Meet the DMs
Ash Mayer
Greetings traveler, warm yourselves by the fire and let this wearied traveler tell you the tales of his journey. I have always been fond of the worlds of Fantasy and Sci-Fi, tales of the high seas or mystical lands of the elves and other strange creatures that go bump in the night. So for me, settling into the world of Dungeons and Dragons was inevitable.
It all started one fateful school holiday. Our mother was off on a business trip and we decided to gather our brethren and delve into the world that would soon hook me. Many a stupid story was told over that fortnight of gaming, from the barrel of Ackmal (you should ask me about that sometime) to the Skeleworm. Our Wizard dying in one hit from a spider.. not a giant one, just a normal one, the tale of Lord Winston (OF THE DECADES). We barely knew the rules back then but it didn’t matter. We had so much fun and still remember the stories to this day.
From there I fell into the role of Dungeon Master and have done so over a number of editions of the game and several other rule settings.
I have a great passion for telling stories and creating worlds for my players to explore and evolve with, but not only that, seeing how their influence evolves the world I have sculpted for them. Nothing brings me greater joy than having it all torn apart in the most amazing ways, especially when they think outside the box and throw me a curve ball. I had a player explode a mountain while trying to save a city… they are now exiled from said city as they took their sacred monument with the mountain. I had not planned for this in any way and that’s what made it so special.
My stories evolve with my players, as does my world. You will find things happen in the background that may only come to light many sessions later, a simple act of kindness or cruelty may come back tenfold a year later when it is merely a distant memory.
For me the rules are a guideline to help encourage you to come out of your shell and bring your character to life. By all means, you can certainly try anything! It made sense to try and take my dungeoneering to the next level, I had been DMing for several years before taking on professional roles and have also stepped into live-streaming games for The Stormy Dragon Tavern on Twitch.
To further my creative outlet I have taken my love of role-play to real life in the form of Live Action Roleplay and cosplay, spending hours or weeks or months creating characters only to see one die to a cannonball several minutes into a game. (oops) I hope if you join my table we can create lasting memories and amazing stories for you.
Now what are you waiting for? Grab your blade, strap on your boots, prepare a spell and roll for initiative!
– Ash Mayer , DM, Tabletop RPG Streamer & LARP Player
Salutations and hello! My name is Mikeal, a hyperactive, enthusiastic man with a penchant for humour and creativity. I love mythology and many of the pantheons from the lore of ancient Egyptian offerings to Anubis, the capricious war-starting actions of Zeus to the old norse tales of how Thor fought frost giants. I’ve taken many directions in life due to curiosity which includes working as a Trained Chef, Personal Trainer, Masseuse and most recently am trying my hand at Theatre Performance and Voice Acting for indie content creators on YouTube!
My Dungeons and Dragons journey first started around 8 years ago as a player but I quickly found out that no matter how many games I played I wanted more out of the story, and thus resolved myself to making my own. Creating niche one shots and playing out games based on simple concepts or ideas became a passion for the longest time and it wasn’t long actually started creating my own homebrew world of E’ose. As such I currently have four separate writing books that are filled with information about my world, but I’m getting carried away about my self.
As a DM I am all too happy to talk with players about what they want out of the games I run, I love homebrewing and keeping all things balanced so that there is an equal amount of challenge proportionate to the amount of achievement you feel. Satisfaction and determination go hand in hand when I run games because my key focus is to give players what they want so as to keep them invested. I like experimenting with plot hooks, story ideas, new equipment and as always, I’m an avid dice goblin, so I appreciate anyone else who hoards magic math rocks.
My stories are generally character driven with a nice balance of combat and roleplay based on player needs, the story is ever changing and I love how in the world of DND everything has a consequence be it good or bad, so if you want to min max your character I say go for it, but if you want to get the most out of my games you should do what you enjoy, play how you want to play, after all it’s a roleplay game and the best part is you get to choose a role for yourself.
I operate on the ‘Rule of Cool’. I will allow you to attempt pretty much anything, it might be impossible or really easy but you never know unless you try and if you roll well it could be an awesome story or a hilarious fail, but the choice is yours regardless. Speak to me about your ideas or custom desires and I will do everything in my power to make them a reality, so come down, grab some dice, and get ready for the adventure that awaits!
– Mikeal Rose, DM, Performer and Trained Health Advisor
Mikeal Rose
Jake Gilmour
G’Day, names Jake!
I have been playing D&D for five years and four of those I have been a forever DM, over those years I have devoured most of the source books and have experimented with mechanics based building. I have a strong passion for role play and storytelling and am always ready for a night of fun.
I was first set on this path by a friend who wanted to play, so I figured I’d learn the rules. Before long I was running my own games for people.
Now I may not have any certificates to my name, but I have perfected my brand of storytelling down at the pub, earning free beers from unsuspecting victims (like you) and getting myself out of trouble in my youth.
