Cid. Professional Game Master.

Founder, creative director, designer, and lead engineer of Mighty Meat Shield, a studio of one. I build the worlds, write the seasonal arcs, ship the bot stack, and run the table.

20+
Years Behind the Screen
529+
Games Hosted
32+
Five-Star Reviews
TOP 4%
GM on StartPlaying
96%
Player Retention
100%
Onboarding Completion

What Kind of GM You're Hiring

High-lethality, high-agency, zero plot armor. My table is a safe space for players and a dangerous place for characters. I don't fudge dice and I don't pull punches, and I'm still your biggest fan: I want you to claw your way out and win. My wheelhouse is grimdark, horror, and high fantasy, with 20+ years across D&D editions, Call of Cthulhu, Dungeon Crawl Classics, Cyberpunk RED, Lancer, Traveller, Fabula Ultima, FASERIP, and a long tail of systems most paid DMs won't touch.

The difference from a typical GM-for-hire is the infrastructure. Mighty Meat Shield runs persistent Play-by-Post worlds like live-service games: seasonal storylines, world bosses, a custom Discord bot stack that tracks inventory and rolls auditable dice, and free character builders for every system in rotation. The full operating manual, posting cadence, absence policy, combat pacing, is public on How I Run Games.

What Players Say

"Cid is an amazing storyteller and world builder... His ability to balance risk and create a sense of stakes in each scene is phenomenal."
Shea, 161 sessions
"Cid responds well to player agency, adapting the story to accommodate our choices while maintaining a coherent narrative."
Scotty, 129 sessions
"There are consequences for actions and non actions. I don't know many GM's that can make their world/environment feel that organic and alive."
Devin, 85 sessions

Read all 32+ reviews on StartPlaying →

Hiring a Professional Game Master: Common Questions

Q: How much does a professional game master cost?
A: Here, Play-by-Post runs $15/week direct (or $18/week via StartPlaying), live sessions are $25/session, and the 30-day Trial Pass is a one-time $30. Custom private groups are $30/player/week, duets $60. Industry-wide, paid GMs typically charge $15 to $30 per player per session.
Q: What do you get from a paid GM that a free game doesn't give you?
A: Reliability and production value. Free games commonly die when the GM gets busy. A professional game master gives you a committed posting cadence, a persistent world with real infrastructure, prepared sessions, and a refund policy. The game is a product, and it keeps shipping.
Q: What systems does Cid run?
A: Active worlds currently run Fabula Ultima, D&D 5e, FASERIP, Traveller, and Sentinel Comics. Browse them on the Worlds page, or ask in Discord about upcoming systems.
Q: How do I try a game before committing?
A: The $30 Trial Pass is one full month inside a persistent Play-by-Post world, no commitment, exclusive to this site.

Sit at the Table

One month, one persistent world, one professional game master whose job is to ruin you for every other PbP you'll ever play.

Start a $30 Trial Pass →

Or subscribe direct for $15/week · read how I run games · browse the worlds