Travis

n/a

5.0

(6)

Timezone

America/los Angeles

Language

English

About Travis

Hey! I have been playing since Autumn of ’07; however, I have been a GM since Spring of ’12. I grew up playing with three grognards whose creative influence shaped my style. I cut my teeth on crunchy games like PF1, D&D 3.5, and GURPS, but my style has evolved toward systems that successfully balance complexity with accessibility, like 5e and PF2.

At a glance

4 years on StartPlaying

53 games hosted

Highly rated for: Storytelling, Creativity, Knows the Rules

$20 per session

Featured Prompts

I became a GM because

My friend was diagnosed with ALS, and I wanted multiple DMs in our group.

My favorite system of all Time is

It is PF2. It is mathematically stable and tactical.

My favorite shows/movies are

Breaking Bad, Django: Unchained, Dune: Part Two, Aliens, Hazbin Hotel, K-Pop: Demon Hunters, Children of Men, Sea Beast, Lord of the Rings, Underwater, The Meg, Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Amongst Thieves, Indiana Jones: Last Crusade, Warcraft, Godzilla: Minus One, Castle in the Sky, TWD (S1-S3)

How Travis runs games

My GM style is freeing for players. I research adventures and settings, but they guide the campaign’s direction. Tangents and getting lost are some of my favorite parts of RPGs. I am not afraid to discard weeks of work if a player-driven path excites the group. Encounter design matters to me: I aim for intense but engaging challenges. Combat is rarely boring. Roleplaying is the heart of the experience, and when players want to focus on storytelling over action, I’m happy to oblige. My approach leans toward organic, freeform play, not rigid structures like 33/33/33.

Featured Prompts

My games focus on...

Internally consistent plots, settings, and reactivity. I build narratives and plots for my players to explore based on the decisions they made throughout the campaign. The best and worst part of my games are the consequences of my players' decisions. The story evolves, it is never solved.

I prep by

Thinking about my world before sessions. After I have it worked out in my head, I write out what the next steps of the story should be so I have a landscape for my players to play around in. It gives them a lot of freedom, while also giving me security knowing that content is prepped anywhere!

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

Hayao Miyazaki - He has a passion for pre- and post-WW1 in his movies, so I tend to assume that element in my own games. Denis Villeneuve - I put politics (in world, not our world) into my games for the players to chew on. George Lucas - Think Indiana Jones: Temple of Doom, noir opening scene.

Travis's ideal table

I enjoy players who are happy to embrace the world as it is; those who play by its rules and adapt naturally. Players who like to shake things up just a bit to see what happens are also welcome, though I’m not interested in those who do so purely because it’s an easy or flashy option. While my campaigns tend to be more serious, there’s always room for humor and fun; after all, it’s a game!