Chris Stafford

he/him

5.0

(5)

Timezone

America/chicago

Language

English

Identity

Neurodivergent

Teacher/Educator

About Chris Stafford

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.

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

2 games hosted

Highly rated for: Inclusive, Teacher, Creativity

Featured Prompts

My favorite books are

The Golem and the Jinni, Watership Down, Les Miserables.

The three words my players would use to describe me are...

Ally, patient, reliable.

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

Leading bird walks for a local state park. Sitting outside airports wishing my eyesight was better so I could have been a pilot. Watching K-Dramas with my wife. And before you ask, my favorite is Lovely Runner.

How Chris Stafford runs games

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.

Featured Prompts

My favorite trope is...

the showdown with a god. I mean it's RPGs, what's the point of playing if you don't get to fight a deity?

My games focus on...

characters first. TTRPGS are about YOU, otherwise I'd just be writing a book.

Rules are...

there to keep us from just playing pretend, but can be bent or broken when they push against the story we want to tell.

Chris Stafford's ideal table

This is a LGBTQ+ friendly table. The non-negotiable trait you must have is kindness. Our table is an escape from day to day troubles. Everyone is here to, for a moment, be someone else, someone with power and control of the world around them. Bigots are not welcome. If you find that sentance challenging, I'm probably referring to you.

Featured Prompts

I am for a vibe that's...

comfortable for even the most socially anxious. This is a home for people who are afraid of people.

I love it when a player

takes initiative to talk to other players at the table either narratively or in character. the DMs hardest job is getting players to interact with each other instead of just at me. Any player that takes it on themselves to spur in world conversations is my hero.

I think it's a red flag when players...

think the point of the game is to mess up what the GM has planned. There's a fine line between mischief and bullying. You gotta buy in a little for an RPG to really sing.