Sam Tillis
@stillisgaming.bsky.social
Your friendly neighborhood professional Game Master. https://startplaying.games/gm/stillis-gaming
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Sam Tillis
@stillisgaming.bsky.social
· Dec 24
At final count, I ran 428 RPG sessions in 2024.
Granted, some of those were 1 hr afterschool games for kids. I pound out four 75 min sessions in a row most Saturdays. Then again, others were 9 hr marathons, so it all balances out.
Hi. I'm Sam. I'm a Professional Game Master. Follow me for stories.
Granted, some of those were 1 hr afterschool games for kids. I pound out four 75 min sessions in a row most Saturdays. Then again, others were 9 hr marathons, so it all balances out.
Hi. I'm Sam. I'm a Professional Game Master. Follow me for stories.
I run lots of D&D for kids/teens, so I have lots of STATS. Here's what the youths are into this season, re: species and class.
Tiefling: 12
Dragonborn: 9
Human: 5
Elf (Drow): 4
Elf (High): 4
Aasimar: 3
Gnome: 3
Kobold: 3
Tabaxi: 3
Warforged: 3
Dwarf: 2
Dhampir: 1
Goliath: 1
Hobgoblin: 1
Axolotl: 1
Tiefling: 12
Dragonborn: 9
Human: 5
Elf (Drow): 4
Elf (High): 4
Aasimar: 3
Gnome: 3
Kobold: 3
Tabaxi: 3
Warforged: 3
Dwarf: 2
Dhampir: 1
Goliath: 1
Hobgoblin: 1
Axolotl: 1
November 14, 2025 at 7:13 PM
I run lots of D&D for kids/teens, so I have lots of STATS. Here's what the youths are into this season, re: species and class.
Tiefling: 12
Dragonborn: 9
Human: 5
Elf (Drow): 4
Elf (High): 4
Aasimar: 3
Gnome: 3
Kobold: 3
Tabaxi: 3
Warforged: 3
Dwarf: 2
Dhampir: 1
Goliath: 1
Hobgoblin: 1
Axolotl: 1
Tiefling: 12
Dragonborn: 9
Human: 5
Elf (Drow): 4
Elf (High): 4
Aasimar: 3
Gnome: 3
Kobold: 3
Tabaxi: 3
Warforged: 3
Dwarf: 2
Dhampir: 1
Goliath: 1
Hobgoblin: 1
Axolotl: 1
You can tell the adults I ran a D&D game for last night do not work in child-adjacent professions (or have children of their own) because nobody lunged across the table to throttle me when I described a small detachment up ahead of "6 or 7 enemies."
November 12, 2025 at 9:54 PM
You can tell the adults I ran a D&D game for last night do not work in child-adjacent professions (or have children of their own) because nobody lunged across the table to throttle me when I described a small detachment up ahead of "6 or 7 enemies."
My absolute favorite thing that new D&D players say to me after I DM for them, hands down, is "you've inspired me to run my own d&d campaign." Especially when it also involves bringing in their kids.
November 12, 2025 at 6:29 AM
My absolute favorite thing that new D&D players say to me after I DM for them, hands down, is "you've inspired me to run my own d&d campaign." Especially when it also involves bringing in their kids.
When the D&D players realize that the most efficient way through the dungeon is to ignore all the doors and windows and just smash through walls. **chef's kiss**
November 11, 2025 at 6:38 PM
When the D&D players realize that the most efficient way through the dungeon is to ignore all the doors and windows and just smash through walls. **chef's kiss**
The sweet, sweet feeling of having no fucking idea how your RPG players are going to navigate their way out of *this* one... 😈
November 9, 2025 at 4:54 AM
The sweet, sweet feeling of having no fucking idea how your RPG players are going to navigate their way out of *this* one... 😈
Civ VII rolls out an update **on the same day** as Europa Universalis V comes out... and I have two gigs to prepare for and run. 😭😭😭
November 4, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Civ VII rolls out an update **on the same day** as Europa Universalis V comes out... and I have two gigs to prepare for and run. 😭😭😭
The Stranger Things kids have gotta be playing like 4th edition by now.
