Brandon

he/they

5.0

(14)

Timezone

America/new York

Language

English

Identity

Streamer

Podcaster

LGBTQ+

Neurodivergent

Published Writer

Game Designer

About Brandon

I'm a long-time roleplayer and GM. I love running games and taking players through exciting story-driven adventures with cool moments and fun action while weaving in impactful moments for their characters. I'm a game designer by day and have worked on properties like Star Wars, Marvel, and Lord of the Rings, but I also love building new worlds to explore. I have written for RPG books for games like Star Wars, Genesys, Arkham Horror: The Roleplaying Game, the Power Rangers Roleplaying Game, and the Transformers Roleplaying Game. I play a lot of different RPGs and I'm always looking to try more. I'd love to share some adventures with you!

At a glance

2 years on StartPlaying

160 games hosted

Highly rated for: Creativity, Rule of Cool, Teacher

Featured Prompts

I got started GMing...

As a kid I always liked the idea of telling stories for my friends, so when I discovered TTRPGs it didn't take me long to try GMing. The first game I ran was a homebrew campaign for the board game/RPG hybrid Battlestations, followed soon after by a CODA system Star Trek campaign.

My favorite system of all Time is

...Fireborn. It has its problems for sure, but I love it all the same. I hope someday to do a 2nd edition of the game as a passion project, even if FFG would never greenlight it. T_T

How Brandon runs games

I like to build exciting narratives and follow where the players want to go. Uncertain alliances, secrets and mysteries, and a dose of danger are all on the table. I like to keep things moving at a good pace, but the players are always my top priority. I like to use rules to add drama and tension, but I'm not a strict adherent to the system and often follow "rule of cool" to make the best experience for players. I love to weave PC backgrounds into the story to add personal investment. I like serious stakes but plenty of room for lighthearted jokes and brightly-colored adventures. Striking the right tone for players is important, but if you're looking for grimdark I'm probably not your guy. I also use safety devices to make sure we aren't going to go anywhere the players don't want to go.

Featured Prompts

I deal with rules issues by...

...unpacking rules text if I can do so quickly, or making a snap ruling and checking later if not. I like to get the rules right if possible, and I have written enough rulebooks myself that I can usually interpret the right call quickly, but I don't want to eat up too much session time doing so.

I once ran a session...

...at Origins (well, I ran lots of sessions at Origins) during which a player who showed up to the game VERY drunk threw dried squid at everyone before being dragged out by security.

Rules are...

...there to define the nature of play and facilitate exciting moments. The rules tell you what the game's about. They also give you tools to create exciting challenges for the players to overcome. But when they get in the way of fun, they can and should be moved aside.

Brandon's ideal table

I love tables where players are engaged in the stories or their characters and, especially, the other players' characters, and like to be active participants in defining the story (and the game's world) through action and conversation. I operate best at tables where everyone wants to have a good narrative experience but don't take everything TOO seriously.

Featured Prompts

I am for a vibe that's...

...casual and fun, dedicated to telling a good story but not too serious. If we can be excited about big plot and character moments while also cracking in-jokes regularly, something has gone very right.

I think it's a red flag when players...

...bring characters to a game who (in-character) regularly try to leave the party or avoid the main story. You don't need to stay on the railroad, so to speak, but if your character wouldn't be motivated to be part of the story the game is telling, you've brought the wrong character!

My table is not the place for...

...evil characters. Evil characters (and campaigns) have their place, but ultimately I just don't enjoy running games for them. Morally gray characters are great, though.