At my table players can expect gripping stories, lovable/hate-able characters, descriptive fight scenes and wacky antics. I put a lot of effort into my stories, planning as much as I can for my players to have an enjoyable experience, and if they stray from the path I’ve laid before them……. I build a new path on the spot.
TL;DR I know the rules of the game well enough to know when to look something up, but am careless enough to know when to make something up for the fun of it.
– Jake Gilmour, Forever DM and purveyor of free beverages.
Well met adventurers!
My name is Jess and I have been playing Dungeons and Dragons since 3.5e which was a mere 21 years ago. However I only began DMing after being put on the spot by an old housemate who was sick and tired of being the Forever DM, that was around 13 years ago – give or take. I have now taken the mantle of a Forever DM who dabbles in being a player from time to time (and when I do, warlocks are my class of choice) and thoroughly enjoy every second of it (thank you Patterz for the push).
I initially fell in love with RPGs through Elder Scrolls games (Morrowind and Oblivion specifically) and others such as Planescape Torment, Fallout and Baldur’s Gate. I have always loved storytelling and used to write “novels” with my other nerdy friends in high school – none of which were any good but hey, it was a starting point.
My favourite DM styles are a blend of cosmic and gothic horror, sci-fi, fantasy and usually a touch of slapstick humour (whether I intend there to be or not) though I tend to run games differently depending on my party at hand. I love a good red herring and believe that world-building is the most important aspect of the story – that way no matter what the players do….you are somewhat prepared (somewhat being the key term).
I am an artist, map maker, world builder and storyteller all rolled into one. When I am not at the table rolling dice (poorly) I am studying a double degree in Nutrition and Naturopathy intending to transfer into Medical Sciences.
I run my own business – Botanicool Media which covers the artistic side of me as well as offering support for NDIS participants and am also a moderator over at Dungeons & Dragons Australia where I work most of the conventions in Melbourne rolling dice and telling stories and streaming occasionally.
I look forward to building a world together and seeing where the story takes us!
–Jess (Botanicool) DM, Streamer, Artist, Prone to bad rolls
Jess (Botanicool)
David Denning
Hello there, the names David!
I have been playing Roleplay for about 11 years now, beginning with D&D 3.5 and moving to Pathfinder and Warhammer 40,000, though to be fair, I have at least played most of the major systems by now and have run campaigns for about 10 years in D&D 3.5, 5e, Pathfinder 1e & 2e, Warhammer 40,000 (Sci-fi Grim Dark), Traveller (Sci-Fi), and All Flesh Must Be Eaten (Zombie Apocalypse).
What initially brought me to roleplay were games like the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series. However, after playing them for years in high school, I eventually began to feel that the stories they told were becoming too mundane. The quests were all the same: go to this place, kill the monster, or find the McGuffin and return to the person who sent you there. So, I thought I could do better, and in the beginning, that wasn’t the case. But after nearly a decade, I think I do alright.
My style of storytelling revolves around a world where something bigger is going on, where great forces are always at play, and the players are free to be swept up in the tale that is ready to be told. Whether it’s a dragon plotting to take over a kingdom or an ancient lich woken once more from an ancient slumber to wreak havoc once again on the countryside, every country has its history of evils once thought defeated that tends to stir once more from the deep, dark recesses of the past for new young heroes to test their mettle against.
The world these stories take place in is a pet project I have been working on for some time now known as Edyn, a homebrew world with many secrets waiting to be found and many more closed behind very tightly locked doors, for only the bravest and most intrepid of adventurers can delve deep enough to uncover the mysteries held within the ancient repositories of the world. Only time will tell if this is the Age where the secrets lost to time will be told.
– David Denning, Forever DM
Hello hello! I’m Kirby, and I’ve been DMing for 6 years. I’m your classic “forever DM” who really wanted to get into it but none of my friends had any interest in reading a bunch of rules, so I took the helm without ever having played before. I’ve come a long way since then, because now I actually understand the rules.
This beginning for me cultivated a DM who cares less about the minutia of rules and how to min max a character and more about stories, characters, and the world they live in. I have been writing stories and characters since I could write, and fictional worlds are my jam.
My current passion project is Eustronda, a world of my own that I’ve been working on for a few years. My games tend to have a nice balance of serious and silly, where the story can have stakes and the characters be tragic even if they’re all sentient frogs from the moon. My players can enjoy stories with a grand narrative weaved through their characters’ backstories and hometowns, feeling like important figures in a real world. I like my players to have a lot of agency, because they are the heroes of the story. Any game can be a sandbox, because you might be much more interested in the tavern-keeper’s home life than the goblin infested tower. I can improv an entire session if needed, so follow your wildest dreams. This game to me is much more about having fun than anything else, and I will tailor your game to however you like to have fun. I believe consent is important at the gaming table, so anything you don’t want included won’t be.
I’m also very open to Homebrew material (subject to my approval), and I am also extremely experienced with brand new players, so don’t feel like you have to know anything beforehand! Join my table for a rules-light, character driven game with a mix of sense and nonsense!
– Kirby Hunt, DM and Performing Arts Student at FedUni
