DM Dan Knight
he/him
4.9
(19)
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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 D&D with strong story and real consequences. Your choices steer the game, the dice complicate it, and the best moments are the ones nobody planned. It gets tense when it needs to, and we’ll laugh when everything goes sideways. My love of this stuff goes back a long way. I grew up obsessed 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 busy arguing with myself about hit points and monster design. That same obsession eventually spilled into theatre and film. I directed Troll Bridge (a Pratchett-approved Discworld comedy that got a surprising amount of attention) and made Blood on the Game Dice, which is my love letter to tabletop play. These days I’m behind the screen, stitching together myth, motives, and dangerous possibilities, letting your characters decide which fire to walk into.
At a glance
4 years on StartPlaying
122 games hosted
Highly rated for: Voices, Storytelling, Creativity
Average response time: 1 hour
Response rate: 92%
Featured Prompts
I became a GM because
I realised filmmaking was just DMing with loaded dice, less budget, and actors who grumble about rolling death saves.
People are always surprised when I tell them
that after seeing Blood on the Game Dice, Wizards of the Coast founder Peter Adkison invited me to GenCon, where he had me film David R. Megarry running his original home-made version of Dungeon! (the board game that helped spawn D&D).
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
Character-driven stories, lore-rich and canon-aware. I build layered NPCs and thread your backstories into the campaign so your choices move the plot, and emotional momentum builds. If you lean into the tone, themes, and hooks I throw you, the story sings and the payoffs land. Expect crunchy tactics and encounters built to spotlight each character. I don’t fudge or pull punches, so victories feel earned. The game runs on Foundry Virtual Tabletop, heavily customised for an immersive player-facing experience: dynamic lighting, vision, animations, the works. Scenes are backed by licensed Syrinscape music and ambience to underscore the emotional beats. You still roll your dice and manage your sheet; Foundry just provides the stage. These games come in flavours: heroic, grim, weird. The menu’s set. Grab a seat at the table that suits your taste.
Featured Prompts
If my games were Movies they'd be directed by...
me. Oh, okay fine, Peter Jackson then—but the Braindead Jackson, not the Lord of the Rings Jackson. Or at least, so says the guy who spent half his life making a Tolkien tribute film shot in New Zealand...
I prep by
playing loud mood music, throwing down a battle map, and generating art for the tokens and treasures. My notes are a corkboard of red string without the corkboard.
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 table is collaborative, character-driven, and tactically sharp. Players who thrive here arrive with a clear concept, lean into the adventure’s tone, and make proactive choices that move scenes forward. I reward players who engage with the environment and use narrative to flavour their actions. Table culture is respectful, curious, and team-oriented: share the spotlight, play your sheet, and support the party’s goals even when your character is messy. We use light safety tools and lines/veils so everyone can stay immersed without unwelcome surprises. Tech is simple: a decent mic with minimal background bleed and a stable connection for Foundry access. I feed off table energy and seeing you lets me catch reactions, time beats, and bounce off your roleplay so scenes flow smoothly. Cameras are encouraged for this reason, but never required.
Featured Prompts
I love it when a player
leans so hard into their character that even I forget they’re not real.
I think min/maxing...
is great only when it's pursuing a theme. I love optimisation that serves a clear character concept or party niche. If your build makes the fantasy land harder, louder, or weirder in a way that fits the tone… perfect.
My perfect party mix is
is a wizard with a plan, a barbarian with opinions, a goblin who presses red buttons, a paladin quietly reconsidering their life choices, and a healer to mop it all up.
DM Dan Knight's Preferences
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