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Why Would You Want to Hire Me as a Dungeon Master?

Hello! My name is Toren and I live in East Vancouver! I’ve been running and playing D&D since 1985! I’ve played every edition. My preferred edition is “old school” which comes in many forms, from Basic to Old School Essentials to Shadowdark (kind of sort of). I’ve also run 5th edition with dozens of groups.

MY BONA FIDES:

I’ve designed an award winning TTRPG called Spaceship Zero
I’ve worked for Wizards of the Coast as an illustrator
I’m a professional actor and voice actor
I’ve run games and tournaments at conventions, including GenCon, and at two animation studios in town.

HOW IT WORKS

I prefer in person around a physical table – but you provide the venue
I have some miniatures, terrain and battle maps if that is the kind of game you like (I do) – I even make my own terrain!
I have a car so I can drive and potentially give other players rides if need be
I welcome and can provide consent checklists to avoid any uncomfortable awkwardness
I write adventure summaries and track noteworthy items after each session
I charge $85 (CAD) for a 4 hour session with up to 4 players. Over four players is another $15 per additional player up to 6*.

An encounter with horizontal AND vertical dimensions! From my post-apocalyptic campaign

MY DM STYLE

I’ve been Dungeon Mastering since the 80s, but I play it fairly loose with the rules.
I like to start with mini-adventures that can be completed in a single session, but if the group vibes well, longer multi-session quests are a natural next step.
You can expect memorable non-player characters with distinct quirks and vocal stylings.
I welcome any help/advice/correction with regards to rules and rulings. 
Typically, I don’t worry about alignment, but advise that reputation is important with regards to interacting with civilized society (which is the source of most quests in the realm). Criminals are treated harshly in the medieval-type world! 

The Great Gingerbread Dungeon of 2015

CAVEAT
My schedule can be a challenge. I have a full time job, a wife, a dog, a rock band that’s working on a new album, freelance illustration gigs, and another ongoing professional DM gig. So I won’t be able to meet weekly, but once or twice per month is feasable.

Interested? Reach out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2F_JzutLhl0

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Overdue Who Review: Shada – the Recently Completed Episode!

Season 17 (1979) – Fourth Doctor (TV movie)

The Doctor, Romana and K-9 are summoned to the lair of a dottering old Time Lord friend Professor Chronotis (get it? Chrono means time!) at a contemporary (1979) British university. He’s lost an important book that is the key to accessing the titular Gallifreyan prison asteroid. The evil Skagra, with inimitable fashion sense, is trying to access Shada to complete his ultimate plan of putting the entire universe into one mind – his – with the help of a cryogenically frozen inmate named Salyavin.

Skagra’s path towards this goal involves stealing the minds of important people with the aid of a floating grey sphere. His muscle is the monstrous, lumbering, silicon-based Krarg. Along for the ride with The Doctor is a student of physics who accidentally borrowed the Gallifreyan tome.

Shada was intended as the final serial of the season but filming never completed, owing to a strike. The completed version of Shada was finally released in 2017, with missing dialogue newly recorded by the original cast, using the same audio equipment employed in the initial shoot, and animated by the team that undertook the reconstruction of the 1966 serial The Power of the Daleks. 

Although this 2h18m movie could have been cut down by at least 18 minutes (just with the animated characters looking left and right alone), this is a well-written story, as Doctor Who stories go, by our good friend Douglas Adams. There are lots of his trademark witticisms delivered perfectly by Tom Baker. The Doctor manipulates the bad guy’s spaceship AI with “logic” a la Captain Kirk. There’s a chase scene where he’s riding a bicycle without a helmet. He has his memories stolen by the floating sphere when it touches his head (could this have been prevented with a bike helmet?) He has a mind control battle with the bad guy.

Sadly, Romana does precious little except to remind The Doctor of various plot points. I also had a problem with the mysterious Salyavin revealing himself for absolutely no reason at the end, to the benefit of no one but the bad guy. Animated jelly babies appear. The TARDIS goes exactly where everyone wants it to go for a change.

Oh, and the music is quite good for a change!

