Dylan

he/they

5.0

(5)

Timezone

America/toronto

Language

English

Identity

Podcaster

LGBTQ+

Queer

Teacher/Educator

About Dylan

Co-host of the D&D criticism podcast Kill Every Monster and producer at Dead Ghost Productions, I've been playing TTRPGs as a permanent GM for 15+ years. I build stories around villains whose plans the players will upend, forcing pivots and recalculations so that the party feels the narrative evolve in response to their actions. I run D&D 5e, Masks, Spire, Eat the Reich, and Draw Steel, and I am constantly reading and learning new games.

At a glance

5 years on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Knows the Rules, Rule of Cool, World Builder

$20 per session

Featured Prompts

I became a GM because

Someone needed to do it. A friend wanted to run a game, but he wasn't confident in the rules. I came in as a partner to run the game, and I enjoyed it more than playing.

I got started GMing...

Helping a friend to run Pathfinder. We spent the campaign learning the system and laying out the plot as we went. I learned how to improvise rulings, integrate player ideas into the plot, and where a hard answer really mattered over keeping a game rolling.

The three words my players would use to describe me are...

Fun, fair, and menacing. I want my players to feel like heroes, and that means giving them monsters to overcome.

How Dylan runs games

I write games beginning with a villain, their plan, and the immediate stakes. From there, the game evolves based on how the players choose to interact with them. I focus on giving the party earned victories, where they feel that they were able to win by skill, not because the story demands it. I encourage my players to build out their relationships within the game world. After all, what is a hero without someone to save?

Featured Prompts

I prep by

Checking what antagonists would be doing in response to player actions, determining how much of that information would get out, and how the party would learn it. That lets me set up new hooks for adventures and get an idea of a few encounters that may come up in the short run.

My favorite trope is...

The rival party. Great as a long-running semi-friendly antagonist, and usually one of the most dangerous encounters for a party to face. They also give the feeling that adventures are happening beyond what the party is accomplishing. They really flesh out a world.

Rules are...

Meant to facilitate play. They communicate the intent of a game, and let us know what the system is meant to handle. That also means they have edges where the game is not concerned with the outcomes. That's where we make quick calls that feel in the spirit of the game, and we keep the show going.

Dylan's ideal table

My tables are player-driven in a collaborative world. If you come to the table with a strong character idea, I will make sure you're getting the beats you need to make good on it.

Featured Prompts

I am for a vibe that's...

Fun until the danger sets in

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

Turn character problems into personal grudges. If there's behaviour that doesn't sit well, that's fair. We should be talking through that before it becomes a problem.