When did you first start playing RPGs and what were they? Probably when i was around 10 with a friend whose father had the old Traveller little black books and Warhammer fantasy roleplay. Also a bit of D&D 4E at university. What was the most memorable part of those sessions? It’s a long time ago now but i think it was a combination of it just being the two of us and the extreme lethality of Warhammer! Why did you start GMing? Lots of reasons! I wanted to play some of the 2D6 games that others weren’t GMing, I love the rules for building sectors and worlds in Traveller (especially combined with some of the Stars Without Number ideas), and because i’ve been at the club for a couple of years now so it felt like it was time to give it a go! How long have you been GMing? This will be my first time other than running a small D&D one shot for a couple of friends. What systems have you GMed? Only D&D 5e before, but i’m looking forward to running some 2D6 systems. What are the p...

When did you first start playing RPGs and what were they? I started in the late 90s, which IMHO was the worst time to get into the hobby! First game was my friend's Ravenloft campaign. What was the most memorable part of those sessions? I was about 15 and thought it would be a lark to play a character who was bascially Lord Flasheart from Blackadder. It was all giggles and catch-phrases until the character's girlfriend got eaten by spiders.  After that, he grew up a lot! It was really rewarding to see how much the character changed over about 6 months of play, especially his relationship with the other character (a stern paladin). By the end of the campaign, he was unrecognisable. We also made our own SciFi game, which could best be described as a "hot mess"! Why did you start GMing? To tell my own stories with friends. How long have you been GMing? Since the early noughties. To start with I wasn't really interested in mechanics but as I've tried more sys...

When did you first start playing RPGs and what were they? My first experience with RPGs was stumbling upon a box of RPG stuff in my Grand Parent’s attic when I was about 12. It had the first edition D&D red and blue basic/expert books, Tunnels and Trolls, Grimtooth’s book of traps and some others I forget.    I was pretty captivated by it all and I was allowed to take it all home. I read the D&D stuff and ended up running my own adventure for my younger sister and our cousins. They loved it!  I then, shortly after, started a new school and met some other students into similar stuff and we formed a club. We called it Roleplaying Club, which was rather uninspiring, and a kid into drama showed up and offered to make us a poster. He did a good job but finished it with the tag line ‘Guaranteed a Good Time’, which granted us ridicule around the school. He was rather disappointed when he finally sat down with us and realised it wasn’t a drama club.. What was the most mem...

When did you first start playing RPGs and what were they? I think I stared around 2012 maybe playing RPG around then. I think I started with 4e starter set and stars without number. What was the most memorable part of those sessions? I guess it would be leaning , playing characters and being able to just have a good time with friends. Why did you start GMing? I started GM due to likening the platform it gave me to be creative. I was interested it run and trying it and I was the only one to try and run a game with mix results . Being able to Roleplay was all ways the main thing and the world building side I loved. How long have you been GMing? About ten years a little more then that. What systems have you GMed? 4e D&D , Stars without number, 5e D&D ,Cyberpunk Red. What are the pleasures and pitfalls of GMing? The pleasure is down the creative, all the different venues that can be use as part of the game . Coming up with new idea try to get different engagement. The very act...

When did you first start playing RPGs and what were they? I played a bit of D&D with my schoolmates in the 80’s. We were very into The Lord of the Rings and the myriad of fantasy books and movies that were popular back then, so discovering a RPG that let you be heroes in those worlds was very cool. It was only last year after I semi-retired that I decided to return to the hobby. What was the most memorable part of those sessions? There are a lot of differences between D&D of the 80’s and today! The game is so much more accessible with its streamlined rules and online tools, and there’s a much broader range of play styles out there. But I still get the same buzz when the group is vibing. What systems have you GMed? Back in the day we just made up dungeon crawls on the fly. We literally decided what was going to be around the corner when the party got there. So this will be my first time running a “proper” pre-planned campaign. What are the pleasures and pitfalls of GMing and wha...

When did you first start playing RPGs and what were they? Although not strictly an RPG, my mum bought me the Warlock of Firetop Mountain FF book when I was about 10, and I remember being totally captivated by Russ Nicholson’s illustrations.  Then we got a spankingly hitech VCR (which was bloody massive!), and the freshly opened video shop round the corner only had one cartoon in store. Ralph Bakshi’s Lord of the Rings. That film literally blew me away. So became a big Tolkien fan. I got the red D&D basic boxed set for my 12th birthday back in ’84 and played it at lunchtimes at school. Well, I say ‘played it’, I managed to roll up character stats but the rest of the game play was definitely more ‘play’ shall we say. I was more into copying the pictures and drawing maps. But when I left school at 15 and also left RPGs behind. College girls. Enough said. What was the most memorable part of those sessions? For whatever reason it was just exciting. You had these cool books, maps and...

