Shawn (t0rp0r)

he/him

4.8

(5)

Timezone

America/chicago

Language

English

About Shawn (t0rp0r)

My style is laid back and friendly, and I just want everyone to enjoy a good story. I have been playing various RPGs off and on since the early 1980s, but I'm currently using 5e because of its widespread appeal.

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Creativity, Knows the Rules, Teacher

Featured Prompts

I got started GMing...

to introduce my friends to the game.

My favorite shows/movies are

Star Wars Lord of the Rings Hudson Hawk

People are always surprised when I tell them

I used to be a newspaper reporter before I got into IT.

How Shawn (t0rp0r) runs games

I love using surprises and humor, personal stakes for characters, and pineapple on pizza. I try to encourage players to make their own decisions. I rarely railroad but I'll help push the party back on track if they get really lost. I don't mind giving newer players hints about how to use their character's abilities. I don't like cheap death except if that's the flavor of that particular adventure. And I don't like min/max characters or unwanted PvP except in games where it's expected. (Paranoia, looking at you!) I'm open to dungeon/hex crawls, roleplaying, puzzles, mysteries and world-saving combat.

Featured Prompts

I once ran a session...

for about 10 people for our high school roleplaying club. Too many players, not enough DMs! About an hour for 1 round of combat!

I prep by

realizing that the game is starting in 10 minutes and I need to create a creature to wipe out the party. j/k (or am I?) I try to test things out in the VTT between sessions to make transitions as smooth as possible. I also write game summaries as quickly after the session as possible.

Rules are...

You're supposed to say "made to be broken" but I think there's a reason for most of them. But you need some flexibility to handle the unexpected, like a halfling climbing on an ally's back so they can fire into melee.

Shawn (t0rp0r)'s ideal table

I'm cool with players of different ages or experience levels, as long as they're all willing to work together. I want everyone to relax and have a good time. Some of the worst games have been dozens of DM notes going back and forth as everyone tries to out-maneuver each other to get the treasure first. So I don't allow that type of behavior.