Robert

he/him

4.8

(5)

Timezone

America/chicago

Language

English

Identity

Educator

About Robert

I started playing DND about two years ago when some of my students asked me to sponsor the tabletop gamers club at our high school. As I learned about the game, I fell in love with the concept of shared story-telling, worldbuilding, and character development. Those are the things that I love about teaching English: those elements of stories that keep people coming back and make stories unforgettable. I've DMed both in live games at a physical table and on virtual platforms. The part that I enjoy the most is helping new players learn the game and watching as they gain confidence and develop their characters. I usually run lower-level games simply because that is the easiest entry point for new players. I look forward to playing with you!

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Inclusive, Beginner Friendly, Creativity

$20 per session

Featured Prompts

My favorite books are

Anything fast. I want something that grabs me on the first page and won't let go. Dean Koontz is great. Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman is spectacular. Fantasy, action, thriller, horror. Just don't hand me a social commentary snoozefest.

My favorite shows/movies are

The Princess Bride Dumb Dumbs and Dragons (Podcast) Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers

When I'm not running games I'm...

Thinking about the games I'm playing in. Planning for future games. Playing Baldur's Gate 3. Reading Dungeon Crawler Carl books. Or, if it is during the school year, probably grading homework assignments. :(

How Robert runs games

My games are great learning experiences. Whether you've been playing for a long time and are just wanting to learn 5e or never played before, I'll take the time to ensure that the rules make sense to the best of my ability. I am a teacher, so I lean into it. I'll play the rules as written, unless they don't make sense in a given situation. Ultimately, the most important thing is that all of the players at my table are able to have fun. I'm open to ideas, suggestions, and feedback. And I want to know if something that happens in our game can be adjusted to make it more fun.

Featured Prompts

I deal with rules issues by...

Re-reading the rule/description with players, discussing what it means, and determining what makes the most sense.

Rules are...

meant to level the playing field for everyone involved. They are important to understand. And, sometimes the rules don't cover everything, which means we have to be flexible and creative.

When it comes to voices

Mine have a tendency to sound either Bostonian...or maybe Jersey-ish. I say don't worry about an accurate accent; have fun. If you don't "do" voices, that's fine too!

Robert's ideal table

I want for all players to have a time to shine. Ideally, that means everyone takes turns sharing the spotlight. We're telling a story together; players work together to build the story. Nobody wants the DM to railroad them, but I think that's true of others at the table too. Four or five players who have as much fun helping the other players shine: that's my dream table. Humor is important to me too. It's in the little things like the name of a local tavern or a silly NPC. I want a game that has all the peril that comes with adventuring while still giving me moments to laugh.

Featured Prompts

I love it when a player

has a game-changing round. Everything goes right...or wrong, and it changes everything.

I think it's a red flag when players...

want to do their own thing instead of cooperating with the party. You need to play your character in an authentic way, sure. But, you also need a character who is motivated to stay with the party and work toward a common goal, even if that goal is just survival.

I think metagaming...

Is okay sometimes. If a player is struggling to figure out what to do, others can offer to help. However, it is less fun when players outsmart their own characters. I just think it needs to be balanced.