Ollie

he/him

5.0

(14)

Timezone

Europe/london

Identity

Multi-lingual

About Ollie

Hi! I'm Ollie, a Creative Writing Graduate and Dungeon Master of six years looking to provide players with the fantastic experience you deserve! If you're a new player, don't worry. I have plenty of experience running D&D for new players, so I can personally guide you through the process of creating a character you'll love and learning the rules relevant to you! At my table, you can expect epic narratives that combine unique, tactical combat and immersive roleplaying scenes. I'll work with you to ensure that your character is a part of the world - NPCs from your background will show up, your character's goals will be met, and your backstory will be relevant! Whether you enjoy heroic fantasy for the immense monster slaying or high-stakes negotiation scenes, you're sure to find your place at my table! Inclusivity and player comfort is absoutely vital to me. No matter your background, you have a spot at my (virtual) table! Let's slay some dragons together! :)

At a glance

1 year on StartPlaying

72 games hosted

Highly rated for: Teacher, Creativity, Inclusive

Featured Prompts

I got started GMing...

when a friend invited me to my highschool's tabletop games club. My first game was a mess: I jumped in at the deep end DMing an enormous homebrew sandbox with not enough prep! Needless to say, I'm much more measured in my approach to DMing these days.

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

collaborative, vibrant, and receptive. I've also heard myself described as "infectiously enthusiastic".

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

working on my D&D adventure adaptation of the Kingdom Rush tower defense game series. It started as my dissertation for university, but I hope to get it finished and published soon! Outside of D&D, I like to play city builder games, cook for my girlfriend, and write stories for my little cousins.

How Ollie runs games

Dramatic narrative scenes and intense, high-stakes combat are my bread & butter. I like to help my players to fulfil the fantasy of their characters. As such, I'll be engaged with you through every step of the character creation process, guiding where necessary and listening for what makes you most excited. If you have an idea for something (be it a story moment, a character ability, or anything else), you can be sure that I'll be working hard to realise it! Vibrant NPCs and colourful locations are the keys to creating a real world for my players to explore and feel a part of, and so I put time into crafting these elements. You can expect NPCs to have a unique voice and personality. A Creative Writing degree comes in handy when writing characters, locations, and plots. When planning combat, I take the time to craft custom monsters and encounters to highlight your character's strengths, and (sometimes) challenge their weaknesses. Combat can be difficult, but not unnecessarily so!

Featured Prompts

My games focus on...

big, cinematic moments. Those moments when the party find the perfect strategy to overcome a challenging enemy, or cleverly weaves their way through a complex social encounter are my favourites. That said; those moments are worth nothing without the bigger picture, so worldbuilding is vital.

Rules are...

a framework for consistency and fairness. Knowing the rules well allows me to know when to change or bend them in the name of fun. More often than not, there's a rules precedent for something a player wants to do, and it won't take me long to remember it.

When it comes to voices

I'm all-in! My favourite characters to voice are dragons of any kind, but I like to give every NPC a unique voice.

Ollie's ideal table

Collaboration, immersion, and drama are at the heart of my game sessions. Fighters and optimizers will have a great time at my table - I love crafting homebrew monsters that can match, highlight, and challenge the party. Players that enjoy acting and storytelling will find plenty of opportunities to roleplay with thoughtfully crafted NPCs and navigate tricky social encounters. If you're a fan of problem-solving or exploring, you'll be met with inventive puzzles and traps in dungeons, and a detailed world build with custom maps and evocative descriptions. And there's always room for a little bit of chaos in between the drama! I try to encourage teamwork where possible - players are free to strategise and coordinate during all types of encounters. During session time, I try to keep everyone immersed about 90% of the time, leaving room for some above-table chat. My players tend to stick around after session to talk for an hour or so, and I always join in when I have the time.

Featured Prompts

I am for a vibe that's...

a good mix of casual and dramatic. There's usually at least one tense moment in each session, but outside of that I usually find players enjoying the worldbuilding, discussing future plans or strategy, or engaging in sidequests.

I love it when a player

tells me about a specific moment they want for their character. Sometimes it's a vague idea that I can work with the player to develop, and sometimes the player has a more developed idea. Either way, I love facilitating those special character moments.

I think min/maxing...

is great! Diving into the books for the options that best portray your character concept shows interest and investment - I especially love DMing for more unique builds. Optimised characters also allow me to use more complex, challenging enemies.