October 30, 2025 at 6:18 PM
The Stranger Things kids have gotta be playing like 4th edition by now.
Writing email newsletters and then sharing those email newsletters on social media like its 2017.
buttondown.com/stillisgamin...
buttondown.com/stillisgamin...
"I Like to Watch"
…damn it Tillis, you think in this Year Of Our Lord 2025 you can subject-line a newsletter with a reference to cult-classic ‘70s film Being There and expect...
buttondown.com
October 28, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Writing email newsletters and then sharing those email newsletters on social media like its 2017.
buttondown.com/stillisgamin...
buttondown.com/stillisgamin...
Professional proofreading is changing "cluster fuck" to "clusterfuck" in a legitimate publication because, incredibly, Merriam Webster has an entry and a strong preference on the matter. @merriam-webster.com
October 24, 2025 at 5:00 AM
Professional proofreading is changing "cluster fuck" to "clusterfuck" in a legitimate publication because, incredibly, Merriam Webster has an entry and a strong preference on the matter. @merriam-webster.com
That terrible feeling when you've finished your D&D prep-work early, so now you've got nothing to do but wonder what you've *forgotten* to prepare for over the course of several hours.
October 16, 2025 at 9:07 PM
That terrible feeling when you've finished your D&D prep-work early, so now you've got nothing to do but wonder what you've *forgotten* to prepare for over the course of several hours.
Several years later, this middle school history textbook cover of the Silmarillion is still the cleverest thing I ever created and I'm willing to fight anyone who says otherwise.
October 16, 2025 at 5:14 AM
Several years later, this middle school history textbook cover of the Silmarillion is still the cleverest thing I ever created and I'm willing to fight anyone who says otherwise.
I am, apparently, the single person on the entire internet who unironically enjoys playing Civilization 7.
Ask me anything.
Ask me anything.
October 8, 2025 at 10:12 PM
I am, apparently, the single person on the entire internet who unironically enjoys playing Civilization 7.
Ask me anything.
Ask me anything.
Just another Thursday afternoon where I'm inventing a surf-fishing minigame for an RPG I've almost never run before...
October 2, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Just another Thursday afternoon where I'm inventing a surf-fishing minigame for an RPG I've almost never run before...
Oh! This is up!
Warning: the saddest scene I have ever run as a DM, ever, happens near the end of this episode. (After quite a bit of unbridled joy, natch.)
Warning: the saddest scene I have ever run as a DM, ever, happens near the end of this episode. (After quite a bit of unbridled joy, natch.)
The One Ring: Over Hill and Under Hill 2 - The Crowned Hill
YouTube video by Quests & Chaos
www.youtube.com
September 29, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Oh! This is up!
Warning: the saddest scene I have ever run as a DM, ever, happens near the end of this episode. (After quite a bit of unbridled joy, natch.)
Warning: the saddest scene I have ever run as a DM, ever, happens near the end of this episode. (After quite a bit of unbridled joy, natch.)
I now have three (3) different groups lining up trying to get me to run the Cosmere RPG. Guess I finally need to get into Brandon Sanderson...
September 29, 2025 at 4:27 PM
I now have three (3) different groups lining up trying to get me to run the Cosmere RPG. Guess I finally need to get into Brandon Sanderson...
Being a professional DM is wishing mid-session that you had a random disease chart, then realizing that you *have* a random disease chart that you printed out for a session 8 months ago, but it never came up and has been sitting in the back of your DM kit ever since.
September 25, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Being a professional DM is wishing mid-session that you had a random disease chart, then realizing that you *have* a random disease chart that you printed out for a session 8 months ago, but it never came up and has been sitting in the back of your DM kit ever since.
