Grady

he/him

5.0

(6)

Timezone

America/chicago

Language

English

Identity

Published Writer

Game Designer

About Grady

I'm an avid world builder with a passion for telling stories with other gamers. Everything is ready, now we just need some awesome heroes. We ship out on game day! After 4 years of running D&D games as a hobby, I'm taking the plunge and "going pro" as a DM. I may be new here at StartPlaying, but I've run thousands of game sessions of D&D and many other RPGs, nearly all with homebrewed adventures, or original campaign settings. Although I mostly run D&D (We all love 5E!) I also have a published science fiction setting which I run using the Black Star rules from Lakeside Games. When I'm not gaming, I enjoy reading science fiction, listening to trip hop, arguing with my cat, and drinking cuba libres. Sarcasm is my second language. My familiar's name, btw, is Rags.5

At a glance

4 years on StartPlaying

4 games hosted

Highly rated for: Storytelling, World Builder, Creativity

Featured Prompts

My favorite system of all Time is

Ars Magica. I've been fortunate enough to play Ars Magica with DMs who are history experts, and they really made the setting come alive. Also, the magic system is fascinating and fully integrated into the setting.

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

...doing prep for my next game. Am I over-prepping? Not really. Anything I prep without using right away goes into the archives for use in future games. Good material never goes to waste!

How Grady runs games

I run collaborative, character-oriented campaigns using my own original settings. I work with my players to incorporate their backstories into the setting, and use their stories as the main plot points for the campaign. The result is (hopefully!) a strongly role-play oriented game, with action, intrigue and exploration added to taste. I prefer stories about *heroic* characters. (Not so much edge-lords or murderhobos.) I run stories about worlds in crisis and the people fighting to save them, or at least make them better places to live. I use Rules As Written for my games, with a few exceptions. I only make a house rule when it's necessary to fix a problem with the written rules. I prefer to use Roll20 for D&D, and most of my other games as well. I use Discord for voice (and video if desired) for all my online games.

Featured Prompts

I prep by

...detailing the villain's plans, or the logical sequence of events, *without* the interference of the PCs. Then I consider what the PCs might do to disrupt those plans/events. And sometimes they players come up with something I didn't consider. Then, I toss out the prep work and improvise.

My games focus on...

...the trials and tribulations of the player characters. I create immersive situations with no pre-destined "right" approaches. I give the PCs free reign to brainstorm solutions to their problems, then implement them in-game.

Rules are...

...the starting point for a shared experience. I prefer to run games "Rules As Written" in order to set everyone's expectations. Nobody needs to worry about weird house rules; I don't spend my time re-designing the rules set. I focus on world-building instead. More on that elsewhere.