DM Charlie

FOUR-DECADE GAMER- I lean towards “Rules as Guidelines” not “Rules as Law”

Hi there!

I am a four-decade gamer from the days when gaming wasn’t cool. I’ve spent most of my gaming life behind the GM’s screen, running games in every iteration of D&D (and a myriad of other systems, some you’ve never even heard of, probably!) for countless players.

I am a natural storyteller, with a love of good characters and even better stories. I have simple goals as a DM: To make sure my players leave my table with a sense of wonder, are having oodles of fun and that we have created a story together that will be worth re-telling by the hearthside for years to come.

I lean towards “Rules as Guidelines” not “Rules as Law”, but do not go out of my way to break conventions nor unpleasantly surprise my players. Everything I do is to keep the focus where it should be…on being immersed and entertained in a great story.

I keep combat tactical/visual, presenting diverse situations to challenge players to think creatively and innovatively.

For exploring, I set the scene, answer questions and will let players do just about anything that doesn’t destroy the sense of disbelief. That said, it is up to the players to determine how to best use skills and proficiencies. Got a creative reason for why “Arcana” is just the right skill to try on that kobold? Sure. But I won’t tell you if I thought of it beforehand, too!

When roleplaying, I endeavor to make each NPC encounter meaningful with distinctive voice & character. For my players, I love to collaboratively develop and explore character’s backstory and I give my players time to shine in the roleplay spotlight, if that’s what they want.

Ultimately, it’s all about making my players happy.

In the real-world, I’m a dad, husband, and work as an accountant. I am from the Pacific Northwest of the United States. (Yes. Bigfoot is real.)