Alex
any/all
5.0
(16)
Timezone
Identity
About Alex
I'm a Canadian cat-dad with over 20 years of TTRPG experience. I've been running games since school days, and thinking about them for as long as I can remember. I genuinely spend most of my days working on or running games, because it's what I love. Here's what some of my players have to say about me: "one of the best GMs I’ve ever had. Maybe the best." ~ Kat "a brilliant, eccentric wizard", "unstoppable madman" ~ Kriss "The guy is devious." ~ ImprovBuck "A genuine and dramatic Dm." ~ Sean My goal is to run custom campaigns you'll fondly remember for the rest of your life. Send me a DM if you have a crazy idea.
At a glance
1 year on StartPlaying
126 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, World Builder, Storytelling
$20 per session
Top Game Master
One of StartPlaying's top-rated GMs, a player favorite and highly recommended.
Featured Prompts
I got started GMing...
in high school, where I would skip classes to run games for my friends with my home-made RPG system out in the grass.
The three words my players would use to describe me are...
"Adaptable, collaborative, and enthusiastic."
When I'm not running games I'm...
probably working on preparing for the next one, if I'm not tending the garden or the cats. This is what I do.
How Alex runs games
My games are pretty varied - I'll run horror, sci-fi, classic fantasy, modern, urban fantasy, whatever takes my fancy at the time. There's a few throughlines consistent to them all: 🌐 Exceptional Worldbuilding 📍 Custom Maps, pretty much every session - and Hundreds more created prior to draw from 🎁 Emphasis on player choices, and player-driven storylines ⚔️ Exciting, deliberate encounters with custom creations and refreshing mechanics 🥸 Memorable, well-rounded NPCs that genuinely feel like they exist in their world - fully voiced with all my best efforts (You might even catch me sing) 🎲🪙🃏 Countless tools and tricks used to improve immersion based on over 15,000 hours on Roll20 I love making custom material, especially designing with a campaign world in mind. I have about as much experience writing TTRPG content as I do running and playing; so, modifying mechanics to fit a game, character, or setting is just second nature to me. There's also the simple tokens and art I create - I have over a thousand saved and make more every day for Handouts, Map Icons, Magic Items, Monsters, NPC's, and more. There's a few things I avoid when running: - I do not enjoy running modules, as much as I enjoy playing in them from time to time - I'm averse to running games in established settings, or IPs - I much prefer translation and homage - I never use AI in any of my prep, and I'm iffy on Players even using them for their portraits - I will put in as much extra work as I must to keep my games genuine and human
Featured Prompts
My favorite trope is...
fish out of water. There's nothing quite like being a stranger in a strange land to spark the flame of adventure. Leaves so much more to be discovered if you start out knowing very little about where you are.
My games focus on...
emulating a certain experience or theme. I'll often make custom mechanics, house rules, or even complete system overhauls to create the kinds of games my groups and I are looking for.
Alex's ideal table
My tables should enjoy content and themes from a variety of genres, and be driven to explore and discover on their own without too much hand-holding. I'm more than happy to run games for new players, and have lots of experience in teaching, but I have far more to offer gamers who've been around for a while and feel like they've seen it all. I run a wide mixture of role-play, combat, and exploration (emphasis on exploration) and I tend to tailor my games to the group. In fact, if there's a very particular game scenario that you've always wanted to play but worried it might not even be possible, I'd be excited to find out. It would not be the first time I've created a custom campaign based on an urge to resonate with a particular story, theme, or setting. My players should be easy-going, eager to engage with the other players and the world, and willing to take setbacks as the story notes they are intended to be. Even better if we can keep surprising each-other in game. I'm here to have fun and share that joy with others, so anyone who comes to the table with that in mind is going to have a good time.
Featured Prompts
I am for a vibe that's...
easy-going and excitable. I tend to reflect the energy of the table a bit, so when my players are having a good time and getting excited, so am I.
I love it when a player
Gives me an excuse to make something new. Either by surprising me with their actions, adding something to the story, or makes a special request for an item or scene.
Alex's Preferences
Systems
Game Mechanics