Icewind Dale

Storm King's Bane - Homebrew Sequel to Storm King's Thunder (Level 15-20)

Tyranny of Dragons Session 80 Level 9

Odyssey of the Dragonlords Session 95 Level 10

A New Generation, A Different Way To Play

Oakenbend Mysteries: A Teatime Adventures Campaign

Rime of the Frost Maiden Ice wind Dale, Monday Night

Barovia and Beyond, the Dark Souls D&D Experience

Waterdeep Dragon Heist

✹Ruin✹ Heavy Roleplay & Challenging Combat 

Kingmaker Pathfinder 2nd, Beginners Welcome

Ravenloft - The Demiplane of Dread

Odyssey of the Dragonlords

🕯️ Call of the Netherdeep | Mystery, Challenge, Heavy Roleplay

FREE 5E GAME! Have you always wanted to be a pirate? Avast ye!

FREE ONE SHOT FOR 5E PLAYERS 

Tyranny of Dragons

StartPlaying is the largest marketplace online connecting TTRPG players with professional Game Masters. You can play any game system on any virtual tabletop here on StartPlaying!

Joining a game on StartPlaying is super easy! Head over to our Games Search page and find a game that works for you! You filter games by day, time, game system, and even by genre! You can also search our Game Masters for a GM for you and your friends - even one near you in Austin, Texas. We even handle the payments for you, through our payment processor, Stripe!

Game Masters on StartPlaying set their own price. The cost for your game will vary depending on the Game Master and the game they are running. We also have a number of Game Masters who run free games!

The term "professional game master" refers to people that run tabletop game events in a formal or organized setting. Professional game masters come in many forms. There are Game Masters that run private sessions. There are some that run public events at conventions or local game stores. We are proud to offer a platform that makes this emerging profession more accessible to a growing community of professional Game Masters and their players.

No group locally in Austin? No problem! You can join a game that has an open seat and meet a whole new group to play your favorite TTRPG.

What if I don’t have a group to play with?

If you have a group ready to go, you can check out our Game Master search and find the perfect Game Master for you! You and your group can choose to pay separately or have one person pay for the entire group.

What if I have a group of friends and want to hire a Dungeon Master?

Every Game Master uses a different set of tools to run their games. Some may want players to use webcams on Zoom with Roll20 as the Virtual Tabletop (VTT). Others just use voice on Discord and Theater of the Mind. Our Game Masters have the flexibility to use whatever Virtual Tabletop they want. Every game listing will have the information on the technology and software needed for playing that specific game.

What kind of technology do I need to play?

This page shows you all the Game Masters who live in Austin, Texas. You can reach out to any of these Game Masters if you want to run an in person game with them.

Currently, all of our games on StartPlaying are online. You can reach out to any of these Austin Game Masters if you have any interest in coordinating an in person game!

Are these just online D&D games or can I play in person with an Austin, Texas Game Master?

D&D Beyond

Discord

Owlbear Rodeo

Roll20

Tableplop

Dungeons & Dragons 5e

Pathfinder 2e

Masks: A New Generation

Teatime Adventures

StartPlaying is the largest platform for finding D&D and other games run by professional Dungeon Masters. Browse Austin Dungeon Masters and find a game!

Austin

At Next-Level D&D, we are a group of professional Dungeon Masters who are dedicated to giving your group an EXCEPTIONAL 5th Edition experience. 

Learn more about our group at  https://nextleveldandd.com and feel free to join our Discord channel here: https://discord.gg/KUEuyhn

Have you ever played in a role-playing game where the painstakingly detailed elements of literary narrative, immersive role-play, highly tactical combat scenarios, and unshakable dedication to quality have been in play session after session?  That's what Next-Level DMs bring to the table each and every week.

This is a full-time job for us, and every day we're putting hours and hours of work into writing compelling story lines, developing engaging NPCs, and crafting extremely challenging combat encounters.  Our commitment is to make your RPG experience worth every penny.

