About me

The Direpug Storyteller "Epic Tale Wagging" Bespoke adventures for extraordinary stories. ~*~ I started playing & running RPGs in the same year The Prestige, 300, and The Departed released (take from that what you will) and have been doing so ever since! I have a background dabbling in many things: acting in stage theatre, improv storytelling, miniature crafts, creative writing, LARP organization, and music. I use these skills together to create an immersive role-playing experience and thrilling action sequences in a fictional world waiting to be explored. In my story-telling sessions, non-player characters have secrets of their own, actions have ripple-effect consequences, and there's always a new horizon worth seeking! -- The Three Golden Rules -- I believe that many rules of RPGs are inevitably broken, if not bent with abandon. However, in our games these 3 Rules will never be broken. 1. Respect the Player. Everyone here should be having a good time, and that begins with mutual respect. -e.g. Players make their own choices. Players are entitled to feel safe at all times. Players are to be treated as peers, if not better. Etc. 2. Respect the Party. Everyone has great fun individually, but we must also consider the fun of the group. -e.g. Players must consent to shared goals for the purpose of the Story. Players must include other Players where they can in good faith. Players must make character decisions that can remain compatible with the other Players and Story. Etc. 3. Respect the Storyteller. The Storteller (me) does a lot behind the scenes and do my best to follow the spirit of the core rulebook, so please engage with my rulings and policies in good faith. -e.g. While the Storyteller is still a Player, they must interpret both the Rules and Story all Players are trying to interact with. Lying or tricking the Storyteller services no one; we're on the same team! Communicate issues or obstacles ahead of time, wherever possible. Etc

GM style

I like to run two types of games, generally speaking, Adventure Stories and Social Mystery Stories. Respectively, my favorite systems to utilize these game types are D&D and VtM. *** In Adventure Stories, I tend to focus on the 'three pillars' of classic Dungeons & Dragons gameplay: Combat, Exploration, and Social roleplay. - I strive to provide an average of 1 combat encounter per 3-hour session, which can vary widely based upon informed character & party decision making. These combat encounters will strive for in-character decision making by allies & enemy NPCs/monsters, dynamic environments, and narrative significance. With combat in particular, great care will be taken to respect Rules-as-Written, the spirit of the rules per DM interpretation, and the commonly understood 'Rule 1' of the hobby. - I strive for immersive and complex environments to engage with and draw from, which could include ancient dungeons with tangible histories, to a noble estate with hidden mysteries shared between its staff, libraries, and secret passages. While fun for storytelling and world-building purposes, these exploration encounters will strive to inform players of the challenges they will face, arm them with discoverable advantages, and bestow magical items or enchantments. - I strive for rich and intricate social networking between the various NPCs, which include the growing of reputations among shops or social clubs, opportunities for antagonists or villains to join forces or split apart, and the integration of Player Character origin NPCs into the greater narrative. With a wide cast of NPCs and their attached relationships & goals, I strive to create a 'living' world to fulfill long-term social goals, foster an environment of immersion, and give narrative weight behind the actions & decisions of the Party. In short-term adventures and campaigns, players can expect a comprehensive plotline with multiple avenues of success (and failure!) at any given level or tier of play. In longer campaigns, the Session 0 will be longer, storylines will customize around individual character backstories, and the group will have a narrative that builds on itself on an ever-expanding world with increasingly high-stakes adventures. *** In Social Mystery Stories, I tend to focus on the political and social intrigue of classic Vampire: the Masquerade gameplay. In addition to physical prowess, social and mental capabilities are essential to surviving in a world where a deceptive smile can lay ruin faster than a blade. - I strive to provide an impressive depth of NPCs in positions of social, political, and economic power. These will include networking relationship webs (most of which will be initially hidden to the Party). The people, or monsters, you interact with will have their own goals, alliances, rivalries, and methods... on top of a unique personality! What this method strives to create are antagonists out of the systems of power and oppression in addition to the NPCs themselves. After all, when you go after the King, you'd best be prepared for their Kingdom, too. - I strive to integrate as much of the established lore/storyline of the expanded universe as necessary for the narrative being told in this story. Some stories may focus on a small neighborhood, faction, or conflict and have little or nothing to do with greater lore events, infamous NPCs, or 'ret-cons' outside of the story scope. The stories that involve high levels of power, travel, or lore-changing events strive to include the expanded universe as agreed upon during Session 0 and Storyteller interpretation. Remember, most game lore comes from unreliable narrators. - I strive to center the narrative around the individual Player Character so that the greater plot of the story (and the Party) will build in a natural and satisfying manner. A lot of this work and preparation will come from Session 0 discussions, character creation hooks/prompts/feedback, and highly-encouraged links between individual Party members. Using these techniques, I strive to create a narrative that feels like every Player Character is a protagonist in this shared story. In short-term adventures and campaigns, you can expect a tight plot full of NPCs with hidden agendas, and your utilization of Player Character and Party assets across the character sheet will make the difference between triumph or catastrophe. In longer campaigns, Session 0 may include (free) off-session character creation so that Party relationships with each other and NPCs can be thoroughly established, plotlines will almost exclusively center around the goals of Player Characters, and the growing history between various factions will become a threat unto itself.

Games played

Game platforms used

Social

What's StartPlaying?

Tabletop Roleplaying Games Run by Game Masters