About me

Greetings Adventurers! This is not my story; it is our story. Your character and their backstory matter, and you will never be put on rails. That said, I'd like to share a little bit about me so you can get a sense for what to expect. I'm Courtland, a seasoned Dungeon Master that has run multiple campaigns spanning multiple years, as well as one shots and shorter campaigns. I even started my own company, talltavern.com, that aims to make every TTRPG adventure better via an AI assistant for the table. Due to my day job, I've interviewed a lot of players and GMs to deeply understand what makes an exceptional RPG experience, so of course I aim to create that sort of experience for you! I love creating immersive worlds full of intrigue, suspense, and heart-pounding action. My specialty lies in cultivating unforgettable journeys where magic, intrigue, and ancient mysteries are as much a part of the atmosphere as the air you breathe. My favorite settings are Eberron and Darksun, but truly, I love them all! As your Dungeon Master, I value inclusivity and respect. I welcome players of all skill levels and backgrounds. Whether you're an experienced veteran or new to the thrilling world of D&D, I aim to provide a safe and engaging environment where everyone's voice matters and contributes to the collective story. Every type of player has something unique to bring to the table, and my most important job as DM is to facilitate people contributing to the collective experience in the ways that they love. My adventures are not just about combat encounters and dungeon delving - although there will be plenty of those - but about involving each player at the table to create a grand narrative together. Your choices, actions, and the alliances you make will have tangible impacts on the world and its denizens. I strive to create a living, breathing world that evolves with your journey, one where your triumphs, failures, friendships, and enmities are deeply embedded in its fabric. I focus heavily on character development, breathing life into every NPC you meet - from the humblest tavern keeper to the mightiest king. They each come with their own unique strengths, flaws, desires, and fears, just like real people. And they remember their interactions with you, evolving their behavior based on your previous encounters. Moreover, I specialize in handling complex, morally ambiguous situations, challenging you to delve deeper into your characters' beliefs and motivations. Be ready for heart-wrenching decisions, tense diplomatic encounters, and the consequences that follow. If you're looking for an adventure where your actions matter, where you can make lasting friendships, confront fearsome foes, and leave a lasting legacy in a vividly detailed world, then look no further. Together, let's roll some dice, tell some epic stories, and make memories that will last a lifetime.

GM style

While I enjoy setting up unique and challenging combat encounters, and exploration full of narrative texture, I love roleplay most of all. To me, the best moments are the moments players are roleplaying directly with each other, so I strive to create both the gameplay environment and in game opportunities to facilitate that. I do voice NPCs and monsters, use music, use custom maps with dynamic lighting, do custom character and monster art, use homebrew items tailored to the player characters, and keep track of the state of the world as it is built. I think that most GMs underutilize non-combat related character abilities, so I strive to make skills, languages, and tool proficiencies so valuable in a campaign as to cause even the most min-max oriented power-gamers to pause and consider non-combat advancement options for their character. I provide game transcripts and summaries for all players so folks are left with a permanent artefact to immortalize their campaign. Last but not least, I paint miniatures, so if you have a model you'd like painted, I can do a commissioned paintjob for you.

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