Apotheosis Studios is but one of many creative voices out there in the world of TTRPGs. You would think that we are all clamouring for views and supporters when we broadcast our games, but not so!

We’re gamers who play an infinite game, all we really want are more people to play with. Being excellent to each other allows us to find new friends and truly build up our community.

Dead Aussie Gamer, as well as having a very metal name, is one of the professional Game Masters who has built a truly inclusive and welcoming community around his games. It’s with great excitement that we announce that we’ll be playing alongside him and some dear friends for this year’s Jasper’s Game Day.

I had a talk with Dead Aussie, and this is what we talked about.

Exclusive Interview with Dead Aussie Gamer

I believe that big things have small beginnings. What's your (hopefully not too tragic) backstory? Where did your journey in writing and in TTRPGs begin?

Well funny you should mention backstories because I feel like my beginnings in TTRPGs began quite dramatically. March 22nd 2010, the day started like any other warm autumn day in my sunny hometown of Perth, Western Australia. But that took a turn as thunderstorms rolled in and the skies turned an eerie green, for the first time ever hail the size of golf balls rained down on us! The streets were overflowing from the storm and the power was cut. It was on this very ominous day that I ran my first game of D&D. My partner and I had just returned from rescuing our cats from the weather outside and we had spoken of playing Tabletop RPGs before, with her coming from a family of TTRPG players/gms. Given there was literally nothing else to do and no where else to go, we played by candle light and ran my first and by far my most memorable game. As far as signs from above that RPGs were going to be my calling, this was a pretty good one.

People in our communities are what I call, capital G, Gamers. Of course, tabletop RPG takes up the majority of your time, and that's great, but it can't be the only kind of gaming you do, right? What kinds of games do you enjoy; PC, console, tabletop, or anything in between? Where do you go to relax? Do you have an all time favourite?

Gaming with a capital "G" always has been a major source of relaxation and peace for me. Honestly I don't think there's been a type of game that, at some point in my life, I haven't spent a reckless amount of time indulging in. Early on as a kid I loved video games, MMORPGS, FPS, RTS, and all other three letter acronyms were where I found my joy. Today with my more time sensitive schedule I find myself indulging in tabletop board games which I have kickstarted, as well as the wargame Malifaux, of which I am very enamored with it's TTRPG counterpart Through the Breach.

You've cornered a pretty strong spot in the world of TTRPGs. Your YouTube channel has a pretty strong following, with a lot of gameplay you've ran as well as your own GM advice. Did playing and running TTRPGs prompt you toward video making, or did making videos lead you to be a Game Master?

Honestly I was a game master long before I stated making videos, my humble following has been very supportive of my endeavors as a content creator. But the real origins of my presence on Youtube goes back to 2012 where I was invited by my mentor and close friend Guy Sclanders to perform in his series "Adventures of the Windswift" on his channel HowtobeaGreatGM. He gave me the confidence I needed to start my own channel and taught me much about being a supportive member of the creative community. Since then I have continued to grow and feature with and alongside some incredible performers.

Being a Professional Dungeon Master is a strong ambition for many people in our community, myself included. How did you get started professionally DMing and how would you advise others to get into that line of work?

Being a professional DM? well depends who you ask really? what makes a dm professional? money? talent? social media presence? for me being professional is about standards, and valuing your journey as a DM. Once you value yourself and hold these standards, others will also, and in time you'll find the people willing to invest in your journey, whether as players, fellow storytellers, sponsors, or audience members.

You've made important ambassadorial efforts in your work as a professional TTRPG player. Particularly with emphasis on bringing love and careful attention to mental health. What efforts and concessions did you make to bring such positivity in themes into your games? How can you encourage others to do the same, and making their games welcoming and inclusive spaces for all?

Wow that's some pretty high praise! Thank you! I don't think inclusively has ever really been something I've focused on. Deep down I want everyone to feel and experience the same joy I have when I sit down with my group, when I heard the sounds of dice hitting the table and when I experience those moments that can only be captured by the shared imagination of those around me. It just never mattered to me who got to share in that joy, if you were willing to sit with me around a table, then I was always willing to go on that journey with you.

I have experienced much in the field of mental health, and one of the greatest struggles is that of expression. What is roleplaying if not a chance to express yourself in a new way? There are so many who struggle with mental health issues, and it comes in so many different forms. With care, understanding, and most of all, patience, I think TTRPGs have the potential for powerful healing to those who need it.

If you really want to make a game inclusive, then want people in your game. Be passionate about your story, about your players and their tales, and be willing to bring others on your quest. Some groups may have issues with communication, others may have issues with schedules, there are always going to be challenges that will test even the best DMs in the world. Stay strong, stay proud of your game and most of all, always be willing.

You've put a lot of effort into making your games accessible for a younger player base. I personally deeply struggle with this, which is why when other creators do it so well I am inspired. What was your process for tailoring games for all ages? How did your process of bringing younger players in inform your future game and story design?

When I figure out how, I'll be sure to let you know! Running games and tailoring them to young players has not been a struggle from the perspective of writing or even running the adventure. Kids have a very different social dynamic and structure, and as an "older" DM the struggle comes from being able to breach that structure and learn to bend and shift with the mood of the table. A mood which changes quickly and sometimes unexpectedly. It's kinda like trying to walk in sand, if you try to force yourself forward, you tire easily and the sand fights against you, but if you build a rhythm and momentum then it's no struggle at all. Don't treat kids like "kids", give them to opportunity to explore their imagination and if something doesn't make sense ask yourself "why not?". Kids want to be entertained and will often entertain themselves, as a DM its our role to let them, and guide their fun across the threshold of adventure.

