Matthew J Walsh

he/him

5.0

(15)

Timezone

America/chicago

Language

English

Identity

Artist

Voice Actor

Game Designer

About Matthew J Walsh

Hello! I’m Matthew, and I have been a professional DM for 3 years, hosting game nights at local game stores, weaving long term campaigns, and even running Dungeons and Dragons events for kids. I began playing D&D in 2017, which soon turned into recording content and later working alongside creators such as Beholder to No One and Awfully Queer Heroes. In 2022, I became very active at my local game store where I began hosting public D&D nights every week. In 2023, I became involved in a Dungeons & Dragons for Kids program and I had the wonderful opportunity to be a Game Master for children ages 11-16. I’ve since been building my online game running skills with complex maps, unique tokens, and dynamic combat. I have found a new love for running games where I can meet new players and see fresh and veteran players come out of their shells and find camaraderie in a story told together. The best Game Master feeling is always when you present your players a difficult choice with two solutions, and they throw all your plans out the window and make a third choice you never thought of yourself. I love it every time.

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

10 games hosted

Highly rated for: Inclusive, Storytelling, Creativity

Featured Prompts

I got started GMing...

When I convinced a group of friends to play, and word spread until it came time for my first game. ELEVEN people showed up. I helped each player create a character, ran that game and SOMEHOW made it out on the other side. I realized if I could handle that, and still love it, I’d always love it.

People are always surprised when I tell them

I’ve had the fantastic opportunity to run D&D and ttrpg courses for kids. I’ve done D&D Campaigns, hosted ‘How to DM’ courses, and even visited schools to help run games for afternoon D&D clubs. I always found kids to be some of the most creative and inventive players at my tables.

How Matthew J Walsh runs games

I am the type of GM who will turn to you and decide in game lore on the spot with you. Nothing is set in stone until we say it at the table, whatever my plans may be. I love to look at what my players are interested in, what their characters have been through, and interweave that with the world they are in. I am a big fan of roleplay, and I’m a big believer that a session of suspenseful and dynamic combat should be just as much fun as the party deciding to all go to brunch. I love to pay attention to what clicks with players, and build a world and story together. That includes big moments, with choices that matter and leave lasting consequences, and little moments, like asking a player what’s going through a character's head or how they may be feeling.

Featured Prompts

I once ran a session...

For a group of kids where I gave each player an index card and asked for a Setting, a Monster, a magic item, and something random. It might not have made a lot of sense, but I’ll never forget the excitement on those players' faces when they fought Freddy Fazbear on Mars with puppy filled miniguns.

I prep by

Knowing the skeleton of my story. I know my checkpoints. I know the rooms of the house, but how those rooms connect, and how the players choices will shape the next room, I always leave flexible. I know my NPCs. I know my setting. But I never marry myself to an idea. Anything planned can be changed.

My games focus on...

Roleplay, story, and the characters. Of course games can vary, but I am always thinking of the experience of my players. My games give my players choices that aren’t always easy. My games make you think about your character's actions, their thoughts, and even what emotions they may be feeling.

Matthew J Walsh's ideal table

The players that fit well at my table are story tellers. The players that fit well at my table aren’t afraid to have fun, look a little silly, or try something new. The general vibe of my table is one where you feel like the work you’ve put into your character is seen and built upon. Where players feel seen and heard. The vibe is fun and exciting and suspenseful. It's a table of mutual respect. It's a table that works through complex emotions and helps players untangle their feelings in healthy ways. It’s a table that cheers together and freaks out together, and you feel that camaraderie every session.

Featured Prompts

If you're into ___, you're going to love my table

If you’re into your character, you’re going to love my table. If you’re into complex stories and fun NPCs, if you love to make character playlists, if you think about your games long after they’re over, you’re going to love my table.

I love it when a player

Not only roleplays to create moments for their character, but roleplays and facilitates moments for other players at the table. I love when players lift each other up. No one is the single protagonist. No one is the ‘lone-wolf’. They’re a party who are there to lift each other up.

I think min/maxing...

Is unnecessary. I wouldn’t judge anyone for min/maxing, it's fun to feel strong, but my favorite characters are ones who have weaknesses. When a character has a flaw, it not only makes the character more interesting, but it allows other characters to complement each other's strengths and weaknesses.