Caleb
he/they
5.0
(7)
Timezone
Language
Identity
About Caleb
I have been running TTRPGs for over ten years, starting with D&D 5e, but that quickly expanded. I'm a dabbler in game systems and lover of stories. My campaigns include Curse of Strahd, Horror on the Orient Express, Call of Cthulhu: Las Vegas, a homebrew Alien RPG, Heart: The City Beneath, and Pathfinder: Abomination Vaults. I've introduced hundreds to their new favorite board game and have taught dozens their first TTRPG. I run remote games using Discord, Roll20, Owlbear Rodeo, Foundry VTT (my preferred remote format), Alchemy VTT, and other tools. It has been my pleasure to introduce children, teens, and adults to their first TTRPG, as well as game master for those with decades of experience. I have a half-dozen games I've designed and run with hundreds of TTRPG play sessions under my belt. Horror, science-fiction, and fantasy are my preferred genres, whether that be in games, books, or movies. I love podcasts, working out, writing, reading, comics, and film. Images are used with permission from James' RPG Art, https://jamesrpgart.com.
At a glance
Less than a year on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: Creativity, Inclusive, World Builder
Featured Prompts
I got started GMing...
Gamers with Jobs podcast talked about a bachelor party that was all but the GM's first game. The GM was debilitatingly hungover and unprepared, but the game sounded far too fun! it was a throwback to my immersive sim video games and a single session as a teen. I recruited friends and played!
My 3 systems I'd bring to a desert island would be
Basic Roleplaying/Call of Cthulhu - The elegance of the basic mechanics continue to charm me. Heart & Spire - Cheating with two, but these system games tell some of the most incredible stories. No Dice No Masters/Belonging Outside Belonging - Just incredible community building and whimsy.
My favorite books are
Children of Time, Adrian Tchaikovsky - I absolutely adore this sci-fi series. Labyrinths, Jorge Luis Borges - An all-time favorite author of strange, elegant stories. The Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold - A loving ecological biography of the landscape around the rustic farm and homestead.
How Caleb runs games
Adaptable, curious, flexible. I love a mystery and the opportunity for multiple solutions. (Deus Ex is my favorite video game and I love that immersive sim feeling.) Boss monster: What is its weakness? Heist: How do you infiltrate? Whodunnit: How do you find clues or bluff the killer? Stubborn politician: Do you persuade, blackmail, or eliminate? I always want players to have a choice and to have an opportunity to play into their strengths and for the story that excites them.
Featured Prompts
I deal with rules issues by...
Making a call, then looking into it later. Rules are there to (generally) support a balanced game, but the game comes first in the moment. That said, rules sometimes need reinterpreted by the group for the best play experience.
If my games were Movies they'd be directed by...
Guillermo del Toro. I love big weird creatures and settings, creeping feelings of dread, splashes of horror, and cosmic scope. Del Toro also shines with the small-scale fantasy and fabulism that I adore.
When it comes to voices
I try to give body language, tone, and diction cues more than accents. I prefer to GM standing in part so I can put more of my body into the performance.
Caleb's ideal table
I have run games for children and youth, families, adults, and specifically adults-only games. While not every table is the right fit for every campaign, I try to customize my GMing to fit the table. I do seek players that foster welcome and respect to their fellow stories, make space for backstory and heartfelt roleplay, and bring enthusiasm to the story at the table. That has made my tables a welcome place for LGBTQIA+ players and has allowed both intense horror and light-hearted warmth and affection in the games I run. I think of myself as just one author at the table of the story we are writing together, with the added chaos of dice or other elements!
Featured Prompts
I love it when a player
Delivers support to their fellow players, making an opportunity for a "team up" ability, offers a hug or shoulder to cry on, or makes a bit of shiny treasure all the brighter or more unique. Seeing players build relationships through character and play is incredible.
My table is not the place for...
For quarterbacking players, bias, or hate. I always use safety tools at my table so everyone has shared control. Similarly, I expect players to give others a chance to take their own action. More than any of that, I want my table to foster respect, especially for marginalized groups.
Caleb's Preferences
Systems
Game Mechanics
Game style
Theater of the Mind
Sandbox / Open World
Hexcrawl / Exploration
Puzzle / Mystery Focused
Realm Building