Lurking Fears is a company full of game masters (GMs) who run sessions of tabletop RPGs at conventions. They started out in 2020 with less than twenty people and now employ more than seven times that amount. I played in their games at PAX Unplugged this year and heard good things about them at other events. GiN asked them some questions about what it’s like to become game masters for players all around the world at conventions of all sizes.
It’s clear that the hunger for tabletop gaming and role-playing has given rise to professional GM businesses. And it’s not just in America either. Business Insider recently wrote about a similar company that was wildly successful in Taiwan. For the Lurking Fears GMs, their passion for gaming has led them to a career that they enjoy, and one whose demand is very much on the rise.
GiN: When and how did Lurking Fears start?
Founder and CEO of Lurking Fears Matt McCloud: Lurking Fears started about 5 years ago from the request of a publisher and good friend, Eric Bloat of Bloat Games, who asked me to run his games at conventions. I went to conventions all the time and heard the horror stories of players who paid out a lot of money to attend a convention and play a game, only to sit through a game with an unprepared or not very exciting GM that brought down their convention experience as well as their expectations of a game they wanted to try.
I realized that I have a lot of friends in the industry who are great GMs, so I created Lurking Fears as a group designed to help GMs run games at conventions and be a link between the publishers and players at conventions. We recruit and vet professional GMs to run games that publishers want to introduce to the players at conventions, so that players can learn the game and get excited about getting the game for themselves. As we have grown, it was clearly evident that Lurking Fears would need to expand the staff of one to a staff of four hard-working people—Betty and Chris Tatum, Jonathon Myhre and myself. It still keeps us all very busy.
GiN: How many GMs did you start with, and how many do you have now?
Matt McCloud: Back in 2020, I believe we had maybe 15 GMs who ran about 80 to 100 games and only at Origins. Now we have a roster of around 140 that we pull from to run between 300 to over 400 games per convention at cons all over like Origins, Gen Con, Game Hole Con and PAX Unplugged, with even more projected this year.
GiN: What are some of your most requested games?
COO of Lurking Fears Betty Tatum and CFO of Lurking Fears Thomas “Chris” Tatum: We work closely with Free League publishing, and their catalog is very popular with most players. Titles like Aliens, Dragonbane, The One Ring and Vaesen are always big hits, and we can never seem to schedule enough of them. In addition to Free League, we also work with Arcane Library (publisher of Shadowdark) and Chaosium (publisher of the 1995 Call of Cthulhu RPG) both of which are fan favorites as well. No matter what Lurking Fears presents to the players, however, we ensure our game masters always bring their best efforts to the table, so the players have a great time!
GiN: How does Lurking Fears prepare for PAX Unplugged versus Gen Con versus Origins?
Betty Tatum and Thomas “Chris” Tatum: Planning for any convention starts nine to 12 months prior to the convention dates. With the variety of publishers we partner with, we need to ensure our game masters are comfortable representing the publisher’s game to the players. Pax Unplugged planning is treated the same way as other conventions in that we discuss in advance with our publisher partners which game(s) and how many of them they want us to feature.
We work with the convention organizers to obtain an appropriately sized game room, then turn to finding the game masters who want to go and will represent those games as well as finding admin support staff. While our footprint is smaller in comparison to our Origins or Gen Con presence, it still requires a lot of planning to ensure that players walk away from the tables with a great experience.
GiN: What are some of your favorite games to run and why?
Chief Game Master (CGM) of Lurking Fears Jonathon “Mr. Dragonbane” Myhre: My favorite games to run are Dragonbane, Shadowdark and Paranoia, each offering unique and completely different experiences that keep players on their toes. Dragonbane blends classic fantasy with modern mechanics, delivering fast-paced gameplay and rich storytelling, while mixing humor into high-stakes adventure. In retro, Shadowdark captures the essence of old-school dungeon crawlers, emphasizing player creativity and more detailed resource management. For example, tracking torches that last only 60 minutes of real time. Go ahead adventurers, talk around the table while your torch goes out.
Meanwhile, Paranoia thrives on crazy, dark humor and lots of mistrust as players navigate a dystopian world (Alpha Complex) ruled by the oppressive and unpredictable Friend Computer. Each session becomes a chaotic blend of betrayal, hilarity, and don’t forget, happiness is mandatory.
GM Glenn Buettner: My favorite games are Vaesen and Call of Cthulhu. The reason why is because I love the slow build of an investigative game while also watching the players start to squirm as the horror of what is happening unfolds before them.
