Geo
he/him
5.0
(4)
Timezone
Language
About Geo
I've been playing and GMing TTRPGs since 2001. The majority of my experience as both player and GM is with the World of Darkness and Dungeons & Dragons. But I have dabbled in a variety of other systems. In addition to TTRPGs I have been a Ren Faire actor from 2011 until 2021. I also participate in a monthly World of Darkness LARP since 2016 to this day. These experiences have helped me to develop more advanced improvisational skills and story pacing. I can quickly read my audience as they react to my performance and make adjustments to further enhance the story. I have a Bachelors in English Literature and am an avid consumer of books as well as media. I've spent the past two years looking for content creators online that speak about the mechanics of storytelling to further educate myself. As part of my IRL job experience, I have developed strong organizational skills as well. I work for a nonprofit mental health company. I focused on providing therapeutic support to youths until 2021 when I switched to a project management position. Tracking schedules, data, and deadlines while maintaining strong communication is what I do for a living and I bring that to the game table. As part of my LARP club I have been responsible for maintaining and enforcing out-of-character safety mechanics. Combined with the therapeutic training I've received I am highly proficient in maintaining a safe and open space for storytelling to flourish while respecting boundaries.
At a glance
Less than a year on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: Knows the Rules, Storytelling, Teacher
Featured Prompts
I got started GMing...
My first game I played was Vampire: The Masquerade in the summer of 2001. In the fall I went back to college and found a gaming club and kept playing V:tM (and MtG, and D&D, and board games). Within a few months I had an idea for my own V:tM game and love creating the setting and NPCs with the PC's.
My 3 systems I'd bring to a desert island would be
1. Dungeons & Dragons 5E (2024) 2. Werewolf: the Forsaken 2E 3. The Epic of Dreams: Basilisk Edition
My favorite books are
Just about everything by Brandon Sanderson. The Dresden Files. And I’m finally reading the Silmarillion!!
How Geo runs games
My preferred GM style is "Sandbox with Toys." I create a setting that has definitions and boundaries, but the players are free to make whatever choices they want within that defined space. The toys are my NPC's and plots they can choose to interact with or not. And of course they bring their own "toys" from their individual backgrounds. All toys are in play and anything can happen to them over the course of a session or campaign. But the world is a dynamic one. NPC's have motivations and reasons for doing the things that they are doing. Interacting with NPC's or not is a choice that will have outcomes either way. In addition, the plots I create are problems that the players must overcome. However, the means by which players do so is up to them. I like to create complex situations that do not have a single answer. But I never make a plot that is unsolvable by the players with their current capabilities. Because of all of this, I have an involved character creation process to help ensure players have characters that feel connected to the world. I am able to be flexible with that players want while maintaining a balance of what is healthy for the game itself. The goal being a fun time for everyone! And lastly, life is always more important than the game. Your safety and wellbeing as people overrides the desire to remain immersed in the story.
Featured Prompts
My games focus on...
I focus on allowing players to find solutions to the problems they are presented or that they make for themselves. I like to be open to create solutions and I try not to pigeon hold the players into only a single solution if at all possible.
Rules are...
Rules are the lines within which we draw our pictures. Doesn't mean we can never go outside of the lines, because sometimes that is fun or even necessary for the story. But without the boundaries they provide it's hard to maintain a healthy game and story balance.
When it comes to voices
I love them! And I am not that great at them! However, I do try my best, and I encourage players to also try as well.
Geo's ideal table
The ideal table is filled with people who are groovy with each other. This is our fun pretend play time, and I like to cultivate a group that remembers that. Even when the dice aren't going your way. Or the bad guys seem overwhelming. Or if you just don't understand the rules and it's frustrating to seem incompetent. This is just a game. We are here to tell a fun story. Could be a funny one. Or an epic one. Or a tragic one. All depends on which type of game I'm looking to run. Players that are openminded, patient, and willing to accept the fact that not everything is going to go your way (drama is the point of stories after all), will have a great time at my table.
Featured Prompts
I love it when a player
Shows creative initiative in the world. This is a sign that they are invested in the story and setting and want to make a change that is important to them. This means I've done my job right in creating the environment for that to happen at the table, making the experience better for everyone.
I think it's a red flag when players...
When a player or players are not willing to compromise or share the spotlight with others. Or even accept that they are going to loose sometimes. This is a collaborative storytelling experience, regardless of the type of system you're playing.
I think min/maxing...
Characters should be good at the thing they are supposed to be good at. But breaking the game rules is not fun for most people. Including me. Optimize your PC to be able to do the thing they want to be able to do. Don't break the rules to "win" the game. It won't work with me.
Geo's Preferences
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