Robert Cox

he/him

5.0

(9)

Timezone

Europe/london

Language

English

Identity

Game Designer

About Robert Cox

Hi all I’m Rob - full time game master, founder of The Games Initiative and general all round gaming nerd. I’ve been fascinated with games and gaming in it’s various guises all of my life, and I feel immensely excited that I now have the opportunity to organise and run the games that I love as a career. I have been fascinated with the fantasy genre ever since my mother first read me the Lord of the Rings as a young child. I grew up devouring any fantasy/sci-fi series I could get my hands on, and found a natural home in collecting miniatures and war gaming. I often wonder why it took me so long to play tabletop roleplaying games. In fact it was only thanks to a chance click on the top twitch stream while I was browsing one day, that introduced me to Dungeons and Dragons. From then on I was hooked, and you could say I’m now making up for lost time… I have over ten years of experience planning and running various tabletop roleplaying games, and a lifetime of being a board and video game enthusiast. I also follow many traditional sports and esports; mostly in the few quiet minutes when I’m not trying to keep up with my two sons. My games focus on you the player. With each session designed around whichever aspects of RPGs that gets you excited, be that tactical combat and crunch, deep character focussed roleplaying, or anything in-between. I prioritise giving players the comfort and agency to make impactful decisions that drive the story. While I have some systems I'm most comfortable with, I am perfectly happy to learn new ones if there is a more niche system that you would like to enjoy. Now come join me, roll some initiative and get your next epic campaign on the road!

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Knows the Rules

Featured Prompts

My favorite books are

Number one is the Stormlight Archive series (just outrageously good, and with one of my favourite heroes in Kaladin Stormblessed), number two is the Wheel of Time series (perhaps it is to do with the age that I got into this, around 14, but I was hooked and it's still one of my all time favs!

People are always surprised when I tell them

That I used to work as a ski-instructor (Whistler 2010/11) - I had such a blast, but hurt my knee at the end of the season so had to head back to the UK for surgery unfortunately!

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

Going to a local cross-fit style gym and running around trying to keep up with my two boys (aged 4 and 1)!

How Robert Cox runs games

I enjoy running long-term campaigns that allow me to weave character backstory into the plot. I'm always playing the long-game, dropping in subtle hints for things that will pay off for the players down the road. But on a session to session basis I enjoy all the pillars of play (combat, exploration and roleplay) and I love to reward players for creative thinking/ideas. I make all my rolls publicly (with some minor exceptions) and enjoy coming up with creative encounters for my players to tackle. NPCs will be coming with voices - that's half the fun right?

Featured Prompts

I deal with rules issues by...

If it's a quick check then looking it up, but mostly I will make a ruling on the specific situation and then check back when the session has finished so as not to hold up the game if possible.

My games focus on...

Everyone around the table having a great time. That is always the prime focus. Aside from that I like games that are centred around players and the choices that they make. While I may have an overall plan, I never prep more than one session in advance as player choices will always make it obsolete!

When it comes to voices

I like to have fun and not take myself too seriously - if that means hamming up a snarky goblin then I will always jump in with both feet! Different voices help me to get into character for the various NPCs and so I love coming up with funky accents/mannerisms to make them unique and memorable

Robert Cox's ideal table

My table is one where I try my best to create space for each character to shine, but this also relies on the players as well. My dream players are those that understand how to share the spotlight around and be cheerleaders for their fellow party members. Those moments where the party is working together and supporting each other through tough challenges are always the best moments in TTRPGs - that's the juice for me. In terms of atmosphere I am pretty relaxed, but I do try to have everyone remain in character as much as possible to help build immersion in the world and story being told.

Featured Prompts

I love it when a player

Takes an interest either in a small detail that I have thrown out, or even better, when they start asking their fellow players questions that dig into other players decisions/actions/backstory. That helps to bond together both the players and their characters in a way that is just magic for me!

I think min/maxing...

Can be a huge part of the fun for certain players and I'm totally into that! I do always reserve the right to step in to nerf a certain class/build combo if I feel like it is becoming a detriment to the enjoyment of the other players. However in ten years I can only remember having to do that once.

My perfect party mix is

A mixed experience table. When running my own home games for years I always tried to invite at least one complete newcomer to each new campaign as I love seeing both their first experiencing RPGs, but also they will attempt new things that always keep both me and the other players on their toes