Check us out at nextleveldandd.com/online-play



Next-Level D & D

Ive been playing and Dungeon Mastering D&D campaigns for 10 years- from 3.5 through 5th edition. 

I currently DM a weekly campaign on roll20 and am looking to begin DMing for the D&D community at large. 

My campaigns are typically rooted in the world of Faerun with some homebrew-story elements, as well as additional homebrew class and race options that I've developed and playtested since 5th edition came out.

I DM both one-shots and full campaigns depending on each individual group's wants and/or needs and have had many one-shots organically evolve into full-fledged campaigns as players fall in love with their character's and aren't ready for their stories to end!

My goal as a DM is to make sure everyone at the table is engaged, immersed,  and having fun! My encyclopedic knowledge of 5th edition allows me to create content unique to each group I DM for and although I often pull relevant content from official modules- no two campaigns of mine will ever go down the same way, so you are guaranteed a specialized campaign tailored to each specific group. 

My rates are $20 per person for a 3 hour session, or $30 / hour for any duration longer than 3 hours, to a maximum of 7 hours (unless negotiated ahead of time). I will typically round down if we go over by less than 30 min and will always warn my players that if they plan to continue beyond that 30 min I'll charge them a prorated rate but otherwise we can call it right there at no extra charge.

Andrew Cook

Lawful Stupid RPG is a community of passionate people who love to play D&D and other RPG games. We stream regular on Twitch, as well as run games for our community.

https://www.twitch.tv/lawfulstupidrpg

Lawful Stupid RPG

As a player I have been involved in RPGs since the 70s when D&D first came out, transferred to the Hero/Champions system for over a decade and have played in different systems throughout the years; and am currently using D&D 5e.   

As a GM I have run games with different systems.  Currently I am running two long term D&D 5e games, one has been going on for 5 years, and is coming to its conclusion, and the second for 3 years.  During that time I have run a number of short adventures and one-shots as well.  My goal as a GM is to create a collaborative story with the players.  In these stories, the characters are the protagonist.  I create an overarching outline of the plot based on the backgrounds of the characters and with input from the players.  The flavor of my games is action oriented.  Characters almost always have several options to choose from to advance the story. There are usually side plots available to be pursued as well. 

I am available to run long term campaigns (years); short term adventures (weeks to months); and one-shots scenarios (1 to 3 sessions).

The sessions I run take place in a world recovering from an apocalyptic event.  Civilizations are now recovering but they are isolated and only beginning to expand.  The threats are many and varied, including Dead Zones, where undead are easily created, and Wild Zones, where mutation gives rise to fantastical plants and creatures.  There are many opportunities to rediscover knowledge and treasures lost long ago during and following the apocalypse.


Kade Green

I have been DMing one form of Dungeons and Dragons or another for over 30 years. I have been a professional DM since 2018. Fantasy is my wheelhouse, but I have run dozens of systems (literally), thousands of sessions (also literally), and hundreds of RPG titles (figuratively) in almost every genre ever imagined (hyperbole), so I can meet your needs! 

I run games on Fantasy Grounds Unity and I have a Discord server for client use.

I have an open availability that extends to all days and times, day or night. As long as your desired time doesn't interfere with clients that are already booked, I can make it happen!

Sean Dixon - The Bearded Foe

I like running epic adventures and playing games. I have about twelve years of experience with Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 and 5e. I am pretty system agnostic with a focus on character development and narrative. 

Hi there! I’ve been DMing for a long time! I first started DMing for my dad around the kitchen table. We still game together today :)

I love immersive roleplay, getting into character, and telling stories together. I enjoy building mysteries, crafting strange locations, and designing moments that challenge players in fun and unique ways.

But above all that? I just love playing this game with people who show up, laugh, and have fun week after week.

DM Ethan

Hi! My name is Halen, I've been a DM since 2019 and I'm looking to run some games of high fantasy or sci-fi kick-assery based on the rules and guidelines of 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons. I also have 3 years of theatre experience and over 4,000 hours logged on Roll20, granted there's always room for improvement and reason to learn.

