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Duffo

Duffo (he/him)

5.0

(21)

Podcaster
Game Designer

2 years on StartPlaying

90 games hosted

Highly rated for: Creativity, Inclusive, Storytelling

About me

Hello! Over the last decade I've been running tabletop games in bars, at conventions, in the lounge rooms of all of my friends, and online. I was first introduced to D&D by a family friend whose campaign had been running for over 20 years, and seeing the incredible world they'd all created inspired me to start running games of my own as soon as I could. I love how collaborative and flexible TTRPGs can be, and how two groups can surprise you with how differently they approach the same adventure. I like to run games with a strong hook or core concept. Here are some of my favourite kinds of campaigns to run: - low stakes cozy fantasy (shopkeeper adventures, townbuilder campaigns, etc.) - dramatic and Gothic dark fantasy (especially with undead and monstrous PCs) - high concept adventures ("X meets Y", classic action movie concepts, parody and weirdness) I'm based in the tropics of northern Australia, but I run games at all hours of the day. If you'd like to hear some of my work, I have been the GM for most seasons of the Real Fantasy Encounters actual play podcast at https://realfantasyencounters.com/. I have extensive GM experience with games like Lancer, Masks, D&D and Pathfinder, Blades In The Dark, Spire/Heart, and Mork Borg, as well as my own Gothic horror medical drama TTRPG Bloodclotte and my isekai themed fantasy comedy game This World Summons Too Many Heroes!!

GM Style

I'm a GM who invests in roleplay, providing character voices and banter, but this is underpinned by a good understanding of effective combat that uses the environment and goes beyond the standard "bonking each other back and forth". It's important to me that players have the opportunity to alter the story, whether that is as out-of-character suggestions that get incorporated into the world or as plot choices that the players get to make. I like to throw to one or two players at a time, moving the spotlight around so that everyone gets to have their memorable moments with their characters. I use FoundryVTT by default and build maps in Dungeondraft. I also like to include interstitial cards and backdrops to keep players visually engaged during roleplay scenes. I avoid riddles and puzzles, preferring to set out environmental challenges with no one clear solution to see how the party reacts and what they can creatively come up with.

Game platforms used
Social
Game Master Reviews (21)

Proficiencies

Players say this GM is great at:

Creativity

Inclusive

Storytelling

Rolando avatar

Rolando

Played 31 sessions

Great Gm, was there when i had question and dint understand something would recommend to anyone.

Alistair avatar

Alistair

Played 28 sessions

I've been in Duffo's session for a bit now. We're running a more slice-of-life cafe campaign. It's a good subversion of the general Pathfinder vibe and is my favorite wind-down after a long week. All of the sessions are always funny, interesting, and light-hearted. We're constantly greeted with new custom maps and the freedom to run around and get into trouble with the various NPCs. Excellent at rolling with the chaotic punches these kinds of campaigns can bring. I would heavily recommend them to anyone looking for a fun DM to take you on an adventure.

Tammi avatar

Tammi

Played 25 sessions

Duffo is an awesome GM! He's very patient, understanding, and very knowledgeable. I really enjoy the world he's created and the stories we've uncovered. I love being able to go from schmoozing customers to hosting a fancy wine launch party to fighting off a horde of giant spiders!

Roger avatar

Roger

Played 23 sessions

Homebrew is always difficult to do, balancing encounters, world building, all have to be done in a vacuum. Duffo excels at both. His story is engaging, the fights have been nail biting. I would especially recommend this game if you are a fan of big mechas and giant Kaiju.

2Lupus1 avatar

2Lupus1

Played 15 sessions

He has a very funny and unique laugh i definitely recommend him

Sem;colon avatar

Sem;colon

Played 6 sessions

Duffo is skilled at crafting interesting situations for players to interact with and, perhaps more importantly, able to adapt quickly and creatively when things inevitably spin out of control.

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