GM Paul M

he/him

5.0

(28)

Timezone

Europe/london

Language

English

Identity

No Gen AI

About GM Paul M

Thirty years behind the screen, and the best moments are still the ones nobody planned. I run games where the story belongs to everyone at the table. You bring a character with something to prove, I bring a world that reacts, and between us we find out what happens. There will be combat, puzzles and hard choices, but they are there to feed the story rather than interrupt it. I run everything from one-shots that teach a whole system in a single evening through to long campaigns that take a group from strangers to the people standing between the world and its ending. A lot of what I do is first games for new players, and that has shaped how I run every table: nobody gets talked over, everyone gets a moment that belongs to them, and if describing your character's actions does not come naturally to you yet, I will help you find it. If you have never picked up a die, you are welcome. If you have been playing for decades, so have I.

At a glance

3 years on StartPlaying

8 games hosted

Highly rated for: Creativity, Beginner Friendly, Knows the Rules

$15 per session

Featured Prompts

I became a GM because

I had an idea for an adventure I couldn't stop thinking about, so I grabbed the books and ran it for my group. Thirty years later I am still chasing that same feeling: watching an idea turn into a story nobody could have written alone.

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

Atmospheric, fun, inclusive

How GM Paul M runs games

Story first, and the rules are there to serve it. I run mostly theatre of the mind, bringing maps out when a fight genuinely needs them, and I lean towards the rule of cool: if what you want to try is a great idea and the dice are willing, we find a way to make it work rather than going hunting for the paragraph that says no. I like leaving the door open. If your group wants to wander off in a direction I had not planned for, that is my problem to solve and not a reason to say no. Everyone gets time in the spotlight, nobody gets talked over, and I will never hurry you while you work out what your character is doing.

Featured Prompts

I deal with rules issues by...

I make a call in the moment and we keep playing. If I got it wrong, I will say so, we sort it out between sessions, and nobody spends twenty minutes watching me read a rulebook.

Rules are...

Guardrails for fairness rather than hard limits

GM Paul M's ideal table

My table suits players who want to build the story together rather than follow one that is already written. Complete beginners are genuinely welcome: if putting your character's actions into words does not come naturally yet, I will feed you the cues until it does, and nobody sits quietly while everyone else talks. For horror and heavier games I run proper safety tools rather than hoping for the best: X-Cards and a safety deck at the table, and I make sure everyone understands the difference between a line and a veil before we start. Content can be moved off-screen or dialled back mid-session if it is not landing well, and if you ask to stop, we stop and check in afterwards. I am watching the table throughout, not just running the plot, and I will ask if something seems off rather than wait for you to tell me.