As a student of animation this reconstruction interests me. The animation of the human characters is stilted with fairly flat light and color, but the 2D stills of ships and backgrounds exceeds the live action sets and models. K-9 has never moved so fluidly in his CG form and even the alien Krarg are rendered in 3D to excellent effect. There’s a blog

There’s an online Doctor Who magazine called Nothing At The End of the Lane that takes a hefty, serious, thorough look at this reconstruction. I find this extremely interesting and if you watch Shada (which I recommend) you might look into it https://www.endofthelane.co.uk/Shada-Blog-1.html

Next: The Leisure Hive

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Overdue Who Review: The Horns of Nimon

Season 17 1979-1980 (4 parts)

The declining Skonnan Empire is under control of the evil ‘god-like’ NIMON, which dwells in the power complex that is for some reason also a labyrinth. It communicates with the fabulously garbed Skonnan leader SOLDEED and promises armaments in exchange for a tribute of crystals and Anethian youngsters.

The Doctor and Romana come across a spaceship on its way to Skonnan, bringing the tribute. The ship has broken down and is stranded near a black hole, but the Time Lords fix it and make their way to Skonnan. 

When the Nimon summons more of its kind, we learn the Nimon travel via artificial black holes between planets, draining resources before moving on to conquer new worlds. Such will be the fate of Skonnos if the Nimons are not thwarted!

A notorious episode and for good reason. Bad script, dreadful pacing and the minotaurs, er, I mean – NIMONS do the usual Doctor Who laughably slow, pantomime lumbering that you see in most dudes in monster costumes. But HEY – they can shoot lasers from their horns!

Graham Crowden as Soldeed is reminiscent of Jonathan Pryce as the Master in the Doctor Who parody The Curse of Fatal Death, however…

Crowden does his best to take the award for Best Worst Death Captured on Video since that 1973 Turkish movie Karate Girl

Overall, a real stinker

Next: Shada!

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It’s the Most Discounty Time of the Year – Original D&D & other TTRPG Art! Hexmas Sale

These original pencil drawings (and a couple of inks) were produced for various D&D and other RPG books and are marked down from now until Christmas.

Everything listed here is on offer for $50 USD (unless you’re in Vancouver and we can arrange in person, then $50 CAD)

CONTACT ME at :

You can see more D&D art going all the way back to AD&D/2nd edition at https://torenatkinson.com/dungeons-and-dragons-original-art/ and I’ll be giving discounts on offsale stuff too if you buy two or more pieces!

Oh, you wanted Cthulhu art instead? Ok: https://torenatkinson.com/artwork/original-art-for-sale/

Shipping to the US is typically $20 and that includes tracking and stiffening boards for maximum protection.

Arbalest

From Terror in Freeport – Reikert

From If Thoughts Could Kill (Monte Cook/Malhavoc Press) – crystal consciousness amulet

From Egyptian Adventures: Hamunaptra (3.5 edition, Green Ronin)

Skull & Bones (Green Ronin)

From BONDS OF MAGIC (Malhavoc Press)

From THIEVES WORLD GAZETEER (Green Ronin)

Demonologist (slight blemish from ink bleed through on left edge)

BOOK OF ELDRITCH MIGHT

From MINDSCAPES: BEASTS OF THE ID (Malhavoc Press)

From CAVALIER HANDBOOK (Green Ronin)

Cults of Freeport (Green Ronin)

From Temple Quarter (Game Mechanics/Green Ronin)

From Advanced Players Manual (Green Ronin)

From Advanced Bestiary (Green Ronin 2004)

From Minions (Chaosium, Call of Cthulhu)

From Monte Cook Presents: Year’s Best d20 (Malhavoc Press)

From Shaman’s Handbook (Green Ronin)

From Wrath and Rage: A Guidebook to Orcs, published by Green Ronin

From Spaceship Zero: The Roleplaying Game (2001 Green Ronin)

From Liber Bestarius (Eden Studios 2003)

From Black Sails Over Freeport (Green Ronin)

From MONSTERS OF THE MIND (Green Ronin)

From Book of the Righteous (Green Ronin)

