Start Playing Games

I am immersed in preparing to run Oh HELL No! – my take on the D&D campaign Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus – through Start Playing. Our first session is this coming Sunday. I am already having so much fun preparing with my players, many of whom I am collaborating with to create custom options for their characters. 

Highlights include:

  • an Arcane Tarot Sorceror;
  • a Werecat; and,
  • a Ghost Player Species

More on these options in future posts.

In order to have games listed in the general search as a Game Master, Start Playing requires at least five player reviews. I asked some of my past players for their feedback on me as a Game Master and I was really pleased and moved by their responses. As of August 21, 2025, here are seven player reviews:

Timothy Reynolds has always been an absolute joy to play with. My group has been playing with him for a couple of years now and he is always so much fun to be around! He creates an immersive and fun experience for players and works with everyone to make the game as fun as he can for all parties involved. He is also incredibly easy to work with when it pertains to rules and regulations, you can always inquire with him about whats best to next do or what would make most sense in the situation and finds the best solution for what were doing. All in all, Timothy has always been an amazing Game Master and I am continuously honored and excited to play with him! I highly recommend choosing him if you’re looking for an easy, all inclusive DND experience.
— Seamus F

Timo is a fantastic GM. He brings enthusiasm and a deep love for collaborative storytelling that sets a welcoming tone for any table- without overwhelming or intimidating beginners. He gently encourages new players to explore their creativity, giving them ample opportunities to develop their character, improvise fun moments, or simply give flavor to their choices. The game flows from lighthearted and comedic to profound, mystical, or emotionally resonant, depending on how deep into roleplay and lore his players want to go. Timo’s ability to adapt is part of what makes his GMing feel seamless. It’s hard to tell what is prepared beforehand and what was improvised on the spot. His quick wit and willingness to dive into whatever unexpected rabbit hole the players follow makes the in-game world feel ever moving and alive. He is clearly practiced at improv and acting, creating a safe, playful space where characters can take big swings and be met with support. His NPC voices are super fun, he has a grand collection of minis, and he rewards creativity- whether its a pun, a bold character choice, or imaginative improv moment- with inspiration. He has a lot of expertise playing TTRPG’s which makes for a good time for players with any and all levels of experience.
— Charlotte R

Been playing with Timothy for 40 years. He’s great at working with people, developing interesting scenarios and cool NPC’s. He thinks in detail about the long arc of the campaign and the minutia of each encounter, and allows the characters to be themselves. He’s a trained actor, so he’s a terrific storyteller. Makes amazing minis and set-pieces. Kinda the perfect GM, IMHO.
— Michael F

Timothy runs a great game! You can expect someone who provides a very entertaining and fun experience. Be prepared to hear great voices and experience unique stories. He knows the rules and is also willing to bend them to allow something awesome to happen. A very creative individual so expect the unexpected!
— Scott K

Timothy is a master of creating deep, fascinating game worlds. He richly describes the scenes and brings the characters you encounter to life, and it feels like every door could be opened to reveal a story. I’m continually impressed by how naturally he expands the world as the player characters explore it. Further, he is unafraid to create homebrew items, monsters, abilities, and character classes to harmonize with the larger story of the campaign and the individual stories of the player characters. Over several years I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing his GMing in short-form and long-form games, as well as co-DMing a short game arc. He is incredibly creative, both a deep planner and someone skilled at improv. Whether a one-shot where all the players are vampires, or a campaign where a group of unlikely companions finds themselves somehow responsible for saving the world, he crafts a beautiful experience for his players.
— Amalia H

One of the most inventive DMs I’ve ever had for D&D. Frequently crafting interesting new options for us players and designing amazing set pieces and challenges. Also a great grasp on the system and good at managing to keep a game flowing along nicely. Infinitely creative and brings a real storytelling flair to his games. Always
— Garrett F

Not all DMs can elicit such laughter, fear, sadness, and triumph from their players as Timothy. I spent many wonderful years in a homebrew game of his, and he helped guide me from the total dnd n00b that I was to the hey-I-think-I-actually-know-what-I’m-doing player that I am today. The settings and characters he creates feel very much alive, and he is extremely thoughtful when it comes to incorporating player backstories throughout the entire game. I think fondly of those adventures as much as I do any real life memory.
— Lydia B

~ ~ ~ 

Once the Avernus game gets rolling I will be running more games on Start Playing. And keep an eye out for new releases from Midnight Moth Publications.

The Adventurous Vampire on Wobblerocket

The good folks over at Wobblerocket are featuring The Adventurous Vampire in this coming Monday’s (July 21st, 2025) Weekly Wobble, their weekly newsletter, which showcases and reviews TTRPG creations of interest, and includes fantastic discounts and delicious deals to their subscribers.

Please Note: This week, Weekly Wobble subscribers will receive a Special Discount Code for 30% off of The Adventurous Vampire, valid from July 21st through August 5th, 2025.

So SUBSCRIBE ALREADY!

