Mark
he/him
5.0
(27)
Timezone
Identity
About Mark
You bring the characters. I'll bring the world. Together, we'll make it ours. I run living worlds where your choices matter. Bring me your character. I'll give you a world worth exploring—and then we'll discover together what happens when you start changing it. My games are story-rich, player-driven, and built around meaningful choices. NPCs remember what you've done. Decisions have consequences. Character backgrounds become part of the campaign. Stories develop in directions neither the players nor I necessarily expected when we started. With nearly 600 games hosted on StartPlaying and decades of tabletop RPG experience, I've guided adventurers through everything from sprawling campaigns to deadly one-night adventures. I welcome seasoned veterans and first-time players alike. I love sandbox campaigns, dangerous old-school adventures, mysteries, horror, exploration, and the occasional glorious dungeon crawl. My gaming library spans Dungeons & Dragons, Dungeon Crawl Classics, Mutant Crawl Classics, Call of Cthulhu, Traveller, Top Secret, Shadowdark, Dolmenwood, Mörk Borg, CY_BORG, Pirate Borg, and plenty more. But the system isn't the most important part. The players are. You bring the characters. I'll bring the world. Then we make it ours.
At a glance
3 years on StartPlaying
589 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Knows the Rules, Storytelling
$30 per session
Top Game Master
One of StartPlaying's top-rated GMs, a player favorite and highly recommended.
Featured Prompts
My 3 systems I'd bring to a desert island would be
TL:DR Anything that can run PostApoc/Fantasy/SciFi/Horror Dungeon/Mutant Crawl Classics, D&D & Traveller... The 1st is OSR fun (able to cross genres) The 2nd is prolific and versatile (have run Fantasy/SciFi/Spy) and the 3rd is character creation game is a game in and of itself!
My favorite system of all Time is
TL:DR Haven't met an RPG I don't like. Dungeons & Dragons since it energized the revolution of RPGs...now we can play in a multiverse of systems, genres and styles.
When I'm not running games I'm...
Traveling, hiking with my dogs, skiing, reading and generally enjoying my life...though I do miss the action packed universe I used to live in... So now let's create our own action packed adventures together!
How Mark runs games
Your choices. Your characters. Your story. My games belong to the players. I'll give you mysteries, villains, factions, dangerous places, strange discoveries, and threads you can pull—but you decide which ones matter. Follow the adventure as written. Ignore it completely. Befriend the NPC I expected you to fight. Start a war I didn't anticipate. Decide that some obscure clue from six sessions ago is suddenly the most important thing in the world. I'll adapt. I run living, evolving campaigns where player choices become part of the world and character stories become part of the larger adventure. I enjoy tactical combat, exploration, roleplay, mysteries, horror, and old-fashioned dungeon crawling. I'll adjust the balance to suit the people at the table. Rules matter. They give us a shared framework and make success meaningful. But I believe creativity deserves a fair hearing, and clever thinking should be rewarded. I prepare thoroughly, but I never confuse preparation with a script. Expect memorable NPCs, challenging encounters, meaningful choices, unexpected consequences, occasional terrible accents, and plenty of laughter. And yes, I'll keep doing the voices as long as you're enjoying them. The adventure is ours. The decisions are yours.
Featured Prompts
My games focus on...
the players having fun discovering their universe and carving their destiny. The stage is set for your story to start...let's do it!
Rules are...
the framework upon which we create amazing tales!
When it comes to voices
let's laugh together at my voices...I'll keep doing the voices as long as you enjoy them. Accents are optional.
Mark's ideal table
A welcoming table, a dangerous world, and a story worth remembering. Whether you're rolling dice for the first time or have been adventuring since the days of THAC0, there's a place for you at my table. I believe the best campaigns combine freedom, challenge, cooperation, and a little unpredictability. You can expect: Player agency: Your decisions influence the story and the world around you. Meaningful consequences: Success matters because failure is possible. Character-driven storytelling: Your background, ambitions, relationships, and choices help shape the campaign. A fair and consistent GM: Rules are applied thoughtfully, with an emphasis on fairness and keeping the game moving. A welcoming atmosphere: New players are encouraged, experienced players are challenged, and everyone deserves time in the spotlight. Adventure and humor: Serious stories don't mean we can't laugh along the way. I don't promise your character will survive. I do promise they'll have the opportunity to become memorable.
Featured Prompts
If you're into ___, you're going to love my table
Living worlds, meaningful choices, memorable characters, dangerous adventures, unexpected twists, and a healthy dose of laughter. If you love stories shaped by your decisions, where clever thinking matters and the world remembers what you've done, you're going to love my table.
I love it when a player
...surprises me. When they think beyond the character sheet, make a bold choice, befriend an unexpected enemy, or take the story somewhere I never imagined. That's when the world comes alive, and we're no longer just playing an adventure—we're creating one together.
My perfect party mix is
The perfect party isn't about having the perfect combination of classes. It's about the people playing them. Give me a group of players who are curious, engaged, willing to cooperate, and excited about discovering what happens next. Play the character you want to play!
Mark's Preferences
Systems
Game Mechanics
Game style
Theater of the Mind
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Play By Post
West Marches
Sandbox / Open World