I've played numerous characters as well, ranging from a Christmas gnome artificer hell bent on saving Santa, to a human barbarian who made his money as a living statue street performer. Being an active player myself, I like to think I have a good idea of what players tend to enjoy but this does range from group to group, so please, let's talk about it!

My default game preference is high fantasy, high magic. Subject to experimental firearms/explosives as who doesn't enjoy a good BOOM! 
In my games it isn't DM VS Players, rather a cooperative group storytelling/improv exercise where most things the mind can imagine, can happen, if the dice allow it too. I tend to be enabling with what players can do regarding shenanigans but I rarely pull punches on dice rolls, positive or negative.

If I sound like the kind of DM you are looking for, reach out to me and let's discuss things further. Ideally I want to run games for newer players as I dive deeper into finding my style of game.

Halen

My name is Inocencio , I go by Ino or Soramus. I have over 30 years experience behind the screen. I am 39 years old. I have been a professional DM since August 2019 (when I discovered roll 20) clocking over 5000+ hours on roll20 with 80% being paid games.  I continue to try and know what I am doing and am consistently trying to get better. I have joined Start Playing to expand my experience and to meet and play with new players. I have run almost every module there is and have written homebrew with a lot of tactical battles that really maximize 5e. I have run other systems at all times of the day with a plenty of players over the years and am looking forward to playing new games with new people, if you are new or have a group I specialize in starting a great campaign with a promise to see it through as your DM to to the finish.

Soramus

I am now officially retired from running games on Startplaying! Thank you all!

Kobold DM

Not just another long haired white dude. I bring the heat with acting training, an emphasis on player driven storylines set in rich sandboxes designed around player preference, and an ear for the unusual and novel in storytelling. I am willing to run DnD, Pathfinder, CoC or any indie offerings and alternatives a table has interest in. I also specialize in working sub-games into larger campaigns to enrichen the overall narrative and atmosphere, and larger campaign play to really flesh out your world.

I'm an actor, author, podcaster and creative based out of central Texas with a deep-seated love for all things involving narrative focused TTRPG play. I'm deeply passionate about the indie TTRPG scene and sharing it with players new and old at my tables and with my Actual Play group the Godlings. If you want to see any actual play that I’ve played in, you can check out The Wildsea: Fallen Stars, the official Wildsea AP funded by its Kickstarter and Love & Hate in the Mana Wastes on The Gallant Goblin this year! I'm the creator, co-author and art director of ICHOR-DROWNED, a supplement for the TTRPG Heart: The City Beneath that's been featured repeatedly on Friends at the Table: Sangfielle, and am the co-author on an upcoming Sparked by Resistance game Bloodclotte, a Gothic medical drama. All of that writing can be found at https://sillionl.itch.io/

Sillion L

I've  been playing TTRPGs for the majority of my life and I love introducing people to new systems. And introducing new people to TTRPGs in general. I always use safety tools. My games are tailored for people of marginalized identities, as I myself am a queer woman. 

I believe TTRPGs can be a force for good in this world. I believe using your imagination is important. Make 'em ups aren't just for children. 



Sarah, The High Femme GM

I started playing D&D around 1982 when I was twelve years old. Always thrust into the role of DM, I loved the game for its open sandbox approach with surprises around any corner. 

Ever the geek, the transition to online gaming has bridged the gap with the inability to find people to play in person.

Let's slay some dragons. 

Whit

Hi there! I am a forever DM looking to expand! I have been playing 5e for about 5 years now, and I'd love to spend more hours of my weekend doing just that. Particularly interested in pantheons, patrons, the divine!

primemacyGM

Been playing TTRPG's for 17 years. I am Wanting to put all that skill to work and give people a wonderful experience. I am Queer and Weird. Lets start something amazing!

Harlie

Hi there! 