From Monte Cook’s Arcana Unearthed D&D 3rd edition pencil on paper

From Bastards & Bloodlines D&D 3rd edition (Green Ronin Publishing) pencil on paper:

From Black Company (Green Ronin Publishing):

Book of Fiends (Green Ronin Publishing)

Aasimar and Tiefling: A Guidebook to the Planetouched (Green Ronin)

Mindshadows (Green Ronin)

Noble’s Handbook (Green Ronin)

From ORK! The Roleplaying Game (Green Ronin)

From Chaositech (Malhavoc Press)

From Creature Collection (White Wolf)

From Jade Dragons and Hungry Ghosts (Green Ronin)

From Creatures of Freeport (Green Ronin)

From Denizens of Freeport (Green Ronin)

from Touched by the Gods (Atlas Games)

From Thieves World (Green Ronin)

From THIEVES QUARTER (Game Mechanics)

from Unholy Warrior’s Handbook (Green Ronin)

From HARP (High Adventure Roleplaying Game – Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE)

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2025 The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets Cthulhu Calendar

Back in 1996 and 1997 we, the band, compiled a couple of what we called “Cyber-Cthulhu” Calendars. Why cyber? Oh, probably because of this drawing I did

I’ve been toying with the idea of putting out another Thickets calendar for several years and this year I FINALLY pulled the trigger. At first I thought I would do it on threadless, where you can get the rest of our merch like t-shirts, but threadless does not offer a 12 month calendar. So I looked elsewhere and settled on Zazzle. AND HERE’S THE LINK:

https://www.zazzle.ca/ye_olde_thickets_calendar_2025-256690516867383066

Zazzle is a US-based company and some of my local buyers here in BC tipped me off to the fact that zazzle was cancelling their orders. (I myself was able to order with no problem). Zazzle customer service hasn’t been super helpful so I thought I had better do a print run here in Vancouver to hedge some bets. Today I looked at the proof and everything looks great!

This calendar is actually a bit different than the zazzle printing. Because zazzle rejected the AMAZING Chris Woods painting of the band in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon from our first CD Cthulhu Strikes Back (you can see the image above), we replaced it with my rendition of Where the Great Old Ones Are

If you are in the general zone of Vancouver and would like to connect, I’m happy to sell you this very LIMITED EDITION calendar! $20 cash or etransfer, just contact me on my socials or at this email

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Overdue Who Review: The Horn of Nimon

Season 17, 1979, 4 parts, Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker)

Stilted minotaur aliens with laser horns dupe an impotent militaristic planet (Skonnos) into letting them invade via a black hole. The Nimon emissary’s workshop is a maze that constantly reconfigures itself for a hand-wavy reason. The leader of Skonnos looks like Jonathan Price and wins the award for most outrageously hammy acting in the series… so far. Not recommended.

Next: Shada

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Overdue Who Review: Creature from the Pit

Season 17, 1979, 4 parts, Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker)

The Doctor jumps into a pit where he meets a creature! It’s a scary alien but it’s really an ambassador from another planet, we learn, once it’s translator shield is retrieved by metal brigands (brigands who steal metal not brigands made of metal). Somehow the planet’s ruler Adastra put the alien down into her defunct mine after it landed and tried to broker a trade agreement (it wants chlorophyll for its people, Adastra’s planet is a jungle). After the Doctor, K9 and Romana II rescue the alien they have to deal with a neutron star heading for the planet.

Not a great episode/series but watchable. Has a few Douglas Adams flourishes in the dialogue. Adastra obviously comes from ‘ad astra’ meaning ‘to the stars.’ K9s voice is different. The aliens tentacle is very phallic and its ship, though described as an egg also reminds one of a bellend, to use the British vernacular. The astrologer trapped in the mines was my favourite character, I might steal him for an NPC in D&D.

Next: Nightmare of Eden

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But How Can I Get Toren’s Comics?

Recently I’ve restocked a bunch of the comic anthologies in which my work appears, and I’m making them available at very reasonable prices indeed!

