About me

I am a GM with 40 years of experience who runs homebrew worlds and occasionally homebrew systems. My most commonly run systems are Rolemaster / Spacemaster (primarily version 2 with mods and errata), Hero System, Pathfinder, DnD, and Shadowrun. I have run games almost constantly over the last 40 years. This makes determining the full count of those games effectively impossible. I have tried and played many games (more than 75 systems) over the years and have learned something from each of them and each of the players. Early Gaming History I played my first RPG (Advanced Dungeons and Dragons) in 1983, and very soon after that same year, I started to GM. It was around 1987 when I was introduced to Rolemaster. It was then I saw how flexible a game could be. My GM for Rolemaster showed me ways to improve my art and strive to be a better GM and player. He taught me the importance of how everything you have known or done, games you have already run, and everything ever learned was a resource, and most of all to remember this is about fun, not rules. I began to take a different approach and since have worked to tell a story with the players, not at the players.

GM Style

My style has evolved into more collaborative storytelling than module-based games. The players are encouraged to be involved with the campaign and the other players. The story belongs more to the players with the GM to set the scene, provide additions, world growth, facilitate story exposition, and when necessary arbitrate the rules. I put the collective story first. My rule of thumb, what the characters do is what is important because that is what the players are interested in. Improv is an important part of my style (in the stories, systems, and rules) as it keeps the game flowing smoothly. I saw the importance of some of the nontraditionally taught RPG skills so I took a couple of courses in improv and storytelling. The system rules and dice are there to handle uncertain elements and unknown outcomes and not to replace the story. I have a style that is more “rules as intended” with a good flavorful touch of “rule of cool”. My style is reactive to the players and thus is not as well suited to a one-shot. An example is that I have written a one-shot that took 15 hours to complete over 3 days. I am much more geared to longer stories. An illustration of this is my last 5 games lasted 39, 43, 71, 87, and 136 sessions of 5 to 7 hours each. My shortest game I listed above with my longest game running about twice a month for about 10 years. I am comfortable with a wide number of players playing a game. I have run from 1 player upwards to 13. Typically my games are 5 to 6 players, however my preference is 3 to 7 players depending on the story and the player chemistry. I make my games respect the collective wants, needs, and requests of the players. The type and theme of the story, game, or campaign should always reflect this and be able to change if the will of the players does. I am a storyteller and not a performer so I will not commonly do voices and similar. I will tell a story as descriptive as the players are interested in, with loops, twists, and connections backward and forward in the stories. I was once lauded for making a non-magical book they got in session one and forgot about being important and woven into the story in hindsight over 120 sessions later. I have taught many new players and even GMs over time. This is where some of the most fun can be had for me, watching others bloom and improve their art. I welcome new players always. More people playing and running games bring diversity, variety, and new ideas. I have tried to always be open to new ways and ideas while sharing those I have. Flexibility and variety are queen.

Games played

Game platforms used