My name is Xaq (like Zach)
I'm an illustrator and graphic designer by day and when I get a chance to play (or usually DM) some D&D I know it's going to be a good day. 

I was a late-bloomer to TTRPGs, I didn't play my first role playing game until I was in community college but when I did I was IMMEDIATELY HOOKED. I've been playing games, running games, and even working in and around the gaming community for over a decade now and I love getting new people into the game!

As a DM I want to help guide my table through a wild and fun adventure that we all develop together, it's not my story, it's OUR story. I'm not too crunchy with rules, I stick to them when we need to, but I reward creative, outside the bun thinking and ultimately if we're unsure, we let the dice decide.

Happy gaming!


I've been a Professional Game Master since 2018, and I've been running games since 2009, with the majority of my games being in Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition. I specialize in custom settings and stories, and I want to give each player the game experience they're looking for! Let's make some stories together we'll be talking about for years to come. 

Jason

Hello! I am a long time lover of fantasy, immersion, and table top role playing. I have been a Dungeon Master for 3 years and I have successfully ran three full campaigns during that time. I feel I can provide an amazing experience for both new and old players.  I have an encyclopedic memory and a knack for fair judgement. In my life, I have taken both improv and voice acting classes and I bring these skills to each session! I also have a background in graphic design and audio production which I believe significantly helps setting up sessions for online play. 

I would be happy to guide players through an entire campaign or even just a one shot story to get their feet wet. Please don't hesitate to reach out and ask me any questions!

John 

You never know what players are going to do, so rather than preparing for every eventuality let me handle the broad strokes and let's run an awesome session together! DND has been invading my life in the best of ways over the past couple of years, I'm here to stoke the flames of adventure in both new and experienced players alike.

I specialize in running dense and fulfilling sessions for players and their characters. I've been praised for my character driven plot points, dynamic and interesting combat, and fluid game mechanics resulting in unforgettable one-shots and multisession mini campaigns!

I want to make sure everyone in the session has a chance to participate at the level they want to and I am open to peoples from all walks of life. Hit me up and work with me to flesh out something you had in mind, or let's consult to build something right for your group ~

Jakob ~ <3

⚔️ Forge your story, let the dice shape its fate! ⚔️

For the past 5 years, I’ve been diving deep into TTRPGs, and I found my way into DMing when I noticed my love for D&D merged perfectly with my passion for creative writing and world-building.

Straws

Hello and welcome to my profile! My name is Alex and I'm excited to hopefully play with you. Please feel free to join my Discord Channel, WolfTale Games, using this link: https://discord.gg/XwgxRCaNYP

I am a long-time player of games in the video, board, and table-top variety, and am excited to run games for more people. I have been playing D&D since I was a kid, picked up GMing a few years ago, and have recently explored other systems such as Lancer and Avatar: Legends.

I am very inclusive to newbies, queer people, disabled people, etc and will make sure my game meets your needs. 

An added bonus to booking a game with me: you are directly supporting my educational journey! I am currently saving up money to enter a PhD program so that I can become a university professor one day. As a first-generation student, I greatly appreciate your support even if it's as simple as sharing my games. So, thank you for reading my profile and feel free to share!

Alex @WolfTaleGames

Hello, my name is Miles.  I am an archaeologist with a minor in creative writing and folklore.  I love to write and D&D was a natural extension of that.

I have been playing since I was a sophomore in highschool and have DM'ed all but maybe 5 games in almost 10 years.  I would love to have you be a part of one of my games.

Miles Murphy

I've got almost 5 years of experience as both a Dungeon Master and professional writer! Community storytelling is my favorite aspect of the DMing experience and I'm excited to go on all sorts of adventures with whoever is down. I've got a homebrew campaign setting ready to go but am totally down to run pre-written modules as well.

Humberto

My name is Tommy and I love introducing players to new games!

I cut my teeth on 3.5e in 2007, moved to Pathfinder 1e, then headed over to 5e before expanding my gaming consciousness to include Traveller, Fate, and my own, homebrewed, rules super-light game, Kismet. 