EXPLODED VIEW – contains my 5 page ‘prequel’ comic that ties in with the Spaceship Zero: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets.

Cover price is $11 and I’m letting them go for $5 for a limited time

ACTS OF VIOLENCE – Back in stock! Back in the day Kevin Leeson asked me to do the art for his story “Reggie-Town” which Ed Brisson published in the anthology ACTS OF VIOLENCE along with many other impressive creatives! The book contains 4 stories and ours was 37 pages – definitely the longest comic project I’ve worked on. $10

HISTORYONICS (Cloudscape Comics) – Contains a 4 page, black and white, dialogue free “Secret Files From the World Wildlife Federation of Justice: The Ominous Origin of Rhinosferatu.” $10.

MEGA FAUNA (Cloudscape) – The culmination of my anthropomorphic animal superhero characters (so far) in print. Contains the 9-page full colour “Eye Eye Eye!” written by Ian Boothby and colored by Tanya Lehoux. Cover price $25 my price $5 for a limited time!

GIANTS OF MAIN STREET (Cloudscape) – Featuring a four page story called Tales of the Underbelly written by Kolja Liquette. Cover price is $10 and my price is $5 for a limited time!

Giants of Main Street is Cloudscape’s massive tome exploring the theme of fantasy and magic within an urban environment. This graphic novel carries the reader through a multitude of impossible cities inhabited by all manner of strange creatures. From communities ravaged by sorcerous wars to thriving metropoli preserved in bottles, this anthology has it all. After all, anything imagined can be found between the cracks if you are brave enough to look.

FUNDAY SUNNIES – Cloudscape

Contains a 1 page parody of those old Hostess Fruit Pies ads. In”Mid-Afternoon of the Living Dead” Go-Rilla finds the only way to stop Elk Diablo’s evil plan is with General Woodcock’s Wholesome Flax Pies! Free with any purchase but it’s wider and longer than the other books so that may affect shipping prices if we’re doing this through the mail

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20 Minute Monster Series: Fiend Folio

For the first Monster Manual series, click here

Berbalang breaks a bard

Diana debates a dark stalker in a dank dungeon. The Darkling was seen in the cartoon episode “Winds of Darkness”

Evil ettercap entices an eager elf with an emerald

bonus E entry

Four flail snails frolic in a fuschia foyer

A grey-green grell grapples a gravid grimlock with a greataxe in a granite grotto

Hook Horror appeared in the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon “City on the Edge of Midnight”

Jermlaine jousting for jars of jujubes

Khaki kenku with katana kicks a khargra in the keel

Lilac lachrymose lava children lamenting the loss of their luggage

Many merciless maroon meenlocks menace a manly mountain mage

Nude nilbog nerfs a noble knight and a needy gnome in a navy nave

Ochre ogrillon observes obvious osquip in the old outhouse

As seen in the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon episode “The Garden of Zinn”

A reliable retriever wrecks a rector in the reredorter

Three theatrical thorks threaten a thief (Sheila from the D&D cartoons)

Underneath an undulating ultramarine umpleby unveiling it’s umbilical ulexite

Various vexing volts victimize a vizier in a vermillion void

Wild warty witherstenches worry a wayward wizard in a winter waste

Xill, as seen in the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon episodes “Servant of Evil” and “P-R-E-S-T-O Spells Disaster”

Y is for Yellow Musk Creeper and Z is for Zombie, Yellow Musk. Featuring Ruddiger the elf!

Stay Tuned for the Monster Manual II, coming later in 2024. Like what I do? Send me a dollar on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/torenatkinson

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Three Quick DM Tips

Prefer to watch as a 3 minute video? See below

TIP 1 – use a colored marker on your dungeon map to indicate what the player characters might smell, hear and see

TIP 2 – on the bottom of each page of your notebook, write some character names so that when your players ask what an NPC’s name is, you don’t have to come up with something on the spot. Also on the back page of your book keep a list of voices you can do. Be prepared!

TIP 3 – get some small cards and on each one write some miscellaneous personal effects that a downed enemy might have, or might be found when searching a room. Let the players pick a card randomly for added flavor and fun!