Adam
he/him
5.0
(5)
Timezone
Language
Identity
About Adam
Hi there! I'm Adam, I'm an illustrator and comic artist, and I've been GMing TTRPGs for over 10 years. When I'm not working with my partner Trout on our graphic novel, I'm constantly dreaming up adventures I want to run and worlds in which to run them! Getting to create custom art for my players is one of my favorite parts of being a GM, and that will absolutely carry forward into my campaigns here on StartPlaying! I have years of experience running DnD 5e, and I've run dozens of sessions of Cypher System, as well. I'm also extremely excited to start running games using the Wild Words system! I'm honestly really open to branching out and seeing what else I've been missing. If you're interested in seeing some of my previous work in the space, check out Brine & Blight, a Cypher campaign I ran a few years back, on YouTube! IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: As a matter of principle, none of my campaigns will ever make any use whatsoever of generative AI. I'm an artist and a creative, and I am categorically opposed to AI.
At a glance
Less than a year on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: Storytelling, World Builder, Inclusive
Featured Prompts
I got started GMing...
Over 10 years ago, because I was the one in my friend group who was willing to take the plunge. I'm so glad I did, though! Crafting fun encounters, voicing unique NPCs, and giving my players every opportunity to succeed (or fail) spectacularly are some of my absolute favorite things to do!
People are always surprised when I tell them
I have a degree in Medieval Studies and Classics. Reading and writing Latin doesn't come up all that often in my daily life, but you can bet it pays dividends when I need an ancient inscription to put on the crumbling walls of a haunted ruin!
When I'm not running games I'm...
Making art! I'm an illustrator and comic artist, and my partner and I are currently working on a graphic novel called "Walk On, Weetrill". I love making art for my TTRPG campaigns, as well, and I'll frequently make custom assets for my games!
How Adam runs games
My games run the gamut in terms of genre. I've run high-medieval fantasy steeped in political intrigue as well as neon-drenched sci-fi about merfolk revolutionaries. But at my core, I'm just in it for the thrill of group storytelling, getting to react to and celebrate the unexpected ideas, twists and triumphs my players throw at me! I'm very narrative-forward and love to work with my players to help their characters shine and feel like a part of a living world. Of course, I'm also a huge fan of systems, so I'm always tinkering with things like customizable strongholds, rules for full-scale naval battles, homebrew weapons and features, etc.
Featured Prompts
I once ran a session...
Where the PCs raided the seafloor labyrinth of a minotaur-lich, thwarted the ambitions of a villainous pirate captain, and staged a daring escape via submarine.
My favorite trope is...
The random NPC the party decides to adopt. It's never who I expect it will be, but their voice is always *specific*.
When it comes to voices
Yes. (No pressure for my players, of course, but I'm definitely doing them!)
Adam's ideal table
My table is a roleplay-forward, collaborative space, where everyone finds moments to help each other shine. My settings tend to be lore-rich, but in the "there are deep secrets to uncover" sense, and not in the "you need to memorize this 20-page document" sense. I aim for an energy that leans into the emotions of a given scene, but leaves room for a good joke. Players who lean into the cinematic, enjoy describing what their characters do both in and out of combat, and want to have fun building the world with me will thrive at my table!
Featured Prompts
I am for a vibe that's...
Creative and collaborative! My best GMing experiences involved the players taking the narrative reins sometimes, volleying the story back at me. We're building the world and the adventure together, so I'm at my happiest when I can feel that the whole table is engaged.
I love it when a player
Comes up with an idea that I never could have prepped for! The solutions that players come up with at the table are, in my experience, always more creative and fun than what I could have directly planned for, even/especially if things go wrong!
I think min/maxing...
Can be fun, provided it isn't done in pursuit of "winning" the game and it doesn't come at the expense of the narrative. Finding mechanical synergies or mapping out in-depth multiclass combinations is a good time! But I'm far more interested in who your character is than how much damage they can do.
Adam's Preferences
Game Mechanics