Ian
he/him
5.0
(3)
Timezone
Language
Identity
About Ian
Hey! I'm Ian, I'm from England, but have been living in Japan for over 5 years now. I have a beautiful wife and the best little boy in the world. I have been DM'ing various groups for 10+ years, both online and offline. I recently lost my job and thought, what the heck, let's try making it into a profession, so here I am! I have mainly DM'd D&D, but I also love other systems and have created my own, including some solo RPGs, a Pokémon RPG, and a simplistic Roll for Shoes style system for my family, who didn't have the slightest clue about roleplaying. Also, if you care to check out some D&D content I've made, game systems, and other things, please check out my KoFi and Itch. https://ko-fi.com/ianthedad https://itch.io/dashboard If you happen to be in Tokyo, please feel free to message me, and maybe we could arrange something in person! All games will go through SPG.
At a glance
Less than a year on StartPlaying
15 games hosted
Highly rated for: Storytelling, World Builder, Creativity
Featured Prompts
I got started GMing...
In England, when I was... 20? We started with the Legend of Drizzt box set, and then on to the Castle of Ravenloft. They were fantastic, but we wanted more freedom. So we began a homebrew campaign using the miniatures from the box sets and had an absolute blast.
My favorite books are
My top three would probably be: 1) The Hobbit, by Mr Tolkien. Classic. 2) Battle Royale by Koushun Takami. Yes, you're thinking right. That movie that inspired Hunger Games. I recommend it. 3) The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. Inspired me to write a novella.
When I'm not running games I'm...
Designing stuff in Illustrator and Photoshop. Writing adult and children's novels. Making game systems. I just absolutely love creativity and everything that comes along with it. And of course, playing Stardew Valley with my wife in the evenings.
How Ian runs games
The point is to have fun, so that is what I aim for when DMing. I always do a session 0 to make sure everyone is on board and get some details for what players are looking for in a campaign, and then go from there. Things can be serious, things can be silly. Overall, I just want everyone to feel that buzz after a session to want to play again asap. There's nothing quite like it.
Ian's ideal table
It usually takes a little time, but I love it when my players vibe together. Seeing smiles on faces and having fun. Bouncing ideas off each other. Roleplaying scenes together. Diving into backstories. Honestly though, so long as everyone at the table is having a good time, I'm happy.