Sage Tommy

Hi, I'm Matt! I'm a Storyteller who focuses on World of Darkness games for both my online content and my online games. I've been guiding players into the World of Darkness for over 20 years, and focus on a consenting, respectful, and fully-informed experience of political and personal horror. Pro LGBTQIA+ and inclusive, and I expect the same from my players.

I look forward to creating awesome stories together!

Matt

Hello! My name is Jason Murphy and I'm a GM, novelist, and screenwriter. You can see me on youtube.com/thestrangerous and youtube.com/themodernrogue. I've got experience with writing movies, novels, and television shows, and I want to bring that style of storytelling to our games. 

As a writer, I build games heavily dependent on character interaction. I love crafting epic moments for my players, buttressed by dense narratives, difficult decisions, and worlds that feel alive. 

The 'Rule of Fun' is definitely in place, but the key to any good RPG campaign is balance. The rules are there to keep us on the rails, but as the WotC DMG emphasizes, we'll follow those until they keep us from having fun. :)  I take care to provide players with equal amounts of character interactions, puzzle solving, and combat, all wrapped up in a compelling narrative. 

The relationship between me and the players is *not* adversarial. We're not competing, but playing together.

I enjoy running campaigns with cosmic horror, brutal violence, swashbuckling action, and wry humor. 
My campaigns are fully illustrated with maps, monsters, and other supplemental art and I currently prefer the Roll20/Beyond/Discord trifecta to run my campaigns. 

Let's kill some monsters!

Jason Murphy

Real quick, why do we all play this game? 

What's it about?

I come before you to say that DnD is about family before its about anything else. The bonds of the party, the bonds of the tablemates, the bond of players to the GM and GM to the players, is why we keep coming back and rolling the dice.  When you're at my table, until you stand up, we're family, and we celebrate each other's nat 20s and redeem each others nat 1s. There is no dragon, no bugbear, and no evil empire we cannot defeat together. Take my hand and let me prove it to you. 

I started playing the game because the first boy I ever fell in love with invited me to his homebrew game after homecoming. That was in 2015. I'll never forget my first dragonborn fighter, and settling into a reptilian strength and courage that I had never known before. Over the course of a wonderful evening on the lake, the pair of us (GM'ed by my bestie's older brother) faced the horror of the haunted mansion on the hill, solved its terrible puzzles, and freed the ancestral ghosts of the barony. Call me a theatre kid, but I was hooked. I knew I would roll the dice again.

I want to electrify you. To thrill and delight you with every twist and revelation. I want to tell a story with you, one that you can keep in your pocket and wear like a raincoat when things look bleak. If you see yourself in this passage, or you just like what you see, I hope you come sit at my table. Let's tell a story together, and let's make it one for the ages.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out. I'm right here. <3

Siege B

Hi! I'm Tristan. I foster cats, I read books, I podcast, I have chronic migraines, and I crochet more blankets than can be used by any one person in a hot climate. Oh, and I play/run ttrpgs. It's literally impossible to pick a favorite. There are so many great ones! 

Like a lot of people, I started out in college with Dungeons and Dragons. I was especially captivated by the role-playing aspects and party dynamics. Circumstances conspired against me, and I didn't get to play any ttrpgs again until about 2017. I've been playing steadily ever since, and within the last two years I've gotten really brave and started running a few different games. My favorites are rules-light systems that have a heavy emphasis on character and story.

My games are queer, trans, and disabled person-friendly. (I'm all of those things, so it would be really weird if I wasn't inclusive.) I love collaboration, so my players are able to really shape the world around their characters.

Tristan Ash

Whether you're a seasoned adventurer or new to the realm of tabletop roleplaying, I tailor each game to suit your play style. Do you seek epic battles against fearsome monsters? Heart-pounding moments of suspense as you unravel ancient mysteries? Or perhaps moments of laughter and camaraderie with friends around the gaming table?

