We’re interviewing game masters in our Kobold Creates program. In this program, Kobold Press provides sponsorship funds for digital creators who create and stream their own content using the Tales of the Valiant RPG as a base, expanding in creative ways!

Today’s GM interview is with James Kidd, GM for RPG Familiar on YouTube!

James, give us your elevator pitch.

My name is James Kiddm and over the last 6–7 years I’ve experienced firsthand how drastically tabletop can change somebody’s life. I’ve been in the tabletop space since 2018, playing in several games and eventually running my own games late in 2019. As of 2024, I’m a professional game master running games with Kobold Press and StartPlaying.

I’m also a TTRPG content creator on my YouTube channel, RPG Familiar, where my wonderful friends and I cover Reddit TTRPG Horror stories, Tales of the Valiant content breakdowns, as well as various Actual Plays that we record and run in our home studio based in Atlanta. Over the course of the few years we’ve been creating we’ve obtained sponsorships with several amazing companies and publishers such as Kobold Press with their Kobold Creates program, and Misty Mountain Gaming with their dice and tabletop accessories shop.

What got you interested in GMing?

I was first interested in GMing after experiencing a world and a story that a close friend of mine, Emma Satterfield, created and ran for some friends and me. It was my first TTRPG experience that lasted roughly two and a half years, complete with a proper ending, an epilogue, and several after-campaign one-shots. I remember how much joy the experience brought me to be a player in the story and how I wanted to give that same experience to her and others, to share those wonderful moments and to create something meaningful with friends.

Do you make your own setting or use a published one? What’s your favorite thing you’ve created or added to a world?

I often use the same homebrew setting that Emma created for our original home campaign. Her story took place on one continent in the world, and when it was my turn to take up the mantle, I created my own continent across the ocean from hers, which is my pride and joy. We’ve since gone back and updated the world, expanded upon it with other continents, and fleshed it out further with custom planes and deities.

What’s your favorite compliment you’ve ever gotten from a player?

My favorite compliment from a player that I’ve received is that they thanked me for running a game because they had been having a particularly rough week, and it had been the first time all week they could take their mind off of their troubles. That inspires me to create and prep for my games and for my friends, knowing that I can create a moment of calm in someone’s mind, where a storm has been brewing that no one else could see. It’s moments like that one, and for all of the unspoken moments just like it, which keeps me creating and running games.

Did you ever feel burned out? What did you do to take care of it?

Burnout is inevitable. I will not be the first or the last person to tell you that it happens to everyone. If you are currently feeling burnt out, do not let that keep you down.

I know that when I’m feeling burned out, I often do one of two things: I either put down all things TTRPG-related, including media and conversations, and just let my mind rest. Or, I begin consuming as much fantasy media as I can to try to jumpstart my love for the hobby again.

The important piece here is that you should never try to force yourself out of a resting period if you need time to sit and think. Use this time to do other things that you enjoy.

What advice do you have for someone who is thinking about GMing?

if you’re even slightly considering GMing, you should pull the trigger and speak with your fellow players, friends, and game masters in your life about your interest. I also recommend leaning on the game masters or friends who know the rules of whichever game you’re planning on playing and allowing them to help occasionally backseat GM for you while you get the hang of running games. It’s very freeing to know that you can focus on the story elements and just run it by a game master or experienced player beforehand to work out any potential bumps, and even better if they’re playing in the game so they can help you make calls on rules and mechanics if you get stumped.

What’s a story from your early GMing experience?

I want to share a story and an example of something not to do. When I started GMing a campaign, I was very excited to tell a story with twists and villains and world-ending dilemmas. And in the process of creating that story, I lost track of who the story was for.

My players came to the table with these amazing characters and I immediately threw them far into the future in this setting. All of their NPCs attached to their characters were now out of reach, their homeland unfamiliar to them, and this looming threat ultimately didn’t mean much to their characters besides being something that uprooted them.

All of this is to say, remember that you’re not telling just any story. Focus on telling the story that everyone at the table is interested in participating in and that inspires them to keep coming back.

What resources or other creators would you recommend to fellow GMs?

I’m a big fan of Runesmith, Pointy Hat, and The DungeonCast on YouTube when I’m looking to expand my worldbuilding knowledge and lore. They provide an out-of-the-box approach in their media coverage which inspires me to take worldbuilding liberties and improves the fun had at my tables.

Is there anything you’ve done that you’d like other people to see?

I would love for people to watch our Inside Out themed one shot on our YouTube channel, called Forget Me Not. It deals with themes of memory loss and family dynamics but it’s also a great example of an experienced GM backseating for a new storyteller. Crystal Le, the fabulous GM for this one shot, had zero GMing experience before we recorded this story, and I like to use this video as proof that you can tell an amazing story and run an entertaining game even if you don’t have any experience behind the GM screen.

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