Michael Stanford

he/him

5.0

(6)

Timezone

America/chicago

Language

English

Identity

Neurodivergent

Teacher/Educator

Game Designer

About Michael Stanford

Looking for consistent players for cool adventures. I'm a stay at home dad and former software developer who loves cooperative play. I'm a just-serious-enough GM. I do lots of voices and I'm a stickler for dice rolls. If you're looking for low drama, irreverent roleplay, and having a good time, you'll fit in at my table.

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Teacher

Featured Prompts

My favorite books are

Audiobooks. I'm weirdly averse to reading fiction. It's a problem I can't overcome. However, I can read *nonfiction* just fine, so most of the books I read are about architecture, psychology, or philosophy. I'm not a smart guy, I just like to know how stuff works I guess.

My favorite system of all Time is

Dungeons and Dragons 4e, though Pathfinder 2e is a very close second. I think D&D4e was way ahead of its time, and in the age of the VTT it would have dominated. It's easy to pick up, easy to play, and the rules are very straightforward. It also focuses on the combat grid better than other systems

People are always surprised when I tell them

I grew up on a traveling carnival. From the age of 4 to about 16, my family traveled with a carnival. I got to explore a lot of small towns and cool nature spots up and down the central timezone with my brother.

How Michael Stanford runs games

I'm equally skilled at telling a serious story in a goofy way, and telling a goofy story in a serious way. Either way, I don't take myself too seriously. The game, though, I take pretty seriously. I'm a stickler for the story that dice can tell. I will root for your characters to succeed. I will cheer when they die. Both are great stories, and that's what I'm here to do. I want to take part in the telling of YOUR story. I use a lot of vignettes and narrative storytelling techniques to make the game feel alive for your character. The campaign is a blueprint. A backbone. A lighthouse we can point at to guide us back to a path. But ultimately, the road we're on is yours.

Featured Prompts

I deal with rules issues by...

I'm a stickler for the story that can be told with the dice, so if the rule involves dice I'll stick to it as closely as possible. If a player can justify an action, they can try it. If we can't find a ruling quickly, I'll make a choice that often depends on what's going on the situation.

I prep by

I'm a big believer in nouns, so I'll list out all the "things" I read in a broad overview. Then I'll write a little bit about each of those nouns. Once I understand the "things", the people around them and the interactions are easier to understand and map out.

My games focus on...

Players. I know the story of the campaign. I *don't* know what the players are going to do. The players story is the most interesting to me because I get to discover it along the way. So I focus on the players and help them feel comfortable and empowered to tell their characters' stories.

Michael Stanford's ideal table

If you can cheer for everyone else at the table, you'll probably have a good time at mine. I like people who don't take themselves too seriously. If you're looking for a fun escape from real life by making stuff up and smashing fantasy monsters, you're in the right place. You don't have to know all the rules. Let's do silly voices together. We're building a cathedral together. Bring a couple bricks.

Featured Prompts

I am for a vibe that's...

Party. My vibe is "we are cool adults playing pretend, let's be goofy and have fun". The tone of the game can't always be gritty. It'll be serious most of the time, but outside of the game we should all be having fun and realize that we're pals hangin' out.

I think min/maxing...

I think min/maxing is great. I don't mind it. As a GM, I do my best not to kill the players. When a player min/maxes, I feel a little less bad about the monsters getting in some lucky hits. I'll take any excuse to take off the gloves :)

My table is not the place for...

Selfish players. I want to tell the story of *the party*. There will be plenty of individual storylines, but ultimately my table isn't the place for players who want to hog the spotlight. Let's all be friends and root for each other and make sure everyone has fun.