When did you first start playing RPGs and what were they? About 1978. It was basically all D&D Basic (Red or Blue book) and then AD&D.   What was the most memorable part of those sessions? Probably the people I played with. I am still in touch with three of them and although one lives in Australia we are still in fairly regular contact. Why did you start GMing? Someone had to. Also I had the only rule book. How long have you been GMing? I first GMed about 1980 or 81 I took a group of school friends through G1 – G3 during one term What systems have you GMed? Basic D&D, Advanced D&D, D&D3.5, D&D 5th ed basically lots of D&D, Pathfinder 1st ed, Runequest / Call of Cthulhu / Basic Roleplaying system, err I forget the rest. What are the pleasures and pitfalls of GMing? Players. If you come up with a situation and think of 20 ways the players may deal with it, they will find a 21st and force you to adapt which is brilliant, but there are times when it can be l...

Hi as one of the four GMs for the July Rotation in venue, I thought of a bit of a mini interview on you. When did you first start playing RPGs and what were they? I originally started playing RPGs about 20 years ago. My first major campaign was a 2 year Shadowrun 2e adventure with a group of friends from my local Games Workshop store.  We did also foray into a bit of D&D 3e and WFRP 2e at the time as well.  Since then I've played various systems both on Pen & Paper or PC RPGs such as Divinity What was the most memorable part of those sessions? Generally I think the overall best part were the epic Weekender sessions from a Friday evening to Sunday afternoon. A good time with mates on an epic adventure was hard to beat - especially spending several hours preparing, planning for a mission only to see it go belly up within 10 minutes. Why did you start GMing? Initially I started GMing on-line on Roll20 with Shadowrun 4e simply because there was nobody else running the game...

Hi as one of the four GMs for the April Rotation in venue, I thought of a bit of a mini interview on Marco. When did you first start playing RPGs and what were they? I started way back in 1980 playing 1st Edition AD&D What was the most memorable part of those sessions? Spending lunchtimes meeting up by a copse of trees with fellow geeks. I remember being more than a little fast and loose with rules and rolls but feeling happy being allowed to be me! Why did you start GMing? My kids reached about 11 years old and expressed an interest in playing so I set up a game just for my family to play How long have you been GMing? For about 14 years (but with BIG gaps in between!) What systems have you GMed? I am a monogamous AD&D guy. I have GM’d 2nd edition and 5th edition What are the pleasures and pitfalls of GMing? Having the ability to create something that people look forward to is a great pleasure. Its hard work at times but so worth it The pitfall (other than not being able to pla...

So I asked Calum for and interview as he is up for GMing one of the April Rotation Games. His response: "Sure - this is my first time GMing so there's not too much to say really..." When did you first start playing RPGs and what were they? I first started playing RPG's a few years ago, with an online game of 5e a friend was running for a group of new players. What was the most memorable part of those sessions? The most memorable part was a fight in an underground, waterlogged cave.  My character was a tabaxi, and we all know how cats don't like water!  It became a game of trying not to get in the water, leaping from rock to rock whilst trying to get close to the witch we were fighting.  It was really fun, and a great example of how creative roleplay from both players and the GM can spice up combat encounters. Why did you start GMing? This is my first time running a game, but I put myself forward because I think it will help me appreciate being a player more, and t...

So to continue in the theme of interviewing each GM, we have up next Richard. When did you first start playing RPGs and what were they? Started with Live Role play when i was 14 i think and played for a few years, then attended a pen and paper game a couple of years later for one night.  Didn't really get back into it until i was 25 and have been playing ever since.  Larping was at Chislehurst Caves and woods in Sidcup.  First pen and paper would have been D&D but no idea on which version, from 25 it was a Star Wars game. What was the most memorable part of those sessions? There's been a few but one that sticks in mind the most was playing a character whos tongue had been removed.  This meant i had to act or draw out my plans when i was trying to communicate with the other party members. Why did you start GMing? I wanted to recreate some of the world from the Larp days so felt i would try and bring it to the table. How long have you been GMing? On and off for abo...

Hi as one of the three GMs for the October Rotation in venue, I thought of a bit of a mini interview on you. When did you first start playing RPGs and what were they? About 4 or 5 years ago. I moved to a new area and did not know anyone. Looking on MeetUp, this looked quite interesting so I gave it a go…  I started playing in a Cthulhu game and then played some D&D 5e. I enjoyed the stories and interaction. What was the most memorable part of those sessions? I enjoyed the roleplaying aspects, playing different and wacky characters. I also enjoyed the stories and developing characters within the world. It is those interactions that were most memorable. If you have put time and effort into creating a character who has a nice backstory, acted consistently within the world and developed a personality, it’s tough to roll a D100 sanity and hope that this one roll does not mark the end. Why did you start GMing? Just wanted to give it a go to be honest. Seemed fun… How long have you be...

