Ted Rouse

Ted has been getting emotionally invested in fictional worlds fleshed out with dice for over a decade, and has been forcing other people do the same as a Dungeon Master for nearly as long. In that time, he's been running two multi-year campaigns for two different groups of players. Both campaigns are ongoing. Both campaigns are connected. The players do not know this. Everything is fine.

In the summer of 2019, clearly feeling that two secret interconnected plots weren't enough to keep track of, Ted co-organized and wrote the adventure for a D&D tournament with over 50 players and 13 Dungeon Masters as part of the Critical Massive Adventure festival in Port Hope. Songs were sung, prizes were won, the event went extremely well, and no permanent rivalries were formed. Probably.

To his players, Ted is known for building worlds that feel coherent, lived-in, and genuinely easy to play in — the kind of places where the stories make sense, the twists are surprising, and the players' (poor) choices have consequences. He's quick on his feet when players inevitably go somewhere unexpected (which is always) and has a particular gift for NPCs who feel immediately complete, immediately distinct, and — more often than not — immediately ridiculous in a somehow endearing way.

Players consistently note that Ted balances all the different things that make D&D fun, so whether you're there for the drama, the combat, the roleplay, or just the chaos, there will be something for you. Ted makes DMing look comfortable and natural, which is either a sign of great skill or an alarming comfort level with controlled mayhem. Possibly both.

Also: there will be silly voices. This has been independently confirmed by multiple sources.