You proudly hold an unofficial world record for the longest TTRPG session. That's impressive, and something I'd like to match or beat one day. What was the process for getting this long session together? How did you prepare for such a long sitting of play, between factors like story and content to go through, and the mental endurance to go on for so many hours?

Well if you would like to beat my unofficial record then you have at least a fun filled 86 hours ahead of you. From the start I knew what I wanted to go for, when I made the attempt. It wasn't a "lets see how long we can go" challenge, it was an honest attempt at a Guinness World Record. My players and I spent 8 months training and even dieted to cater our bodies for the energy consumption needed to be able to complete our marathon. I spoke with a number of medical professionals and sleep specialists to come up with a very strict schedule in order to complete the challenge safely. We also had an incredible staff of volunteers, friends and family who had supported us during the challenge with food, water and regular health checks.

I was the GM for that session and we were playing Pathfinder's Rise of the Runelords, a game which I had run 13 times prior to our attempt. Jokingly we said, I knew that adventure so well, I could run it in my sleep, I definitely proved that. If it wasn't for the footage I could not tell you what was going through my head once I past 60+hours, fatigue was intense. Every 6 hours we got a 30 minute break, with 10mins for a restroom stop and a 20 minute power nap before continuing. My biggest hurdle was losing my voice around 3am on the third day, I remember writing an SOS to the staff on duty who messaged our families. They rushed out for some lozenges and a ton of ginger and lemon tea, which helped me pull across that hurdle but I can't so much as smell ginger without gagging anymore.

All in all it was a wonderful and successful attempt, however we hit a few unfortunate snags in the paperwork which is why the record remains unofficial. That and trying to get 160+GB to Guinness was a daunting task.

We all have similar interests as TTRPG creators. Movies, games, anime, and fiction call backs that set the genre like Lord of the Rings or Wheel of Time. These influence the games we write for our players, but what is one of your biggest influences that most people have never heard of?

Oh wow, well influences are easy as I am a huge comic book and anime fan, but an influence that not many people would know huh? Food is probably my biggest and most unknown influence on my games and my world. Heston Blumenthal's Fantastic Feasts introduced me to the marriage of magic and food, and I have done my best to include something wonderous and delicious to every game I've run. From my twilight mead darkvision potions smoothies, to spicy nachos that give fire resistance, consumable food/drink items are an absolute pleasure for me to feature in my campaigns. Some of which I've managed to replicate in my kitchen at home.

Tabletop roleplaying games are at an all time high. The sense of community and the wealth of creators have put streamed games and content similar to yours across the web. What are your takes on D&D and the wider TTRPG community as a whole right now?

We live in an amazing time we are now connected in a way that allows us to roleplay with people from across the world at ease. To me, has both great and terrible implications. Back in yester-year TTRPGs were a social underground, folks who engaged were considered to be social pariahs and enjoyed their hobby in the company of those who were exclusively a part of the underground community. Today RPGs have become much more mainstream and has entered the forefront of so much pop-culture, with performances and live streams at an all time high.

While this is great for the industry, it is also very challenging for those wanting to engage for the first time or succeed as TTRPG content creators. It becomes difficult to stand out in the crowd, and harder still to build those meaningful connections when so many are doing so, and while others still approach the hobby as if it were a "secret club".

As someone who entered quite late in the race, I often see many struggle to join the space and other struggle to succeed, which motivates me to dig deep and support others and raise them up. As I mentioned earlier TTRPGs are for everyone and I think now is the time for the community to open up and include a new generation of fans and creators.

The work you've done both for charity, and within the wider TTRPG community has been a wonderful. You said you were very excited to discuss your upcoming projects. What's the next big thing on your horizon? What are you working on at present, that you can tell us about?

Well in addition to the professional GM gig on my twitch channel, I also consider myself a professional roleplayer and love nothing more than putting my acting degree to good use on a variety of different shows. At present I'm working with the incredibly talented Robert Hartley GM and Dreaded GM in a number of future collaborations. I'm hoping to continue my role as an ambassador to the creative element of the community and build bridges between content creators.

Between fans asking about the minor details in the shows, and the co-workers asking for the meaning behind your writing, you probably field a lot of questions. What's a question you've never been asked but always wish you had, and how would you answer it?

Hmm a question I've never? how cryptic well a question. A questions I've never been able to answer was "Is there a game you've ever regretted" the answer is no. I've played or run, to date 10,000+ games and I have have more terrible games than some people will play in their entire RPG lives. But even my absolute worst campaign was something I did not regret participating in. Every game is an experience, a chance to learn, improve and become better as a performer, gm and roleplayer.

Trust me when I say, there have been some real freaking gems and would absolutely make for some Crit Crab story level cringe.

A very nice man indeed, doing important work in the grand world of tabletop roleplay. We look forward to our antics with him on Jasper’s Game Day.

Now we want to hear from you. Will you be swinging by Dead Aussie Gamer’s next stream? Which influencer from the TTRPG community would you like to hear from? Let us know in our discord server or in the comments below.

Adam Ray contributes much for adventurers here on Apotheosis Studios. As co-founder of fantasticuniverses.com, they write all kinds of gaming press, while they write news about the League of Legends Card Game on RuneterraCCG. On Youtube, they can be found game mastering for No Ordinary Heroes, or editing the antics on The Hostile Atmosphere. Find where they dwell by climbing their Linktree.

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Exclusive Interview - Dead Aussie Gamer Talks Professional Game Mastering

Exclusive Interview with Dead Aussie Gamer

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