Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Tauzin.
Hi Michael, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Hello! Mike Tauzin (DM Tauzy) here. I’ve been a dungeon master for the better part of 30 years, playing mostly Pathfinder with countless friends, but always dipping back into D&D eventually.
When Covid hit, there were obviously a lot of people at home with a little bit of free time, so I decided to go professional with my craft and I created DM Tauzy Presents. It turned out to be a wise choice as we started to build a following and a player base of over a hundred D&D players.
Now, I DM for sometimes 150 players a month, including my scheduled paid games, one-shots, and corporate events as well. We just finished TwitchCon, where DM Tauzy Presents was a part of the event, and we unveiled a new active PvP game called Gladiator Gauntlet.
All in all, things are going well. We’ve been building a community where players can jump into games and would-be DMs can start to hone their craft as well.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’d say the biggest struggle/blessing with this type of business is that you get invested with your players. And then real life hits, and unlike other stores or shops that keep their distance with their clients, you struggle with your players going through it. Disease, heart-ache, depression, family obstacles, financial hardships. They all happen, and you (as a dungeon/game master) feel it. You go through it, and you hopefully come out the other side with them.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have a very niche and strange job that has (thankfully) become more and more mainstream.
I am a dungeon master, which means I facilitate (mostly) high medieval fantasy stories where the listeners are actually active players and heroes inside the story. I’ve built my reputation on knowing the rules pretty well, running a smooth and fast game, and having an experienced background in acting and improvisational technique.
I am the most proud whenever someone at the table decides to do the somewhat scary thing of becoming a dungeon/game master themselves. When they decide to tell the story they’ve always wanted to share.
What sets me apart is me. When you play with me, you get every strange idiosyncrasy, every weird voice in my head, every odd choice that sets me apart from other storytellers. You get DM Tauzy.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Trust in the players.
Saying yes is a huge aspect of this game, and trusting your players is core to the fundamentals of the game. Learning to give them space and giving them the opportunities to let their characters shine can be difficult to navigate, but it makes everything worthwhile.
Pricing:
- $25 per player per session
- $15 per player for PvP sessions
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.twitch.tv/dmtauzypresents/about
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dmtauzypresents/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DMTauzyPresents
