Mikel (ImprovGM)
he/him
5.0
(10)
Timezone
Language
Identity
About Mikel (ImprovGM)
ImprovGM on Tiktok. I've been doing improv for over 20 years and run workshops at GenCon teaching those skills to gamers. I run a wide variety of games that focus on player run narratives that emphasize characters and emotional stakes. I've had a great time seeing how much people and scenes come alive in the workshops I've run and want to bring that to others.
At a glance
5 years on StartPlaying
48 games hosted
Highly rated for: Inclusive, Creativity, Storytelling
Average response time: 13 hours
Response rate: 100%
Featured Prompts
My favorite shows/movies are
Deadwood, Slings & Arrows, Better Call Saul, Magnolia, Evil Dead 2
My favorite system of all Time is
Cortex Prime, Smallville in particular, is essentially Hour Long TV Drama: The RPG. It helps players approach their characters more like how an actor would think about their character's internal life more than any game I've found.
When I'm not running games I'm...
doing theater, improv, stand up, or teaching.
How Mikel (ImprovGM) runs games
For me, the surprise the players bring to the game is the most important thing. My games place the characters in a situation and the places the players decide are interesting is where the game goes. I focus on depth of character and interpersonal relationships and conflicts. I've had my games called a "social dungeon crawl." I often compare them to an HBO series. Most of the games I enjoy are theatre of the mind, though there are a few exceptions. Recurring NPCs, consequences (good and bad) of the player's actions, and the building momentum of separate storythreads are at the heart of what I run. I want to know who your characters are and how they want to change their world, however great or small that impact might be.
Mikel (ImprovGM)'s Preferences
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