Pine
he/him
4.8
(5)
Timezone
Language
Identity
About Pine
I first picked up D&D 3.5 in 2004, along with a copy of “Dungeons and Dragons For Dummies,” and immediately became a DM. Since then, I have learned a variety of TTRPG systems, including D&D 4e, 5e 2014, Vampire: the Masquerade, Call of Cthulhu, the Cosmere RPG the Dresden Files RPG, Traveller, GURPS, and Eclipse Phase. I primarily specialize in D&D 2024. I enjoy my time both in front of and behind the DM screen. In my professional life, I am a perioperative nurse, scrubbing cases in the field of general surgery and robotics. Previously, I have worked in primary and secondary education. I am also a summer camp professional with more than 25 years of experience singing songs, telling stories, and giving young people a break from their “real lives.” Kind of like TTRPGs do. My wife and I recently (2025) celebrated ten years of marriage, and we have two small children.
At a glance
1 year on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: Creativity, Rule of Cool, Beginner Friendly
$20 per session
Featured Prompts
I got started GMing...
...as many do, because no one else was around to run the game. I picked up the books, taught myself to DM, and started cold-calling friends and acquaintances. That first game, with a map on graph paper and no real plan, got me utterly hooked. It's been more than two decades.
People are always surprised when I tell them
I grew up at summer camp. Not going to camp - living there. My parents moved into the caretakers' house of a summer camp in 1984, and never left. Forty+ years later, our entire family is part of the year-round leadership of helping young people escape the hustle and bustle of modern living.
When I'm not running games I'm...
Playing with my two small children. Watching movies with my wife. Spending time at summer camp. Working in the OR at the hospital. Reading a book. Playing a strategy game.
How Pine runs games
I enjoy variety, and I hope my players do too. I prefer to include a healthy mix of roleplay and combat, weaving narrative and adventure together. I particularly like creating a difficult situation, trying to solve it myself, then either closing or leaving open those solutions, depending on the cleverness of the opponent. Smart foes make for memorable games. My strengths include narrative, improvisation, and tactics. I believe in flexibility and honoring player choices.
Featured Prompts
My favorite trope is...
...the reformed villain and the fallen hero. Yeah, I picked two, but they're mirrors. They're classics for a reason. It's the same reason for the "devil and angel on your shoulder" trope. We each have darkness and light within us - these tropes let us explore these facets in a safe way.
Rules are...
...guidelines at best. DnD (and other TTRPGs) is an exercise in collaborative storytelling. If something serves the story, it has a place at my table. We'll figure it out together.
When it comes to voices
...I do my best. I'm not a professional voice actor. I try to inject as much drama, humor, and passion into my characters as I can. That doesn't always mean a funny accent - sometimes it's better to just imbue a character with anger, fatigue, sadness, sarcasm, jealousy, or other strong emotion.
Pine's ideal table
My table works best with engaged, motivated players who show up with a plan. That kind of energy is infectious, and some of my most memorable moments at the table involve mutual improvisation, resulting in character moments that no one saw coming - yet make perfect sense. Conversely, I also love working with new players, who are still figuring out their own style.
Featured Prompts
I love it when a player
...takes the initiative to create story. When I can act as facilitator to them telling their own tales, and I can make their imagination come to life.
I think it's a red flag when players...
...don't know what their characters can do. I've prepared for you, players should do the same. Read your abilities, make a plan, put it in action. Have a couple of contingencies for when things inevitably go awry. This of course does not apply to new players. You're here to learn, and that's okay!
I think metagaming...
...is part of human nature. I also don't think it's something that is innate to the game experience. We kind of do this in real life all the time. We consider all angles, put things into meta-context, and compulsively organize and analyze. That's metagaming life. It's inevitable at the table.
Pine's Preferences
Systems
Game Mechanics