The only (and I mean ONLY) downside to running a superhero RPG is having to do the thing where you check everyone's character sheets to make sure they don't have a power that would just let them entirely bypass a session's worth of plot.
September 24, 2025 at 8:32 PM
The only (and I mean ONLY) downside to running a superhero RPG is having to do the thing where you check everyone's character sheets to make sure they don't have a power that would just let them entirely bypass a session's worth of plot.
13 yr old D&D player to other 13 yr old D&D player: Bro, you wanna be a korok with me for Halloween?
September 24, 2025 at 2:36 AM
13 yr old D&D player to other 13 yr old D&D player: Bro, you wanna be a korok with me for Halloween?
Me: Have you thought of a name for your D&D character yet?
8 yr old girl, first time D&D player, without a moment's pause: Mr. Massacre.
...yep. You'll fit right in, kid.
8 yr old girl, first time D&D player, without a moment's pause: Mr. Massacre.
...yep. You'll fit right in, kid.
September 19, 2025 at 3:52 AM
Me: Have you thought of a name for your D&D character yet?
8 yr old girl, first time D&D player, without a moment's pause: Mr. Massacre.
...yep. You'll fit right in, kid.
8 yr old girl, first time D&D player, without a moment's pause: Mr. Massacre.
...yep. You'll fit right in, kid.
Hot take: the plural of "cliff" should be "clives."
September 17, 2025 at 1:43 AM
Hot take: the plural of "cliff" should be "clives."
Damn. I hate it when I agree with a youtube D&D video.
(jk Justin Alexander is great. My leveling rule of thumb is: when everyone knows what they're doing with the abilities granted at this level, it's time to move to the next one)
(jk Justin Alexander is great. My leveling rule of thumb is: when everyone knows what they're doing with the abilities granted at this level, it's time to move to the next one)
The Speed of Leveling | Advanced Gamemastery
YouTube video by Alexandrian
www.youtube.com
September 15, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Damn. I hate it when I agree with a youtube D&D video.
(jk Justin Alexander is great. My leveling rule of thumb is: when everyone knows what they're doing with the abilities granted at this level, it's time to move to the next one)
(jk Justin Alexander is great. My leveling rule of thumb is: when everyone knows what they're doing with the abilities granted at this level, it's time to move to the next one)
If my toxic trait is writing read-aloud text for my own D&D adventures, I make it even worse by occasionally writing whole sections of that text in stealth-iambic pentameter.
September 15, 2025 at 4:04 PM
If my toxic trait is writing read-aloud text for my own D&D adventures, I make it even worse by occasionally writing whole sections of that text in stealth-iambic pentameter.
Sometimes I pick up a D&D books in my hands—a monster manual or players handbook; anything, really—just so I can close it dramatically at the end of a session.
September 14, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Sometimes I pick up a D&D books in my hands—a monster manual or players handbook; anything, really—just so I can close it dramatically at the end of a session.
Feels pretty cool to be the 6th hit on youtube when you search a pretty common thing.
(It's us playing about the first third of the new The One Ring RPG starter set Over Hill and Under Hill, by Free League Publishing. Stay tuned for more. 💍)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0qn...
(It's us playing about the first third of the new The One Ring RPG starter set Over Hill and Under Hill, by Free League Publishing. Stay tuned for more. 💍)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0qn...
The One Ring Starter Set - Over Hill and Under Hill Ep 1 - A Last Tale for the Night
YouTube video by Quests & Chaos
www.youtube.com
September 9, 2025 at 4:21 AM
Feels pretty cool to be the 6th hit on youtube when you search a pretty common thing.
(It's us playing about the first third of the new The One Ring RPG starter set Over Hill and Under Hill, by Free League Publishing. Stay tuned for more. 💍)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0qn...
(It's us playing about the first third of the new The One Ring RPG starter set Over Hill and Under Hill, by Free League Publishing. Stay tuned for more. 💍)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0qn...