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Sam Richardson

Sam Richardson (he/him)

5.0

(21)

Podcaster

1 year on StartPlaying

60 games hosted

Highly rated for: Storytelling, Creativity, Inclusive

About me

Hi, I'm Sam! I'm a GM and player who's been enjoying tabletop games since being introduced to them in middle school. I've been running games for players both old and new since 2015, and have completed several multi-year campaigns, as well as a string of shorter games. I am the current GM of "Pest Control", an actual-play Monster of the Week show that has been running since 2022, produced in collaboration with the AltHaven TTRPG network, and I have been a regular performer on several other shows including "Hijinks & Handlebars" (Kids on Bikes, 2018-2020), and "$2 Creature Feature" (2021/2022). I have experience running D&D 5e, Monster of the Week, Beam Saber, Kids on Bikes, Kids on Brooms, Monsterhearts, Icarus, Alice is Missing, The Ground Itself, Blades in the Dark, The Quiet Year, Dungeon World, Good Society, and more.

GM Style

My passions are for creating player-driven, role-playing-forward games with a strong narrative backing where everyone can feel comfortable at the table. I love to introduce new people to the wonderful world of tabletop games!

Game platforms used
Game Master Reviews (21)

Proficiencies

Players say this GM is great at:

Storytelling

Creativity

Inclusive

Joshua avatar

Joshua

Played 29 sessions

Fantastic story teller and world builder. I've loved every session! Combat is right on the edge of what your characters are capable of! Gives everyone a chance to shine and have their moment. If there's an opening you gotta jump in, you'll have a blast!

Katie avatar

Katie

Played 29 sessions

Sam is a master of lush and vivid settings, colorful and distinct characters, and terrifying (but in a fun way!) creatures. His enthusiasm and kindness were evident from the first moments of our session zero. He expertly balances the enjoyment of all players at the table alongside the enforcement of game mechanics & consequences of player actions. He has also gone above and beyond to provide the players with written recaps/notes between sessions of our campaign. Highly recommend!

Erika avatar

Erika

Played 29 sessions

I played with Sam as our GM for over 3 years. I had never played D&D before. Sam was very patient and allowed me the space to explore the game as well as my character/party as we went along. He was very good at managing/balancing a table of 7 players who all came with very different expectations.

Itoh avatar

Itoh

Played 27 sessions

Sam is a really excellent GM, I've only had a few sessions with him so far but each and every one has been a total blast! He's been very professional, communicative, and friendly. He's always happy to give players tons of creativity and I can't wait for the next session!

Kieran avatar

Kieran

Played 21 sessions

Sam is an excellent GM. He's great at encouraging players to lean into their characters, and does an excellent job guiding new players through the mechanics of a game and how they may manifest in gameplay - both at session 0 and during gameplay sessions. He understands these mechanics well enough to improvise in an enjoyable way when players throw unexpected or inconvenient reactions at him. Sam is great at incorporating player choices into the wider narrative, and helps this along by creating real feeling NPCs which tie into a character's history, even when they may only appear for one scene. He knows how to use evocative language to set an interesting scene or lend a sense of urgency to a session. I'd highly recommend Sam as a GM to anybody looking to play a game where they have a chance to explore interesting social dynamics, investigate a subtle mystery or have a combat which actually feels interesting and dangerous. Regardless of your level of experience with RPGs, Sam can make your experience an enjoyable one!

Tristan Ash avatar

Tristan Ash

Played 20 sessions

Sam is a master of collaborative storytelling. He includes his players in all the aspects of shaping a story, and it's so much fun to be a part of.

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