Stu

he/him

5.0

(10)

Timezone

Australia/perth

Language

English

About Stu

👋 Hi, I’m Stu. 👋 For over 20 years, I’ve run 1,000+ cinematic, player centric games as a professional GM running D&D, Daggerheart, Pathfinder, Blades in the Dark and countless indie systems. I am excited to join StartPlaying and start playing even more games with you! 🎥 FUN, CINEMATIC AND PLAYER DRIVEN🎥 I have a professional background as a creative, which coupled with my experience in improv comedy means my games are immersive, cinematic and respond to your decisions guaranteeing unforgettable moments centered around your characters. I love to entertain, and run games that lean Rule of Cool + fun/comedic vs. Rules as Written + dark/serious. 🎭😆THE EXPERIENCE😆🎭 🎨 My games uses sourced art, curated music, rich description and my improvisation skills to give you a rich and tailored experience. 💥 No rulebooks are required on your end, I will help you get set up with a character and teach seamlessly as we play. 📡 I've also tested the technology we'll use to play extensively before launching to ensure it fades in to the background so you can focus on enjoying the game vs. doing tech support! Here are some quotes from my past (and current) players: 🥷 "Playing with Stuart is basically agreeing to become emotionally attached to imaginary people, make wildly questionable decisions, He creates a world that feels alive, reacts to our choices and somehow makes even our most ridiculous plans feel normal. The sessions are immersive, funny, tense and occasionally devastating in the best way. Stuart is a brilliant storyteller, a generous GM and very good at making you care far too much about fictional characters." 🧙‍♀️ "Stuart is an incredible DM! As a first-time player, I couldn't have asked for a better introduction to the game. He sets a fantastic atmosphere, delivers compelling and easy-to-follow stories, and creates a safe space where collaborative storytelling thrives. 10/10 experience. I can't wait to play again!" 🕵️‍♂️ "Stu is an excellent DM, who manages to weave structured storytelling with responsive improvisation. He takes his craft seriously, bringing a level of fidelity and immersion to the world, story and character beats through visuals, music, vibes and excellent narration. Highly recommended for coherent, narrative-forward, immersive games where you want a DM that's just as much about the world as they are the mechanics." 👨‍🚀"Creative, empathetic and deeply engaging - Stu is one of the best GMs I've had! He is a wonderful storyteller, great at crafting and presenting imaginative worlds and characters. What I enjoy the most is that he puts players' choices at the center of narrative-building. It makes playing at his table such a fun collaborative creative process that I enjoy deeply!" 👊 WELCOMING & INCLUSIVE 👊 I strive to ensure a welcoming and warm environment for everyone, regardless of background or experience level. I can't wait to tell a story together with you! $10 Off Referral Link For Your First Game! https://startplaying.games/referral/cmr7aj24q00mhk304lxb098xs 🧌🧟🥷🧙‍♀️🧜‍♂️👨‍🚀🕵️‍♂️🦹‍♀️🛸🏯⛵️

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

1 games hosted

Highly rated for: Storytelling, Creativity, Beginner Friendly

$20 per session

Featured Prompts

I started running games because...

I love the experience of creating a story together with others, reacting to their creative choices, energy, imagination and ideas. As a creative (both in my professional life as well as in my hobbies), nothing gives me the same high as collaborative story telling and improvisation.

When I'm not running games I'm...

probably playing them (either TTRPGs, board or video games). Failing that I'm either drinking coffee with a great book, cooking (huge foodie over here), travelling somewhere or feeding my love for over the top adventure (snowboarding or kite surfing).

How Stu runs games

👋I made a video: https://youtu.be/qQcOj1xbkQk 🎥 ☄️Cinematic, Set Piece Combat: Combat at my table is fast, dynamic and packed with high stakes choices, interesting challenges and opportunities for creative tactics. 💎❤️‍🔥 Player-Led Narratives: Bring your wild ideas, unexpected solutions and creative, risky decisions, and let's discover what happens next together. The rules and dice are a tool to help us create the drama, and I do all the prep work - but your characters are the spotlight and we want their choices to drive our story. 🤹‍♀️🐧Warmth and Laughter: the best characters have flaws that make them human. Sometimes the most memorable event in a game is when we roll a nat one, or a great above table joke. The rule of cool is only superceded by the rule of having fun! 🫸🫷Welcoming and Supportive: we all are here to have fun together, and that means ensuring a supporting and welcoming environment for everyone - sharing the spotlight, helping eachother with rules, and being kind.

Featured Prompts

I deal with rules issues by...

Making a quick call (with the players agreement) and keeping the game moving. If significant, I'll make a note to check it post game for the future and also ret-con any major issues.

If my games were Movies they'd be directed by...

- Taika Waititi (What We Do in the Shadows, Thor Ragnarok) - Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Baby Driver, Scott Pilgrim - Christopher Miller/Phil Lord (Project Hail Mary, In To The Spiderverse)

Rules are...

how we figure out what happens next...in a way that makes the story and game more exciting and interesting!

Stu's ideal table

💪👊My ideal table is a relaxed, inclusive space where players lift each other up and share the spotlight. If you love leaning into character quirks, rewarding creative teamplay, and laughing through thrilling close calls, you’ll fit right in. Beginners and indie-system newcomers are always fully supported and welcome! 💻⚙️From a technical angle I think carefully about what technology suits the game we're playing. I have extensively tested multiple VTTs over the years and change my set up based on what we're playing to ensure the experience is intuitive for players with no past experience, supports the game best, and can fade in to the background as we play so we can focus on the story happening at the table. 📸 👋I GM with my webcam live to add to simulate the experience of playing around a table, and my players have told me it is more entertaining that way. I encourage my players to do the same as it makes the game more fun and immersive for everyone, but it's not required.

Featured Prompts

I am for a vibe that's...

fun, welcoming, creatively rich and "yes, and..!"

I love it when a player

My players also love to surprise me with their decisions and I love to surprise them by giving them more than they expect in return and sometimes taking the adventure in a whole new direction!