About me

Hi there! I'm Cullen McHael. My day and night jobs are reporting on tech and infosec for iPhone Life, but my other night jobs are game design at Thoughtspike Games LLC; on top of that I'm a published Sci-Fi and fantasy author; and I’ve been a GM since the 90s. By day, my newsletter on infosec circulates to about a half a million people each week and serve as the face in tech education live streams with a dedicated audience of about 30k. I’ve been a stage actor, a street performer, a circus acrobat, a monk, a teacher, and a complete derp. My favorite thing is doing silly goblin voices. I started in AD&D back in the 90s, switched to GURPS 4th Edition in 2004, and have lately been touring all the PBtA systems. I'm especially impressed with Masks the 2nd Generation, but I'm fluent with Pathfinder 2e and D&D 2024. My games keep coming back to urban fantasy, cyberpunk, and sometimes heroic fantasy, but I've run in every genre known to humankind and others that only the old gods can name. Gaming is the most fun I know how to have, so I hope you’ll join me!

GM Style

Expect complex characters, smart world-building, and scenarios that reward role-play as much as detail-oriented tactics. I'm as excited by a session-long highly tactical battle as I am by a session devoted to an in-character date night. My stories always feature diverse characters with complex stories that motivate them to try to change the world to better fit their ideals.

Games played

Game platforms used