DiscoSpartacus
he/him
5.0
(7)
Timezone
Language
About DiscoSpartacus
I’m an English teacher and a lifelong lover of video games, RPGs, and collaborative storytelling. I’ve been running the same homebrew 5e campaign for over 4 years, playing every Sunday night with some of my best friends. Since Draw Steel’s release, I’ve also run and introduced the hobby to new friends, all of whom have never played a TTRPG. For me, these games are a chance to escape the real world and work with others to tell the kind of stories we all want to remember!
At a glance
Less than a year on StartPlaying
26 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Inclusive
Featured Prompts
I got started GMing...
because I love coming up with new characters and bringing their personalities (and voices) to life. I keep running games because I love crafting stories together with others, making memories I never would have imagined on my own!
My 3 systems I'd bring to a desert island would be
Draw Steel, Never Stop Blowing Up (from Dimension 20), and DnD 5e.
How DiscoSpartacus runs games
I love to take the rules as written and work with my players to put our creative spin on anything that inspires them. Together, we turn dice rolls into cinematic moments, PCs and NPCs into memorable friends or dreaded enemies–and create a world that all of our minds can get lost in. Collaboration is key and creative ideas are welcome. I enjoy homebrewing settings and alternative takes on familiar races and creatures, inviting my players to help build the world at all of its layers. For example, all of my players in my ongoing campaign helped create some of the creatures that run around our world, from aquatic steeds to horrifying kaiju. I prefer a balance of strategic combat and narrative roleplay. In general, I like to give players a lot of room to tell me what they’re doing or what they want do, then create obstacles that link together and make sense to the narrative moment. In combat, I want players to feel like they’re superheroes overcoming a thrilling challenge, rather than just crunching numbers–so creative approaches that are still “reasonable” to the world, rules and precedent are always preferred. At all times, I like to bring in NPCs with different voices, personalities, and motivations to make the story and world feel alive and reactive to the choices of the players. While not every shopping trip demands a new NPC with a full conversation, I like to offer characters that make the scene and landscape feel more memorable and interactive.
Featured Prompts
My games focus on...
escaping the real world and giving players a chance to tell the stories they want to remember—and overcome the problems (philosophical, metaphorical, or literal) that otherwise seem too great to tackle.
Rules are...
helpful for keeping us all on the same page, but bendable given the right amount of creativity, context and precedent. Metaphorically, RaW makes the delicious greens base of the salad, but RoC adds the flavorful dressing and toppings we all really want to eat.
When it comes to voices
I love to make characters that feel like people—or at least memorable additions to a movie with a large cast, no matter how small the part. That said, I never judge someone for avoiding voices; I think it is all about what makes it fun and natural for you to be the character!
DiscoSpartacus's ideal table
I love for my players to feel like they’re just as responsible for telling the story, that we all work together to make fun and exciting moments worth remembering. Like any good movie, every character has their moment to shine and shape the narrative, and the end result isn’t predetermined. Big imaginations, creative approaches to problem solving, and a taste for improv and roleplay all make for the best experience.
Featured Prompts
If you're into ___, you're going to love my table
Avatar the Last Airbender’s blend of action, comedy, adventure and character development
I love it when a player
adds something to the world we’re building just by being their character or describing their actions. I also love when they initiate conversations with each other (or NPCs) in character. I really love when they come up with a solution I didn’t expect, and we work together to decide what happens!
I think it's a red flag when players...
think the game is players vs GM (or vice versa), rather than all of us working together to tell a memorable and compelling story. A character’s failure or success is just part of the story, and insisting on “winning” rather than a compelling narrative can feel more combative than fun.