David
he/him
5.0
(6)
Timezone
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Identity
About David
Hi, I'm David. I've been running tabletop games since the early 2000s, based in Vienna. Most of that time went into long campaigns that actually pay off character arcs. The kind of thing you'd expect from a good fantasy series, not a one-off dungeon crawl. My main project is The Three Continents, a low-magic, Renaissance-flavored world I've been building for over a decade. Right now I'm running its flagship story, Divine Harvest. If you know the works of G.R.R. Martin, that's the closest reference point: big scope, slow burn, characters you end up genuinely caring about. Runs in D&D 5e or Daggerheart. Arc 1 is built as a real starting point, so if you've never played before, you're not walking in behind anyone. Same approach carries over to other systems I run. I treat the table like an ensemble cast, not just a group rolling dice at each other. Off the table, I work as a GM on Demand in Vienna, run team-building workshops that use role-play as a core mechanic for businesses, and I'm self-publishing my own work, including a lore book and a novel for Divine Harvest. I'm also an archaeologist and historian by training, which feeds directly into how I build worlds. First session ever, five-hundredth, doesn't matter. Come as you are, as the song goes. Message me and let's chat.
At a glance
Less than a year on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: World Builder, Sets the Mood, Storytelling
$18 per session
Featured Prompts
I ran my first game...
was Vampire: The Masquerade in 2001. The basic premise from that first adventure is still part of my World of Darkness campaigns to this day.
My favorite books are
too many to count. But my favorite authors would be G.R.R. Martin, Brandon Sanderson, and Philip K. Dick.
When I'm not running games I'm...
writing my novel, developing lore for my worlds, running team-building workshops centered on role-play for companies, playing video games, and watching or reading about a thousand different things that catch my interest. All of it with one or two cats on my lap.
How David runs games
Your story, told cinematically. Immersion is what I'm always chasing as a GM. Doesn't matter if you're playing a small-time survivor or a legendary hero, I want you pulled deep into the world. Cosmic dread in Call of Cthulhu, high-flying heroism in Star Wars, whatever the genre calls for. I love the range this hobby gives me. One session it's intense character drama in my own Continents setting, the next it's a tactical slugfest in Pathfinder. Same energy either way. At the end of the day, a Role-Play Games are something we build together at the table. If we walk away having actually experienced a good story, I've done my job. I'm here to run your heroics, or your tragedies, and have a good time doing it.
Featured Prompts
I deal with rules issues by...
checking them in the background and staying flexible. When in doubt, player enjoyment and the flow of the story win over the letter of the rule.
I once ran a session...
twenty years ago, during my first Vampire: The Masquerade campaign. I ended up with a group eight people strong, way too much for newbie me. So we thinned it out together, and I ran four sessions with two players each, basically playing out the original SAW movie. Extremely fun, extremely bloody.
I prep by
getting inspired first, usually by a movie or TV soundtrack. Once I've got an idea and a centerpiece scene in mind, I work out how that scene could happen organically, without boxing the players in. After that it's writing, laying out paths, and finally building the whole session in Foundry.
David's ideal table
All my stories are for people who want to sink into a vibrant world with real history behind it. First session or hundredth, doesn't matter. Everything in these worlds is my own creation, built out of and inspired by a real love for fantasy novels, history, and mythology. Players and groups can develop however they want. Some follow the main story I've written as protagonists, others go off and explore independently at their own pace. I run things dramatically: soundtrack, narrated moments, real stakes that build over time. New players get a full session zero and clear guidance going in, no experience required. I'll bend to what the table wants. My baseline is entertainment first, roleplay second, rules third. Rule of Cool wins over strict rules, and the only real limits are the ones built into the world itself.
Featured Prompts
I am for a vibe that's...
relaxed and welcoming. Doesn't matter if you're new to RPGs entirely.
If you're into ___, you're going to love my table
vibrant worlds with real history behind them. You don't need to know the lore going in, I'll get you up to speed. And if you genuinely don't care about any of it, that's fine too, just play a character who doesn't either.
I think it's a red flag when players...
put their own spotlight ahead of the group's. Role-playing is a shared thing, not a solo show.
David's Preferences
Systems