Richard Tongue

he/him

5.0

(6)

Timezone

Europe/london

Identity

Published Writer

Game Designer

About Richard Tongue

I’ve been a DM for thirty years; ever since the beginning I’ve always seemed to end up behind the screen, but that’s what I prefer in any case. Many years ago, I was involved in the prehistory of the OSR movement running a fanzine called OD&DITIES, one of the first online zines to cover old-school D&D; for the last twelve years, I’ve made my living as a full-time science-fiction and fantasy author, and part-time community activist. Typically, I usually seem to gravitate towards some sort of D&D, and I’ve played every edition at least once in my day, but I’ve also had a lot of fun with WHRPG, Traveller, Call of Cthulhu, Star Trek Adventures and a host of other games, but my primary game is still Dungeons and Dragons - in any edition! I run a completely inclusive campaign, usually at a ‘PG-rating’ level, and tend far more towards ‘noblebright’ than ‘grimdark’. The whole purpose of the game is for everyone to have a good time, and that’s what I always shoot for. My focus tends to be heaviest towards character and story, and I love seeing how a campaign progresses and evolves over time; for me, that's a big part of the fun!

At a glance

4 years on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Creativity, Knows the Rules, Rule of Cool

Featured Prompts

I became a GM because

I love telling stories; it's what I do for a living, and I love the process of weaving together epic sagas and stories with my players.

I got started GMing...

A long, long time ago, but I actually enjoy the process immensely, building the campaign and the world, getting into the depths of the NPCs and constructing a narrative for the players to explore.

How Richard Tongue runs games

I'm strongly role-play focused; I believe that where gaming is at its best is where DM and Players build the story between them. Even if it might start at the same place, no campaign is ever alike; the players are what make the difference. Whenever I run a published module, I always tear it to pieces, add and remove to give it a personal and unique touch, largely based on the nature of the player characters. Usually, I blend multiple modules together, layering on some of my own material to mesh them up; I love running some of the great classic modules, Keep on the Borderlands, Village of Hommlet, In Search of the Unknown. I run a completely inclusive game, which I would hope goes without saying. I believe that at the core of everything, this is about having a good time, and that's always my main focus as a DM.

Featured Prompts

My games focus on...

Roleplay and storytelling first and foremost; these are the aspects that make RPGs truly special and unique.

Rules are...

Rules are there to serve and support the campaign, not shackles to which we should be chained.

Richard Tongue's ideal table

I like players who are engaged with their characters, with the story, with the setting, who are there to have fun and to help everyone else have fun also. Those who want to help create and shape the campaign as it grows, weaving themselves into the narrative.