With my storytelling prowess and keen eye for worldbuilding, I'll transport you to fantastical realms where heroes are forged and legends are born. Together, we'll embark on a journey of a lifetime, where the only limit is your imagination.

I started hosting games because I have a vast number of stories and worlds that I would love to unravel, and the best way to watch the universes be built is by letting others explore it!

So gather your party, ready your dice, and prepare for an adventure like no other. With me as your Game Master, epic tales await!

Jon Bauer

I'm an actor, voice actor, and professional show host that loves fantasy, collaborative storytelling, and world building! GMing sits perfectly at the crossroads of all those things which is why I have a blast doing this!

I use different voices and dialects, and I use a combination of theater of the mind and maps to let players find out if that fireball turns that basilisk into barbecue (but your barbarian too)! Whether you're a trying to "live the fantasy" or use your archival knowledge of the system's rules to flex that noggin noodle and make some brain spaghetti, there's a safe place for you at my table.

Nico de Gallo

I have been DMing for years for various groups of my friends. We wanted to attempt 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons and I volunteered to take up the mantle of DM. This has allowed me to become accustomed to various party sizes (3-9+), styles of play (roleplay heavy, combat heavy, mystery), and experience levels (beginner to veteran) as my groups grew with me. 
Now as a graduate student, money is tight and I want to share and create fun and enjoyable stories with others. As much as I hate the idea of charging money for it, bills gotta be paid. I plan to work with my players to create the best experience possible for everyone involved. 

If you need me to sell you on it I say this: Those who play in my games understand the phrase "trust the process". Know that trust is forged and earned and I intend to earn it, starting by offering a free session 0 and a session 1 guarantee (you pay at the end of the session after you get your money's worth and you decide to continue in the campaign). People will be paying for a service and I intend to make it a damn good one.
I've been called evil but fair, lawful evil, and "the Dark Souls DM" by my players, which they insist are glowing reviews.
"To trust the process is to trust one’s self, for no matter what you plan on doing, it will be the pits of despair that drives you to the realization of ‘ uhhh….. can I get an extra character sheet‘" -a player of mine satisfied with a session despite their character's death

Cole Allen

Anson Miles Davis

Howdy! I'm Nathaniel from Wizard City. I have over 20 years of experience as a dungeon master, having learned to play D&D 3.5e at the age of 11. Storytelling is a magical art, and I've got a knack for it! I can run any TTRPG you want, just let me know. 

For my main gig, I help build and create Wizard City. You can find us at (https://wizardcityofficial.com), where I DM games all across Texas for adventurers and fellow wizards. But what *is* Wizard City? 

Welcome to Wizard City, a magical world and creative project born from our passion for storytelling, music, and art. We are a collective of artists, musicians, and dreamers bringing Wizard City to life across multiple mediums—including animated music videos, a live puppet show, and a fully developed tabletop RPG. But Wizard City is more than a project; it’s our vision of a world where creativity is celebrated and where artists, in all their weird and wonderful forms, can thrive.

Inspired by the vibrant yet ever-changing spirit of Austin, Texas, Wizard City is a satirical parody of modern life. It’s a place where wizards, magical creatures, and performers explore their identities, fight for their dreams, and discover what it truly means to sing their “authentic song”—even when tangled in bureaucracy, self-doubt, and the gritty obstacles of a city on the edge of change. With comedic, often exaggerated nods to pop culture and society, Wizard City brings a humorous yet heartfelt look at the struggles and joys of the creative journey.

Our mission goes beyond creating art. We’re here to support and celebrate the local Austin scene—those musicians, artists, and makers who pour their souls into their craft, year after year. We understand the grind, and we’re here to amplify the voices of this community, helping each other along the way. Whether you’re a part of Wizard City as a fan, collaborator, or fellow creative, we invite you to join us in building a world where artists can spend their lives doing what they love. Here, the multiverse needs you—just as you are.

If you wanna know about the deep rich lore or why I am doing this go to the website ;p