Other Dave

he/him

5.0

(1)

Timezone

America/new York

Identity

Veteran

Artist

About Other Dave

The thing I love doing most in life (aside from that one other thing) is running games. From High Fantasy Dungeon Crawls to Political Trade Disputes in Far-Away Space, I've been a fan of playing - and running - rpgs since I bought my first game back in the 80's. I enjoy running goofy one-shots (Scooby Fhtagn!, anyone?), and moody, personal horror, and just about everything in between. When I was podcasting (Dice for Brains & Not Another Tavern), our focus was on bringing new people to the gaming table, and creating inclusive environments where everyone can have fun and tell great stories together; so I'd like to continue down that path.

At a glance

4 years on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Voices, Creativity, Storytelling

Featured Prompts

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

Reading, Writing, and avoiding Arithmetic. I watch way too much Columbo, and YouTube, and Dropout. I spend a lot of time worldbuilding - either for games I hope to run some day or for stories I hope to write. It's a great excuse to do neither, though, and I recognize that.

My favorite books are

You kind of HAVE to say Tolkien, don't you? It's the only series I've reread multiple times, though I have recently started in on my second read of King's The Dark Tower. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was a formative trilogy [sic] for me, as were William Gibson and Neal Stephenson.

My 3 systems I'd bring to a desert island would be

Vampire: the Masquerade, Genesys, d6

How Other Dave runs games

I'm a storyteller and worldbuilder at heart. My style lends itself well to immersive roleplay and collaborative storytelling, but I love mixing in challenging tactical combat when it serves the moment. I try to tailor each game to the group - whether you're here to dive into character arcs, unravel mysteries, or kick the door in and face what's behind it. I aim to keep the pace moving and players engaged, giving everyone their moment(s) to shine. I'll use voices, vivid descriptions, and atmosphere to bring NPCs and settings to life, but I'm not going to win any acting awards. I'm here to make sure you're having a blast. I believe in playing to the group's strengths, improvising when needed, and embracing creative problem solving. In the end, my goal is simple: to help you tell a story worth remembering, and to make sure everyone walks away excited for the next session.

Featured Prompts

Rules are...

Guidelines mostly. They tell us where to go and show us how to get there, and we try to stay in between the lines, but sometimes what we want just doesn't match up to what the game developer wanted. So we go "off book" and explore what's out there, but we always come back to the path laid out for us

I deal with rules issues by...

Making a ruling then and there. We don't refer to the rules at the table. If I'm wrong, we'll discuss it after the game, and make adjustments accordingly. We'll know how the rule works and how we're going to work with it (or around it) in the future, but in the moment, we're more interested in story

I once ran a session...

That went completely off the rails when the new guy said, "we're playing evil characters, right?" He then promptly abandoned the rest of the team to be arrested by royal guard, completed the mission on his own, made the kingdom believe he was a hero, and kind of one D&D. It was glorious.

Other Dave's ideal table

I want my table to be welcoming, collaborative, and story-focused. I love bringing new players to the hobby, and I aim to make sure everyone feels included and engaged - whether you're a first-time or a seasoned adventurer. If you enjoy roleplay, interacting with NPCs, solving problems creatively, and finding your own way in the world, you'll fit right in. My hope is that we'll laugh, improvise, embrace the unexpected, and build memorable stories together.

Featured Prompts

I love it when a player

Surprises me (or themselves) with some in-character revelation that neither of us was expecting. I love finding out about your character with you, as your story unfolds.

I think metagaming...

Is okay if I know you're doing it, and you respect the flow of the story and the fun of the other players, and the fact that I'm going to change things up to keep you on your toes. As long as you as a player can distinguish what you know from what your character knows, we're disco.

My table is not the place for...

Hate, Bigotry, or Bullying (in or out of character, honestly). We're here to tell stories and build worlds, not tear each other down. Respect and kindness keep the game fun for everyone.