GM Tom Frisby: There’s so many wonderful games out there to choose from! The game I’m currently running at home is Forbidden Lands by Free League. It’s a gritty fantasy game with a survival aspect that a lot of games don’t really have. It also has a twist on some classic fantasy ideas that makes it unique. Traveller is another great game because it’s so expansive. It’s a space sci-fiction game and tends to be pretty realistic in its stories. The game has a history almost as long as Dungeons and Dragons as it was released back in 1977. I’ve also run a lot of Shadowdark this past year as it is just a fun and easy game to run or play.
GM “Ghostman” Brandon Welch: I absolutely love running Mörk Borg and Death in Space, both from Stockholm Kartell, and are core books available through Free League. The Kartell puts out great games, the art is amazing, the rules are easy to understand and allow unfettered player agency. “Rules lite” doesn’t mean less rules for no reason, it means less nonsense to bog you down. “Data over lore” means you don’t get to fixate over some 28-page backstory (I have never seen one of those make a game more fun, never).
As a GM you are free to go with the flow of the game and enjoy yourself. Tons of random tables make scenarios different every time, and I only need to ask for a die roll when failure will make the game more entertaining. I’m playing the game as well, instead of being forced into the role of some narcissist. You don’t play against me, you play against the game. People love the freedom, and I am also people.
GiN: What games or scenarios work best for conventions versus a home campaign?
Jonathon “Mr. Dragonbane” Myhre: All of them! Every system, adventure and scenario can shine at both conventions and in home campaigns when approached with the right mindset. As the Chief Game Master of Lurking Fears, we bring passionate GMs to the table, ensuring that games are engaging and memorable whether in a four-hour block, a two-hour block or even a quick one-hour session. Professional game masters have the ability to make each game the highlight of the con, adapting to the needs and energy of any player that sits at their table.
Home campaigns, however, are built on trust and the willingness of your loyal group of players to explore whatever you bring to the table. For my home group, I love introducing a variety of systems, expanding their horizons and helping them discover what they love or dislike. Many of my players are also GMs, and it’s incredible to watch them latch onto a system and make it their own.
GM Karyssa Creager: My all-time favorite game to run at conventions would be Paranoia: Perfect Edition by Mongoose Publishing. Other systems require teamwork to accomplish your goal but not Paranoia! You are rewarded for making the most chaotic decisions imaginable, which makes for some hilarious events. I’ve never finished a Paranoia mission without laughing so hard I cried.
Scenarios that work best at conventions are those that don’t require heavy backstory and allow players to just have fun and explore. Scenarios with low stress on making the right decision and instead focus on making a good story I find are best for conventions. These types of scenarios lead to laughter and good times had by all.
GM Gail Clendenin: Call of Cthulhu is the game that got me into convention play. I love building tension at tables and the looming threat of insanity and disaster. More recently, I’ve run a lot of Alien with Lurking Fears. Alien balances easy mechanics with a stress system that can eventually spiral and really doom the party. Players understand the world of Alien and threats like face-huggers, which helps them lean into roleplay at a convention table. It’s perfect for one-shot games.
Call of Cthulhu is my favorite home campaign game. It’s a system that highlights player cleverness and creativity. I love building investigation stories and watching players unravel the horrors, all the while knowing they are fragile humans.
GM Tom Frisby: For home games, I tend to go with something that has a good long-term story that my players can get invested in. I don’t really run a lot of pre-written scenarios as I tend to let my players go where they will with only some gentle steering here and there. I react to what they’re doing and put challenges in their way for them to overcome. That way, the game flows in a natural fashion and they get to tell their story. Any game can really be run that way, but for now I run Forbidden Lands and I’m getting ready to start an online Castles and Crusades game as well.
For conventions, it’s different. You need a game that moves fast and is easy to learn, and Shadowdark is perfect. It only takes about 5 minutes to learn to play Shadowdark, and the rules are simple. It makes the game easy for a GM to run. I really like the Raiders of the Hidden Temple scenario as it’s a fun adventure. The players often find themselves with an unusual moral choice in it, and it can be run in a two-hour session. I’ve introduced a lot of people to Shadowdark this past year, and it’s really been a great experience seeing the smiles on their faces.
Conclusion
As you can see from the enthusiasm of the GMs we talked with, they not only meet the critical needs of players at conventions but also enjoy their jobs very much.
People are happy to pay for a slot so that they can game with a top GM, and the market is only going to grow as more and more people embrace tabletop RPGing.