Hi as one of the four GMs for the October Rotation in venue, I thought of a bit of a mini interview on you. When did you first start playing RPGs and what were they? I started playing RPG's in school, GURPS and 3.5 DnD. We were young and it was a chaotic mess where we barely understood the rules... but it was the stepping stone to better games later. What was the most memorable part of those sessions? The most memorable part of those sessions, and any session in RPG games really, is the memorable story beats. Whether it's something the GM has been planning, a player throwing a curveball or a combat round creating a story: all exciting stuff Why did you start GMing? I started GMING recently, just last year. My resident 'forever DM' was getting burnout so I stepped in for some oneshots How long have you been GMing? Oops, I answered this in the last one. I started last year properly, there might have been a casual game I ran one session of much earlier... but since I can...

I got excited last week when the giant scissors we ordered arrived! I was nervous coming back to real world gaming and even more on edge as its the first game I have GMed in a very long time but i'm please to say it went better than could be expected!  A big thank you to everyone who came in, geled their hands and made last night fantastic!  WHO OPENS A CLUB ON THE SAME NIGHT AS THE SEMI FINALS!   Apparently we do...  Which means we was a few people short last night and hopefully next week we will see all three tables full but I really enjoyed eating cup cakes (Thank you richard) and giving out goodie bags (Thank you Foresters.)  As for the game! I was very nervous and even though I had wrote the story I kept having to refer to my own notes! Can't wait to see where this rag-tag bag of high level heroes end up!  ..................... A centaur, An elf, A warforge and a dark elf walk into a bar...  the bartender says well we don't often see your kin...

Hi Mark, well me, yep you guessed it I am interviewing myself, as one of the three GMs for the inaugural games in venue, I thought of a bit of a mini interview on the 3 GMs would be cool. So lets crack to it. When did you first start playing RPGs and what were they? Depends... I started off with things like HeroQuest, Space Crusade, Battle Masters which although are board games we played out the characters. Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone Fighting Fantasy gamebooks published by Puffin, were probably my first foray into Roleplaying games. Later Shadowrun, D&D, Cyberpunk and Vampire the Masquerade, Call of Cthulhu and LARP What was the most memorable part of those sessions Meeting mates, doing dumb shit and then rolling epic for it. Still remember an old half Troll from Shadowrun, who was a dumb detective/private eye, who thought shouting shhhh to his shotgun made it a silenced weapon. Why did you start GMing? Had the thought, it cannot be that hard can it? From there tried it out,...

Hi Jerrie, as one of the three GMs for the inaugural games in venue, I thought of a bit of a mini interview on you. When did you first start playing RPGs and what were they? I have always been a video game RPG player but table top from 16. I played abit of 3.5 D&D and abit of dark heresy. I also tried stars without numbers and a few small indie titles. What was the most memorable part of those sessions Mostly just having fun with my friends, really only two of us knew how to play but pizza mostly and That feeling you get as you roll for something really important! Why did you start GMing? I had lots of game ideas and wanted to try them out. My friends were guineapigs basically. I had some puzzles I wanted to try but then got hooked. How long have you been GMing? I GMed my first game about 6 years ago, it was a E5 D&D game. I joined the club shortly after. What systems have you GMed? Dark Heresy, dungeon world, D&D 3.5 and 5th edition and stars without numbers. What are the ...

Hi Simon as one of the three GMs for the inaugural games in venue as we restart Face to Face after this COVID mess, I thought of a bit of a mini interview on you. When did you first start playing RPGs and what were they? I started with Holmes Blue Book Basic D&D. I soon moved on to mainly RuneQuest and Traveller. What was the most memorable part of those sessions Creating characters and trying to figure out how to run or play adventures that weren't dungeons. Why did you start GMing? I'm really into world creation and tinkering with mechanics, so naturally gravitated to GMing. How long have you been GMing? 39 years. What systems have you GMed? Basic D&D, AD&D, Runequest, Traveller, Call of Cthulhu, Tunnels & Trolls, Ringworld, Stormbringer, Elric, Judge Dredd, Star Wars (West End Games version), TMNT, Vampire The Masquerade, Pendragon, Amber Diceless, Nephilim, Hero Wars, HeroQuest, Night's Black Agents, Monster of the Week, The Black Hack, Fabled Lands, Du...