Christmas in July

Midnight Moth Publications on DriveThru RPG is having a 30% Off sale

DriveThru RPG is having its annual curated Christmas in July sale, featuring Tabletop Roleplaying Game titles priced above $5.00 at a discount for a limited time, and The Adventurous Psion was selected to be part of their sale.

Publishers are encouraged to run sales in tandem with Christmas in July, and so all Midnight Moth Publications titles priced under $5.00 AND The Adventurous Psion are 30% Off from now through July 31st, 2025!

Including:

What about The Adventurous Vampire? Keep your eyes peeled for ANOTHER post concerning this …

The Adventurous Psion is now available on DriveThru RPG!

The Adventurous Psion presents the superior option for playing a Psion Player Character in your 5th Edition-compatible Tabletop Roleplaying game

The Adventurous Psion is now published by Midnight Moth Publications, and available for purchase on DriveThru RPG. I began work on it on as I was traveling on May 27th, within the scope of the Gemini New Moon, and finished up design, illustrations, and layout, and submitted The Adventurous Psion to DriveThru RPG on the late night / early morning of the Sagittarius Full Moon of June 11th / 12th.

Prior to this, I had conceived of presenting my take on the iconic psionic Player Character class, but had creatively stalled out in my attempts at working it up. For some reason, as I was engaged with making my way to Flagstaff, Arizona for the first time (and contending with the frankly awful reality of American air travel), I was inspired to make another go of it.

Strangely, I discovered that Wizards of the Coast, who publish Dungeons & Dragons, released an Unearthed Arcana on May 27th, featuring a playtest version of the Psion. I felt momentarily discouraged, but, feeling the odd and truly psychic nature of the coincidence of my decision to design my Psion the very day they released their playtest Psion, I resolved to go ahead and complete my version of the preeminent psionic controller Player Character class.

To be honest, I did look at their version, but find their playtest design of the class to be too crunchy and complicated for my taste, and really not at all like my version of the class. I intend to write up a design comparison in a follow-up to this post, so keep your eyes open and on this space in the blog-o-sphere, and your brains peeled for it when I do.

NB: If any TTRPG reviewers are interested in receiving a complimentary review copy of my Psion, please contact me here.

Om Shanti. 🖖

Warlocks, and Greenlings, and Vampires, OH MY!

A Dragon Patron Warlock uses their Breath Weapon class feature against an unfortunate serpent folk aggressor.
Illustration (c) 2025 Timothy McCown Reynolds

New works for 5th Edition compatible Tabletop Roleplaying Games (such as Dungeons & Dragons) from Midnight Moth Publications are now in the wild and available for purchase as downloadable PDFs on DriveThru RPG!

The Greenling Player’s Guide, presenting a new Plant Folk Species option for Player Characters, was released Tuesday, May 27th 2025, and the Warlock: Dragon Patron, presenting a new Subclass option for Warlock Player Characters was released yesterday, May 28th 2025.

Greenling Warrior (detail) from The Greenling Player’s Guide. Illustration (c) Timothy McCown Reynolds

These new offerings join The Adventurous Vampire , a new Player Character class option (levels 1-20) which was released for purchase on May 2nd 2025, and which will soon offer additional options in both hardcover and softcover print-on-demand formats.

Arcanist Vampire (detail) from The Adventurous Vampire. Illustration (c) Timothy McCown Reynolds

Manifesting the creative works has been immensely rewarding for me, and I am ecstatic to share them with the Tabletop Gaming community!

Om Shanti.

Selling your Soul to a Dragon for Fun & Profit

Just submitted Warlock: Dragon Patron
for publication on DriveThru RPG

Tonight is my last night in New York State for almost a month. Tomorrow morning, I drive to the airport, put the car in the long term economy lot, and fly, fly, fly to Philly, Dallas. Flagstaff, Arizona, a place I have never been to before.

I finished up the artwork for my next publication, Warlock: Dragon Patron (see the cover, above), and uploaded my files to DriveThru RPG, where it will be published via my publishing hub, Midnight Moth Publications, and be available for download later this week. This is the third title in 27 days I have submitted (along with the currently available The Adventurous Vampire, and the soon-to-be-available The Greenling Player’s Guide), and with this submission, I think I can safely say that I am starting to find flow with this process, which is satisfying.

Gatekeeping with respect to creativity – that is, having to get someone else’s permission to make something, is one of the principal impediments to art-making in the adult world. Being able to make and put out my own work from top to bottom – to design, write, illustrate, copy edit, desktop publish, and promote- is immensely empowering and rewarding, especially as up until April 30th, I hadn’t done it before.

Here’s to new ambitions, new challenges, new experiences, and new horizons.

So I will it, So Mote It Be, So it is.

Om shanti.

Making Green

I finished up The Greenling Player’s Guide and submitted it to DriveThruRPG for approval to publish as a PDF on their platform via my publishing hub, Midnight Moth Publications.

My desktop publishing setup, featuring The Greenling Player’s Guide, and a hot mug of green herbal infusion to aid me in my efforts.

The PDF should be available for purchase and download on Monday or Tuesday.