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Dave

he/him

5.0

(26)

Timezone

America/los Angeles

Language

English

Identity

Teacher/Educator

About Dave

Wow, what an interesting journey I've been on when it comes to running games on Start Playing. I joined up when it first started, and it's amazing to see how it's grown. I'm a school teacher by day and have no problems teaching people the game systems I run. I started playing Advanced Dungeons and Dragons in the 70's when I was around 10 and fell in love with it. I really got more into RPGs in my later teen years and started to gamemaster for my friends for all kinds of systems. As time went by, I was sanctioned through FASA when they were in business. Shadowrun always has a place in my heart. I was approved to write for Decipher when they controlled "The Lord of the Rings" RPG, but never was published. I've also play tested for Ars Magica in the past. As a gamemaster, I feel that games are driven by players. They are the stars of the game and I give them challenging obstacles to overcome. My over all style is that where I present the game to the players and let them solve the conflict. I also want players to have fun! It is a game after all, and it should be enjoyable. I let the group decide if they want more roleplaying, more combat, or puzzles. I like them all, I try to stay flexible. I'm also a school teacher by day. I am use to helping people learn, and have taught people different systems in the past. I love introducing people to new games and I have no problems walking you through tutorials before you play the game! I've ran games meant for young teens, to families, to a mature audience. I like to think of my rating around "PG-13" when it comes to content.

At a glance

5 years on StartPlaying

373 games hosted

Highly rated for: Teacher, Creativity, Knows the Rules

Featured Prompts

I became a GM because

I love to create worlds that are interactive for players. I guess to some degree I'm an author at heart and I have a lot of stories that I love to see told through games.

I got started GMing...

I really got in the art of GMing in my college years, though I did it in high school as well. I'm old enough to remember when 1st edition D&D came out. I owned the red box for those that remember. I gravitated more towards sci fi oriented worlds due to my love of the genre.

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

A busy school teacher and family man.

How Dave runs games

My style is more about world immersion. I want the players to feel that they can sense where they are at. If I'm running Shadowrun, I want them to feel as if they can sense the neon lights hitting their skin. If they are playing Call of Cthulu, I want them to feel the suspense as if they were reading a Lovecraft story. I tend to stay away from high end tactical combat situations though I do view combat as the icing on the cake to games. Roleplay is encouraged! I prefer descriptions of events and locations on my end. I'm not a "rules lawyer", but I realize that it is a game and that the majority of rules should be followed. Any house rules will get discussed in advanced, and if a rule changes it will be based upon mutual agreement.

Dave's Preferences

Systems

Dungeons & Dragons 5e
Call of Cthulhu
Shadowrun
Deadlands
Cyberpunk 2020
The Lord of the Rings™ Roleplaying 5e

Social

Dave's games