Our resolution this year is to play more games—with you!
9th Level Games hosts games every month on StartPlaying, the largest online platform for players to find tabletop roleplaying games and professional GMs for any game system and any virtual tabletop! While most games on StartPlaying are Dungeons & Dragons or similar, we are your renegade indie holdout, GMing a series of wacky, weird, and wonderful one-shots for anyone and everyone looking for something new.
So who's GMing?
This year, we are so excited to bring you new games, FREE games, and a guaranteed experience of roleplaying fun along with our wonderful, experienced team of GMs:
Trick is a professional librarian who moonlights as a nefarious gamemaster several times a month for friends both local and remote. He favors spiked pit traps over unspiked ones, loves clever players, and even if he groans about it, enjoys when his plans unravel into chaos. Join Trick for games of Mazes—he's one of the original Maze Controllers and is the lead writer on the Mazes Books of Seasons. Find him on Instagram @fading_interest.
Bug is one of those Millennial Punks you have heard about on the interwebs. Their hair is too loud and their music is too bright. Their favorite activities are fighting fascists, painting pictures, and petting dogs. Join Bug for games of Kobolds Ate My Baby! and The Excellents—they started running games for 9th Level around 2005 and since then have become a leading cause of death for kobolds in the Midwest. Find them on Instagram @thebomberbug.
Graham is a board game expert, game designer, educator, comic book writer, event facilitator, master dungeon master, and all-around bringer of fun. Join Graham for games of The Excellents and The Very Good Dogs of Chernobyl—With over 20 years of experience, Graham prides himself on finding the right game for every person and each occasion. Find him on Instagram @boardgameambassador & Twitter @ThisMayBeGraham.
Pat makes games in NYC. He coauthored Business Wizards and contributed to the Very Good Dogs of Chernobyl. Join Pat for games of Business Wizards—his GM style emphasizes improvisation, exploration, and turning player's humorous suggestions into madcap fiascos. In his spare time he teaches Neuroscience & AI at Minerva University and writes about love, amnesia, and radical cyborgs. Find him on Twitter @patrickdkwatson.
What can I play?
Mazes is a return to the classic sword and sorcery dungeon crawler with award-winning, yet delightfully simple modern rules. The first TTRPG to use the polymorph system, Mazes is easy to learn and teach, and ready to play without a lot of prep. It's a distillation and modernization of the classic Dungeon Delve, making it a perfect introduction for those new to roleplaying, as well a great excuse for grognards to get back into the dungeon!
Do you love a challenge? Can you cast legendary spells on time and under budget? Are your illusionary projections actually illusions? Join a magically powered up team with flexible hours and competitive treasure/experience share.
Designed for brand new players and seasoned "professionals" alike, Business Wizards is pun-tastic corporate horror that will appeal to literally anyone who's ever, you know, worked a job.
The classic game of beer and pretzels roleplaying! In Kobolds Ate My Baby! you are a KOBOLD! In the service of King Torg (ALL HAIL KING TORG!) your life will undoubtedly be silly, brutal, and short. You may be crushed by cows falling from the sky. You may be obliterated by meteorites, betrayed by friends, or brained by frying pans. And if you're really lucky, you may survive long enough to bring back a tasty treat to the Kobold Caves.
IT’S TIME TO PRINCESS UP! You’ve earned a sword! You’ve won a crown! Now you have a responsibility to help keep Awesome World awesome and safe. Are you PRINCESS enough?! Oh...did we mention the Princesses are in a band The Excellents is a tabletop roleplaying game set in AWESOME WORLD, a cartoon realm of fun and whimsy. Each cartoon adventure is created by the players and Game Mistress (GM) working together.
Do I need experience?
We welcome players to our games AT ALL LEVELS of experience. Old school Fantasy Role-Playing nerds will enjoy our games right along with newbies entering the scene and trying out this thing we call "roleplaying" for the very first time. All of these games run on polymorph—a rules light, storytelling-focused TTRPG system that is easy to learn and perfect for one-shots. Plus, our GMs bring years upon years of experience to their leadership, and all of them take joy in creating a fun and exciting adventure for everyone at the virtual table.
I've heard enough. Sign me up!