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Pine

he/him

4.8

(5)

Timezone

America/new York

Language

English

Identity

Queer
Teacher/Educator

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

Less than a year on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Creativity, Rule of Cool, Teacher

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.

Pine's Preferences

Systems

Dungeons & Dragons 5e
Dungeons & Dragons 3/3.5e
Dungeons & Dragons 4e
Eclipse Phase
The Dresden Files RPG
Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition

Game style

Roleplay Heavy

Combat Heavy

Dungeon Crawl

Puzzle / Mystery Focused

Pine's games