said, knowing the rules back to front teaches you when it's appropriate to bend them.

When it comes to voices

I love using accents and such. I can vary the pitch and timbre of my voice a bit, though I'm no voice actor. I really enjoy using british, Scottish, Russian, French and other accents. I am working on a few others, and try to do sound effects as well. At the very least, it's funny to listen to me try

Adam Ward's ideal table

My table leans into role play as much as possible. I like encouraging players to interact with each other's characters in a way that feels organic. I'm not a wargamer, but I'm trying to learn more about combat to make it more interesting for everyone. I'm game for anything you want to attempt, so long as the dice support it.