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Cost Per Player

$20.00
Chris Stafford

Chris Stafford (he/him)

Neurodivergent
Teacher/Educator

Less than a year on StartPlaying

About me

Hey! Nice to meet you, I'm Chris. I discovered TTRPGs in middle school, but always struggled to find a table where people valued good creativity and a collaborative story over math. So, six years ago, I decided to take the plunge into GMing myself. I try to give every player the experience they dreamed RPGs would be before they encountered their first 'um, actually'. I started with Vampire the Masquerade before getting into D&D during high school. My favorite aspect of GMing is watching people come out of their shell once they realize they are in a safe environment to express themselves. On a personal level, growing up I always had trouble expressing myself in social situations. Every day moments with people don't have a rulebook. That can be super daunting to me and many other people. TTRPGs allowed a level of comfort in interaction among friends and strangers. If there is ever a moment you get nervous or scared, you can just fall back into the character sheet until that moment passes. Even though its just for a few hours a week, I treasure getting to create a safe space for people to be themselves and tell their stories. This is why I have shifted over mainly to more narrative focused systems where players are more likely to get the story they hoped for without the math slowing it down.

GM Style

When you sit down a table to play an RPG, you are contributing to one of the greatest mediums of storytelling mankind has ever had. In each person is a world full of amazing characters dying for a chance to be a hero. We add the dice and sheets as a way to bring these things to life, but it's the GM that that allows all these different worlds to live in harmony. Through my strong improvisational skills, I turn the chaos of dice and the brilliance of your ideas into a story above and beyond a dungeon crawl for treasure. Whether a one shot or a campaign, I will find the emotional backbone of your character and give you every opportunity to weave it collaboratively into the adventure. I am character first always. When combat is not going your way, I let the moment breath to find your heroism. When you've sweet talked the local blacksmith, they will react in a believable and endearing way. When you experience victory, I will make the world's sun feel like a spotlight shining on you. When you experience loss, we will mourn as a party. By the end of your adventure, you and everyone at the table will experience a story and world you feel is truly yours. If I've done my job, you will have felt like you've participated in creating one of the great stories of our age without you even having to try.

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