Nerdarchist Dave

he/him

5.0

(14)

Timezone

America/new York

Language

English

Identity

DMs Guild Writer

Streamer

Podcaster

Published Writer

Game Designer

About Nerdarchist Dave

I’ve had the privilege of rolling dice and telling stories with people from all over the world, and I love sharing the hobby with friends, both new and old. For more than ten years, I’ve shared that passion as co-founder of Nerdarchy, where we’ve published over 10,000 articles and videos celebrating D&D and the wider TTRPG hobby on our website and YouTube channel. As a designer and writer, I’ve been fortunate to contribute to projects for MCDM, play on Infinite Black Dice in Vast Grimm, and co-create Mage Forge and Out of the Box Encounters for 5th Edition through Nerdarchy. I’m also the co-creator of the Zoo Mafia TTRPG Quick Start Rules, featuring the narrative-driven D666 System—our own mix of cinematic storytelling and mob-animal noir. I’ve had the honor of running games as a Dungeon Master for D&D in a Castle and co-founding the all-star creator collaboration Save or Dice. My love for gaming began at a young age—it provided me with a creative refuge and lifelong friendships. Today, I still call myself a “funny-shaped dice enthusiast,” and I believe role-playing games aren’t just about fantasy—they’re about connection, creativity, and stories worth rolling for.

At a glance

4 years on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Creativity, Rule of Cool, Inclusive

Featured Prompts

I got started GMing...

Because I wanted a creative outlet that I could explore with friends.

The three words my players would use to describe me are...

Creative, Worldbuilder, and Collaborative!

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

I'm playing games or creating content for Nerdarchy.

How Nerdarchist Dave runs games

My overall style as a GM is collaborative. I see my role as helping players bring their characters’ stories to life. I like to mix up my games with a variety of encounters and scenes—exploration, social interaction, and combat—ranging from highly tactical to cinematic, depending on the tone and system we’re using. Sometimes the balance of these elements evolves within the same campaign, while other times it’s shaped during Session 0, when we decide together what kind of story we want to tell. I’m comfortable running a wide range of genres and play styles, including horror, dungeon and hex crawls, fantasy from low to high magic, modern settings, superheroes, sci-fi, and mysteries. Above all, I love worldbuilding—crafting unique, living worlds that invite my players to explore, interact, and make their mark.

Nerdarchist Dave's ideal table

I bring a laid-back, collaborative vibe to every game I run. I’m here to help you tell the story you want to tell—and I love when players take initiative and dive in to make the world their own. The stranger your ideas, the better. Let’s get weird and make something unforgettable.

Featured Prompts

I love it when a player

Does the unexpected and tries to do things that can't be found on a character sheet.

My perfect party mix is

Whatever characters the players want to play. It's my job to present problems and challenges, not to dictate how the players overcome those problems and challenges.