About me

My focus on StartPlayingGames is to take my most beloved 5e campaigns of the past 6 years and offer them to new players to experience and collaboratively create heroic stories and unforgettable memories. Running epic campaigns and one-shots has been my passion for decades, and the collaborative storytelling aspect of TTRPGs makes this my favorite pastime. And while I am new to StartPlayingGames, over the past decade I have game mastered 24 games on Roll20 including ongoing campaigns that each took 16 months of weekly play to conclude. Here is my profile over there: https://app.roll20.net/users/1291605/tom-toynton

GM Style

Not every GM and table is the right fit for every player, which is simply part of the beautiful diversity in human beings. When choosing a game make sure that the play experience is what you are looking for and enjoy. Here is what you can expect at my tables: STATEMENT OF HONESTY I want every person at my table to enjoy the experience as much as I do, which only happens when playstyles are matched correctly. So what follows are my GMing focuses, weaknesses, and strengths with as much accuracy as I can present them through the written word. FOCUSES Tactical Combat: I love diving into the strategy and thrill of combat. Expect at least one exciting encounter in 9 out of 10 sessions, each designed to challenge and engage you. Some encounters can be avoided through stealth, magic, and great roleplaying, and most encounters support a variety of tactical approaches. And if you and other players make mistakes or the dice roll heavily against you, character death is a real possibility. Rich Story Development: Whether uncovering ancient secrets, navigating political intrigue, or investigating the machinations of the BBEG, the story will evolve with every session. While role-play opportunities will abound for those who enjoy them, the time conversing will usually be limited. There are a few exceptions to this focus, such as political intrigue that requires extended interaction time, and huge boss battles that can take more than 2 hours. Character Development: Your characters are the heart of our game. I work hard to integrate backstories and relationships with NPCs into the plot, encouraging rich character development and personal investment in the campaign. Detailed Worlds: Explore established worlds created by dozens of writers and enhanced by me over many years of play. Immerse yourself in existing lore mixed with new places and people specific to the current campaign. Most of my games take place in the Forgotten Realms, and I use detailed Trello boards to keep track of all the information necessary for each campaign. WEAKNESSES Choppy Rhetoric: I stuttered as a child and have worked hard to overcome most of those issues. My primary tactic for not stuttering when words I want don't come to mind is to pause and quietly think. That results in slightly longer-than-normal pauses while I search for the words to convey what I am thinking, or to look at reference material. Limited Voices: While I have a growing repertoire of character voices I can do, there are only a few reliable ones. I am still working on getting more proficient and comfortable with some accents and variations of speech, as well as how to note a voice so that I can easily reproduce it the next time a particular NPC appears in the story. Often, my accents devolve towards one of the ones I am most comfortable with (Russian and Scottish being the top two). Variable Health: While usually quite healthy and dedicated to running game sessions consistently every week, I am in my 21st year of battling a rare form of bone cancer (Chordoma) that can require special treatments, travel to Boston or Houston, and degrade my health for short periods. However, it is rare for me to cancel a game session due to this. It has only happened once in the past 2 years. STRENGTHS Storytelling: I've been a storyteller my whole life and I love crafting a good tale. The only thing better is when a captivating story emerges from the collaborative efforts of a group of enthusiastic players. My flexible game mastering style encourages several levels of player contribution to the narrative, from detailed character backstories to opportunities for in-game world-building. Improvisation: My years of experience as a game master for multiple systems, worlds, and stories, combined with a vivid and active imagination, make it easy for me to pivot and provide content when players miss the turn at Albuquerque. I have grown to enjoy this aspect of game mastering, and often add interesting content to an adventure on the fly. Rules Knowledge: I don't know all the rules off the top of my head, but I know most of them and can quickly check a rule when needed. I also appreciate knowledgeable players who help me keep them straight during play, like reminding me when a concentration check needs to be rolled. This helps keep the game consistent. TABLE EXPERIENCE Etiquette: The first and most important rule is to Respect and Support other players. The second rule is to smile, laugh, and Have Fun. The third rule is to Keep it Clean—profanity should be limited and reflect the fantasy world we play in, such as “Blood and Ashes” and “By the Dark Gods” in Faerun. Rules vs. Player Agency: Most of the time following the rules as written or intended makes knowing what you can do and how to resolve actions easier, but creativity is also part of the fun. If there is something cool and interesting you want to try in a given situation that isn't covered by the rules, I’ll encourage and support it even if the chance of success is low. Beyond that, rules might be added to specific games that support particular narratives. Visual Aids: I enhance the game with vivid images of environments and NPCs, and use detailed, gridded maps for tactical combat. Music: I use Roll20's built-in Jukebox to play immersive music, setting the mood for most scenes, from atmospheric exploration to intense combat. Technologies Used: Discord for voice communication; Roll20 for maps and game information; DnD Beyond for Character Creation and rolling dice to Roll20 through the Beyond20 browser plugin; Google Docs & Google Sheets for session 0 prep & shared character information in long campaigns. I have pro-level accounts so you don’t have to pay for anything but your seat at the table.

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