Brian Reeves

he/him

5.0

(6)

Timezone

America/chicago

Language

English

Identity

DMs Guild Writer

Neurodivergent

Published Writer

Game Designer

About Brian Reeves

Hi there! I've been a tabletop roleplaying game freelancer since the 90s and been working professionally in the industry for half a decade, most recently with Pinnacle Entertainment Group (Savage Worlds) and Ulisses Spiele (Torg Eternity). I've been a member of StartPlaying.games for a few years but recently decided to finally "go pro." Makes sense, because I've been a gamemaster for over 40 years since the halcyon days of 1st edition Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D and Basic D&D), and though I do enjoy playing from time to time, my real passion is in being in the GM's chair, helping players tell epic stories about their characters. Over the decades I've run countless games of Call of Cthulhu, Torg and Torg Eternity, Cyberpunk, GURPS, Shadowdark, Pirate Borg, Outgunned, a zillion Savage Worlds settings, and every edition of Dungeons & Dragons. If you'd like to know more about my publications, you can check out my author page at https://brianreevesauthor.com/. See you around the table!

At a glance

4 years on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Inclusive, Storytelling, Teacher

Featured Prompts

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

Hanging out with my wife, daughter, and two silly little dogs.

How Brian Reeves runs games

As a gamemaster, I tend toward the cinematic — high action, high drama, and high stakes — with scenarios that empower players to be creative and take risks. Although I also have a fondness for "dark" or "low" fantasy, where the characters aren't typical heroes and morality isn't as cut-and-dry, and discretion is wiser than aggression. I like systems with meta-currency: hero points, action points, Savage Worlds' Bennies, Torg Eternity's Possibilities, and so on. I love it when players feel empowered to alter the flow of the action as equal partners in the storytelling. I do my best to know and use the rules of any system I'm running, and apply judgments impartially. No favoritism (or unfair disadvantages) at my table! That said, I don't slavishly adhere to the rules... I occasionally ignore something the book says in favor of expediency, common sense, fun, or just the "rule of cool," when it seems right to do so. I use house rules from time to time, but never anything that fundamentally changes how the game or characters work (unless all the players are interested in doing so). When running games, I do my best to keep things flowing, avoiding lengthy rules look-ups or arguments, and I make sure *everyone* gets a chance to shine.