Paul Kalargiros

he/him

5.0

(10)

Timezone

America/los Angeles

Language

English

Identity

Educator

Game Designer

No Gen AI

About Paul Kalargiros

I still remember walking into my first game store in 1984. I bought the complete Battletech collection and the rest was history. From redbox D&D, to Ad&d, to 2nd ed and on, Ive been a gamer since water was wet. When people talk about being a forever DM, let's just say i get it. Kidding aside. I never thought I'd ever try my hand at running professionally; however, a spinal injury brought a 25-year bartending career to a close. So here I am, taking my passion for writing fun stories, and fleshing out homebrew worlds and bringing them to you. So join me and let us build an adventure together, epic tales to keep you dreaming sweetly of the next session to come.

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Beginner Friendly, Knows the Rules, Rule of Cool

$20 per session

Average response time: Under 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

Featured Prompts

I ran my first game...

I ran my first game of D&D when I was 10 years old, circa 1986. Yeah, Stranger Things hit me different.

How Paul Kalargiros runs games

Almost all content I run is original homebrew/handmade. I carefully try to hand craft every element of the experience. I like to incorporate my writing and the narrative into my handmade battle maps, and I like to draw player stories into the fabric of the world around them. I also like tactically significant combat, and crunchy encounters. I do my best to balance tension and ambiance. You can also expect the ability to peel back mysteries of the world like the layers of an onion, with always more to explore and discover just below the surface. I have lots of experience and love to help players struggling to understand mechanics, or meaningful choices. That said I enjoy the Rule of Cool, and if it can impact the game in a positive way without stepping on the rules as intended, I'm all for it. We're all here to have fun above all.

Featured Prompts

I prep by

I try to create all original worlds, settings, and maps. Expect big epics, with big stakes.

My favorite trope is...

High Fantasy. I want an epic tale where the presence of the party is impactful and influences the world around them.

Paul Kalargiros's ideal table

If I had to pick 4 tropes for players at my table, I think Id start with the Lore junkie. And where would any table be without the Note Taker with an ironclad memory, without them I'd never remember the bartender's name from a town 13 sessions ago. And let's never forget the ever-present Min-Maxxer, without them that overturned encounter I didn't balance well could have spelled the end. And finally, the drama student/aficionado, this person is REALLY into their character, but somehow it helps rub off on the rest of us!

Featured Prompts

I am for a vibe that's...

I like dark fantasy, tense horror, and mystery solving. That said, I'm fairly laid back. I see the Rule of Cool as a fun narrative tool, or sometimes a way to save time on rules disputes. Rule discrepancies are best settled after session IMO.

If you're into ___, you're going to love my table

incremental world building, and influencing the course of events in the world around you

I think min/maxing...

For many forever DMs like me, character creation and exploring build ideas is often the closest we get to playing. Needless to say, I get it when you are min-maxxing your character. It's part of the numbers game of D&D. I can't tell you how many times Ive seen that player save the day from a TPK.