Josh Flaccavento

he/him

5.0

(12)

Timezone

America/new York

Language

English

Identity

Podcaster

Published Writer

Game Designer

About Josh Flaccavento

Interactive storytelling is the best! I've been playing in, running, writing, and/or broadcasting games for about 25 years now, and in that time I've learned a lot about what works, what doesn't, and what gets folks excited at the table. You've got knowledge, too, whoever you are. Let's share! A couple of my projects are out there. With Ryan Hatt, I co-wrote ALL MUST BOW, a system-agnostic cosmic horror setting where the PCs are villains. (More about that at bleakhorizonspress.com) I've also co-hosted a superhero RPG actual-play podcast, Tales from Stringersberg, with my buddy Drew (Ninetale Hobbies on YouTube), which you can find on Spotify and some other places. I have a few stories on deck, complete with pre-gens, but would love to hatch something new with a long-term group. Maybe that's you and your crew! One way to find out. I welcome folks of all kinds - might not know your terminology yet, but I'll learn. The only exceptions to that are oppressors: authoritarians, racists, homo- or trans-phobes, Nazis, sexists, etc. Bottom line: either we agree that we're all human beings & show mutual respect, or we don't share a table. Pretty simple, really.

At a glance

4 years on StartPlaying

4 games hosted

Highly rated for: Storytelling, Creativity, Inclusive

$20 per session

Featured Prompts

My favorite books are

Neuromancer The Difference Engine Schismatrix Plus Dune (yes, book 1 only) the Book of the New Sun Annihilation (the whole Southern Reach "trilogy") Dawn (anything by Octavia Butler, really)

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

... designing them! There's more ALL MUST BOW to come, but I've got worlds to spare: Kalyx, Fluchvelt, and some kind of vast ocean-plane, maybe called Hetle, where the sea brings forgetting and a gray mist reveals and conceals entire civilizations.

How Josh Flaccavento runs games

My games are story-forward: the rules are important, but always secondary to the story and the group's enjoyment thereof. I've been known to world-build a bit, but I love it when that becomes a collaboration. Big proponent of 'session zero,' regardless of the system, and yes, I definitely want to read your character's backstory if you took the time to write one. I have experience running the following systems: Adventure! (White Wolf's pulp action setting), Agon, D&D (5e), Exalted (2e), Fate Core, Mothership, Prowlers & Paragons, and World of Darkness. Other things you can expect: Lots of accents. House rules as needed in service to tone. Mini-games. Participatory world-building. I care about the economy, y'all. Dark humor. "Yes, and..."

Featured Prompts

My games focus on...

intrigue, horror, and the divine.

Rules are...

just tools and the dice convey the whims of the gods.

When it comes to voices

you can probably tell how important one of my NPCs is by how hard I lean into the voice.

Josh Flaccavento's ideal table

My table is experimental, free-form, and welcoming. Bold and collaborative players fit well. The vibes are 90s-weird.

Featured Prompts

I love it when a player

leans into failure or makes non-optimal choices for the sake of the story.

I think min/maxing...

is for video games.

My table is not the place for...

Nazis. We're all human beings trying to tell stories; if you have some irrational prejudice against queer or trans folks, or some race/ethnic group, GTFO.