Rob

he/him

5.0

(6)

Timezone

America/chicago

Language

English

Identity

Neurodivergent

About Rob

I have been playing TTRPGs for over 30 years, starting with D&D in the 80s and branching out to many systems since. Over the years I have focused primarily on fantasy rules, but also have not-insignificant time in sci-fi, cyberpunk, and modern horror. My GMing experience extends almost as long as my playing experience, as I was writing and running games almost as soon as I understood the rules, whether for friends or just for myself in solo play. In the past few years I have found myself being drawn more and more to my roots, and have very much come to enjoy the OSR community, and I'm familiar with many of the modern OSR games, as well as various classic editions of D&D itself. One of my prized possessions is a fifth-printing version of the White Box, including Tolkien references, along with supplements 1 through 5, all in excellent condition. It's great to reflect on all the ways the game has changed since 1974, and how many wonderful ways there are to enjoy different play experiences within it.

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: World Builder, Knows the Rules, Creativity

Featured Prompts

I became a GM because

I felt like I had a story to tell. I became a *better* GM when I realized that higher quality games happen when the GM's not telling a story, but building a world in which the players can tell their own story.

My favorite system of all Time is

For nostalgia's sake, I'd have to go with BECMI, or in particular Mentzer's Basic D&D set from 1983. It was the first rulebook I had and what I learned to play with, and is still one of the best simple distillations of fantasy roleplaying.

How Rob runs games

I'm a very free-form and improvisational DM. I love being surprised by my players, and feel like my games roll best when I set my players up in a situation that calls for creative problem solving and let them apply their imagination to it, then just react to whatever they decide to do within the framework of the rules and the world that I have created. I enjoy open-world, sandbox campaigns rather than carefully crafted story arcs that end up subtly but distinctly rail-roading characters. My games tend to vacillate between old-school and trad in flavor, though I never forget that we're all working together to have fun, tell a story, and escape from our world into one of fantasy and wonder. I believe in making combat deadly, the world dangerous, and encouraging non-violent solutions to problems wherever possible. I firmly believe that if an encounter reverts to dice rolling you have probably made a mistake -- why let fate potentially screw you if you can avoid it? I'm delighted by surprise, and to me GMing feels best when it feels like jazz: just a group of people riffing together to do something nifty. My table is run mostly theater-of-the-mind. I don't like getting bogged down in battle maps if I can help it, though sometimes a quick sketch can be useful to illustrate a complex scenario. I'd rather have combat be quick, brutal, and decisive than a drawn-out tactical quagmire. Combat should be an occasional, dramatic punctuation in the game, not the reason you play.

Featured Prompts

I deal with rules issues by...

trying to resolve them quickly at the table, but if the disagreement is a larger one, I'll apply an immediate resolution so things can move on. Then, after the game, I'll have a deeper discussion to try to resolve the issue for the future, and follow up with the entire group on the outcome.

My games focus on...

normal people exploring and interacting with the world. I prefer sandbox games that let the players choose their direction and fully exercise the freedom that the TTRPG format allows.

When it comes to voices

use them if it makes you happy. Don't if it doesn't. It's not a make-or-break thing for me either way, do whatever maximizes your own fun and immersion. Just don't be annoying.

Rob's ideal table

Anyone is welcome at my table as long as they're all willing to buy in to our consensual fantasy and play well with others. I'm neither a super-serious "in-character only" GM, nor am I a cut-up; I acknowledge that yes, we're here to play a game and we should stay focused on it, but we're also here to have fun and it's fine to joke around a little bit if it's not disruptive. I encourage my players to be creative and think their way through problems rather than relying on dice rolls. My "perfect session" is one in which no dice were rolled, because the players, through their own wit, kept control of every situation and thus kept themselves safe. This rarely happens. 😆 LGBTQ+ friendly. Neurodiverse friendly. All are welcome.

Featured Prompts

I love it when a player

applies out-of-the-box thinking to solve a challenging problem in a creative and unexpected way. I always give the benefit of the doubt to innovative solutions that surprise and delight me. I also love it when players make room for other players to shine. Share the spotlight and we all benefit.

I think metagaming...

is unavoidable at times, simply due to human fallibility, but should be minimized as much as possible. Try to maintain a barrier between character knowledge and players knowledge, but don't beat yourself up about it if you slip. If it seems egregious, I'll speak up about it.