Stephen Q

he/him

5.0

(2)

Timezone

America/phoenix

Language

English

About Stephen Q

Hi there! I'm a long-time DM and player, with experience in multiple TTRPG systems over the years. I typically run D&D 5e (both 2014 and 2024 versions), and have been running games professionally at a local game store for the last year or so, where I've been running episodic (Westmarch-style) sessions. In the past, I've also run much longer, story/arc focused campaigns; my longest campaign was around 3 years total. My games are typically narrative and player-focused, with intelligent bad guys and combat being appropriately dangerous. I've never had a TPK so far, but there's been a few close calls! I do voices, and am well-practiced with online play. I run my online games with a mixture of Discord (voice/video, game notes and chat) and FoundryVTT (virtual tabletop space, battlemaps, automations/effects and player/NPC management).

At a glance

1 year on StartPlaying

30 games hosted

Highly rated for: Teacher, Voices, Knows the Rules

Featured Prompts

My favorite system of all Time is

Mutants and Masterminds 2nd edition, followed closely by the system-trilogy of Adventure!, Aberrant, and Aeon (Trinity).

How Stephen Q runs games

I view running TTRPG games as a shared improvisational story-telling experience. I am the storyteller and world-building, creating the setting and characters (NPCs) you'll interact with as players. As DM, I am also the decision-maker and rules arbiter. I enjoy both roleplay and combat, leaning a bit more towards RP. I do enjoy doing character voices, and cinematic style for visual descriptions. To balance time for players and myself, I tend to do more roleplay/exploration sessions, and reserve big combat scenes for a dedicated session. In practice, it's usually 1-3 roleplay/exploration sessions, with setup towards a big combat scene. Combats are often tactical, with terrain challenges, usually with multiple win conditions.