DM Dan Knight

he/him

4.9

(37)

TOP GM

Timezone

Australia/hobart

Language

English

Identity

Streamer

Neurodivergent

Voice Actor

About DM Dan Knight

Watch the short video pitch for the TL;DR version of my origin story: https://youtu.be/htEhWDgKbsU I run character-driven, story-focused games, where player choices, dice rolls, and gumption push the plot and adventure forward. I prepare situations, people and problems - and then let you decide how to handle it all. I’ve been obsessed with this stuff for most of my life. I grew up fascinated with mythology and fairy tales, and in the mid-80s I fell into D&D through Dragonlance and the old Gold Box computer games. While other kids were outside doing whatever normal kids do, I was pulling apart hit points and monster design to see how they worked. That obsession eventually led me into theatre and film. I directed Troll Bridge, a Pratchett-endorsed Discworld movie that received a heart-warming amount of attention; and I wrote and directed Blood on the Game Dice, a love letter to tabletop gaming. Upon seeing it, Wizards of the Coast founder Peter Adkison roped me into shooting some stuff for him at Gen Con. Nowadays, I'm back behind the DM screen and doing what I can to torment and delight in the name of dice-directed drama.

At a glance

4 years on StartPlaying

373 games hosted

Highly rated for: Voices, Storytelling, Creativity

$30 per session

Average response time: 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

Top Game Master

One of StartPlaying's top-rated GMs, a player favorite and highly recommended.

Featured Prompts

I became a GM because

I realised filmmaking was just DMing with a compromised budget, loaded dice, and actors who grumble about death saves.

I started running games because...

I’d already ruled out getting a "real" job, and as an overqualified, unemployed filmmaker with too much equipment, high-masking autism, and an unhealthy obsession with fantasy... the game called to me in tantalising ways.

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

researching obscure lore, writing up monologues, and practising silly voices in the grocery aisle like a normal person.

How DM Dan Knight runs games

I prepare situations, people and problems - and then let you decide how to handle them. I reward players who engage with the environment, think imaginatively and work together to find solutions. I run my games on Foundry VTT, heavily customised for immersion and visually driven play drawing on my years working in cinema. Scenes are backed by licensed Syrinscape music and ambience to underscore the emotional beats. I use only the best third-party tokens, assets, maps and handouts available. I treat Foundry as a theatre for your characters. Transparency is important to me. I roll in the open and let the results stand. The dice guide the way we tell our stories.

Featured Prompts

If my games were Movies they'd be directed by...

me? Oh, okay then, fine: Peter Jackson. But the "Braindead" Peter Jackson, not the "Lord of the Rings" Peter Jackson (there is a difference).

I prep by

playing loud mood music, throwing down a battle map, and assembling art for tokens and treasures. My notes are a murder board of red string linking scenes to questionable character choices.

Rules are...

the building blocks of the universe. They serve the story, breed creativity, and give unhinged chaos a safe word.

DM Dan Knight's ideal table

My professional background in theatre and film has led to a character-first and story-centric approach to my games. I value solutions driven by imagination far more than I do clever spreadsheet design, and players who are optimisation-focused are likely to miss out on what makes my games special. My players enjoy making a character's personality, history and ambitions the driving force behind their choices. Give me meaningful weaknesses, questionable judgement and something to lose. Let those things matter when we play. If your enjoyment comes from finding powerful combinations, stacking benefits or building ways to bypass your character’s limitations, my tables are unlikely to suit you. That approach is perfectly valid, but I am deliberately offering a different experience. Bring curiosity, initiative and a willingness to share the spotlight. Take an interest in the other characters. Give their stories room to breathe. Be willing to make a choice because it feels right for the character, even when it is not mechanically ideal. I want everyone at the table - including someone learning the game - to have room to contribute, take creative risks, and let their character develop naturally. I take great pride in creating worlds that respond to my players’ actions in narratively satisfying ways.