Thom the Tabletop Guy

he/him

Timezone

America/los Angeles

About Thom the Tabletop Guy

Howdy! I'm Thom! I'm a podcaster, a trained improviser, an actor, and a Tabletop Roleplaying Game enthusiast with over a decade of GMing experience, and many more years on top of that as a player. I'm also one of the principal cast (and occasional GM) of the podcast Green Mountain Mysteries. I've been a storyteller since I knew how to speak, and passionate tabletop gamer since not long after that. It has provided me with a unique creative outlet for collaborative, improvisational storytelling, and I'm eager to share that outlet with others. My goal is to create a positive, collaborative space that is open for people of all identities to feel encouraged to explore telling stories together. I offer a variety of TTRPGs, and tailor my games to my players. I also offer safety materials for use during play, and encourage open communication to ensure the best and safest experience possible.

At a glance

2 years on StartPlaying

How Thom the Tabletop Guy runs games

My GMing style is very improvisational and flexible. I keep notes of story beats I expect to hit, of directions we could go, of NPCs who are relevant, and then I let my players pick the roadmap. No matter where they go, I can make sure the story ends up in their path without railroading them towards it. In homebrewed games, I like to have my players involved in the worldbuilding, using tools like Decuma and James D'Amato's Utimate Guide to Worldbuilding. This allows players to get more invested in the world, the story, and to feel like their input matters. I also like to do voices. I get very into character for my NPCs, liking to try to give everyone a distinctive voice, cadence, and even mannerisms. I also tend to lean into The Rule of Cool, allowing Rules as Written to play second to what would be narratively satisfying and what will make the game flow smoothly. That said, I don't entirely abandon the Rules as Written, they DO exist for a reason.