Kenny Mahan

he/him

5.0

(4)

Timezone

America/denver

Language

English

Identity

DMs Guild Writer

Neurodivergent

Published Writer

Teacher/Educator

Game Designer

About Kenny Mahan

I believe that all tabletop games are for everyone. I bring with me writing credits for Pinnacle Entertainment, Lady Gamer Games, and Ed Greenwood. I am also a special education teacher. I know how to write interesting and immersive stories while adapting it to ensure everyone at the table feels like they belong and are empowered to play. I have 20 years of experience behind the screen and my table is a welcoming table for those that are part of the LGBTQ+ community or neurodivergent. I love teaching new players as well as running for veteran players.

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

2 games hosted

Highly rated for: Creativity, Inclusive, World Builder

Featured Prompts

I became a GM because

I had more ideas for settings and campaigns than I did for personal characters. I wanted to really take those ideas and develop them and build new worlds and settings for others to explore.

My favorite books are

Horror and fantasy. I started with Dragonlance and Stephen King and never looked back. I'm currently neck deep in Dungeon Crawler Carl.

People are always surprised when I tell them

I'm dyslexic. There are a lot of misconceptions about what that means, and many don't believe when they find out what my degrees are in or that I've been published.

How Kenny Mahan runs games

My role at the table is to lay out the options and let the players pull the strings. After 20 years of rolling dice, writing, and designing, I’ve found that the most memorable moments at a table are because of the players choices and the roll of the die. Those are where the greatest memories are made at the table. I run my game with three things in mind: Cinematic Storytelling: I like a game that feels like a high budget movie with vivid descriptions, fast-paced action, and moments to let each character shine. Deeply Developed Homebrew Worlds: I love the classic settings, and the iconic adventures, but I specialize in rich homebrew settings. I love to build deep history, varied cultures, and lost secrets. Your character’s actions impact all of it starting at character creation. Fun-First: I don’t like when rules get in the way of fun and the pace of the game. I lean towards the fun and rulings made on the fly favor the character. I want players to feel empowered to have their characters try the impossible.

Featured Prompts

I deal with rules issues by...

Making a decision to keep the action on pace. We can look up the rule outside of game and ensure we are correct going forward.

My favorite trope is...

Meeting in a tavern. It's fun, it's easy, and frankly it never has to be just meeting in the tavern. There is a lot of potential to be born from this, it's a trope for a reason.

Kenny Mahan's ideal table

My table is designed to be a fun and safe space. Players that want to engage in the story and have a great time are always welcome. Those that seek to denigrate and and bring other players down won’t find that as an option at my table. Players that want to engage with the setting and each other will find a good place at my table. I enjoy the players that want to delve deep into the story, those that want to fight every fight, and those that shout a catch phrase anytime the mood strikes. Most of all I want players that will be cheerleaders for all of the other players.

Featured Prompts

I think min/maxing...

If fine as long as the character doesn't embrace main character syndrome. Bringing a character kitted out for combat simply means I get to run bigger and nastier combats to provide enough challenge.

My table is not the place for...

Any sort of denigration. Racism, homophobia, any sort of slurs are all grounds for immediate removal from any table I run.