ABOUT ME

My brief history with RPGS

I have always enjoyed playing pen and paper RPGs since my buddies convinced me to play a game of 2nd edition of Dungeons and Dragons when I was 12 years old. It was in that wood paneled shag carpeted basement where I fell in love with a lifelong hobby. I played through high school and beyond as both a player and GM. However, I started running long term campaigns after moving to Denver in 2015, taking time off running games when I needed to travel for my opera gigs. I never thought that it could be a career until a friend asked me to run a game professionally for himself and group of his friends.

Creating a shared imaginative experience

There are many DMing styles, but my personal style is facilitating the player's enjoyment. It is not about my grand world, story, or characters, but rather ours. It is about having a shared imaginative experience where you can fantasize about being whatever your heart desires. This style stems from my acting and stage training and experience. When performing, you never want to upstage a colleague when it is their time to shine. This principle applies to pen and paper RPGs as well and is a cornerstone of my DMing philosophy. Everyone gets a time to shine within the boundaries of both the game and the boundaries set by everyone around the table.

Unique skill set and resources

I believe my skill set is unique to other DMs. My many years of formalized acting, language, and movement training are something few DMs acquire. Not only am I formally trained in these disciplines, I have trained them over a decade plus career in many operatic roles with a variety of opera companies. These combined skills help to create a world/experience, that I hope, feels as real as the table we are sitting at together.

In addition to these skills, I also have a large collection of painted miniatures, over 100+, as well as as many terrain pieces including Dwarven Forge. These resources give battles more immersion, as well as just looking pretty damn cool. The games that I host are played on a Geek Chic gaming table. This makes for a comfortable gaming session, especially when sessions can last up to 5 hours.

Testimonials

"When I first played in one of Alex's campaigns, he reminded me of Matt Mercer. I told my group of friends and he has been running our group ever since."

Nathan, characters (Gilly, Panafan, and Wallace)

"It can be intimidating being the only girl at a D&D table, but Alex always takes great care in making sure everyone at the table enjoys the game. His characters are a lot of fun, and when he makes changes or does custom things, it's stuff that makes sense and never feels unfair. His worlds are well fleshed out and interactive and it's just overall an awesome time when playing his campaigns. Definitely recommend!"

Amber, character (Addie)

The best DM, or GM, I have ever had the pleasure of playing with. His career background has made him into what could be argued as the gold standard for a DM. The world he created for us is fully fleshed out and feels well thought through. Each character we meet sounds different based on where they are from! He is very knowledgeable of the game itself, constantly reading updates from the authors of the editions we play and my absolute favorite part is he will work with you on out of the box approaches to things such as encounters but even systems of magic as well. Outside of the game itself he is also very insightful and reads the mood of the players. If he senses friction he will bring it up and make sure everyone is still having fun and work to resolve any conflicts well before they erupt into anything more than frustration.

Ben, character (Eoghan)

"As someone who was completely new to D&D, I was slightly intimidated to jump in. In my mind there was a large learning curve, and I wasn’t confident I could pick it up fast enough for the fellow players to enjoy my participation. Alex, squelched that hesitancy within the first hour of my first game. His ability to engage each player, not only at different depths and specificity, but based upon their comfort levels roleplaying is astounding! He has help me learn, and allowed me to grow to into my character as I saw fit. If you are uncertain in your skill roleplaying, he will guide at whatever level you need to help you interact with the stunning world he has created."

Kyle, character (Torben)

Qualifications

15+ years of running pen and paper RPGs.
12+ years performing opera professionally in the United States as well as a few times internationally.
8 years of formalized acting training at universities and training programs, including legitimate theater, Shakespeare, and improvisation.
8 years of formalized language training with emphasis on dialects and accents.