Astro Artificer- Essential Insights
- Adventures on the High Seas
- Chapter 1: The Red Box Kid (Philippines, 1980s)
- Chapter 2: The Theater Years (College & Beyond)
- Chapter 3: The Return (4th Edition Era)
- Chapter 4: Adventurers League Grind (2014-2015)
- Chapter 5: The Wizards Connection (2016-2017)
- Chapter 6: The Pivot to Pro (The Transition)
- Chapter 7: Diversification (Building Multiple Streams)
- Chapter 8: The D20 Cruise (The Big Gig)
- Chapter 9: All Endings are New Beginnings
- D&D 35,000 Feet in the Air
Essential Insights
Jay Africa runs D&D on cruise ships, writes adventures for Indie RPGs, and consults for experience designers. But ten years ago, he was just another GM running weekly games at his local game store.
Here's what his journey teaches us about building a sustainable GM business:
1. Your "Unrelated" Skills Are Your Competitive Advantage
Jay's theater background (vocal training, scenic design) and experience as a dad didn't distract from his GMing, they became his signature. The skills you build outside D&D are what let you stand out in a crowded market.
2. Volume Builds Visibility (and Opportunity)
Jay went from running 1 game a week to 2-3 games a week across multiple stores. This wasn't just practice; it was strategic positioning. Wizards of the Coast found him because he was already showing up where the industry was looking.
3. Say Yes to Weird Gigs
Corporate team-building. Movie promotions. Themed Event consulting. Kids’ writing camps. Each "weird" opportunity expanded Jay's skill set and client base. This is the literal definition of "Beyond the Table", using GM skills to solve problems that have nothing to do with a d20.
4. Be a Steward, Not Just a GM
Jay wears his D&D merch everywhere. On cruise ships, strangers approach him constantly: "Oh, you're with those D&D folks. Tell me more." The best GMs attract clients by being visible, passionate stewards of the game, not by waiting for players to find them.
5. Commit to the Hustle (But Be Patient)
When Jay moved to the Bay Area, he had to rebuild his clientele from scratch. He makes flyers, posts at coffee shops, and reminds every player: "If you enjoyed this, send your friends my way." Sustainability isn't about luck; it's about consistent self-promotion over time.
6. Adapt to the Market, But Stay True to Your Strengths
At Alamo Drafthouse, Jay runs assigned adventures (adapting to what's needed). At the D20 cruise, he runs his signature boat adventure (his unique style). The pros know when to shape themselves to the market, and when to let the market shape itself to them.
The Bottom Line: Jay's success isn't about being the "best" DM. It's about building communities, showing up consistently, and treating GMing as a business worth investing in. The table is just the beginning.
Read on for Jay's full journey, from the Red Box in the Philippines to running games 35,000 feet in the air.
Adventures on the High Seas
What does a cruise ship, theater acting, going on the Chelsea Handler show, and helping kids improve their writing have to do with D&D?
It turns out, a lot. Meet Jay Africa, aka as the TransplantAsian. Jay is a professional GM who has been playing D&D for almost his entire life. Now, he is a dad, who GMs for a 5-day cruise called D20 Cruise, appears on the Happy Jacks Podcast ,and a TTRPG writer as well.
Jay Africa didn't set out to run D&D on cruise ships. He started like most of us, a kid in the Philippines who discovered a Red Box at school during the height of the Satanic Panic. But somewhere between his theater career and becoming a dad, he realized something most GMs miss entirely.
"There is so much out in the gaming community beyond, like, your home game and your table," Jay told me during our interview.
That realization changed everything. Today, Jay writes adventures for TTRPGs, consults for Themed Experience Designers, and yes, runs D&D games on cruise ships. Here's how he got there, and what you can learn from his journey. Here is how he went Beyond the Table.
Chapter 1: The Red Box Kid (Philippines, 1980s)
It all began with a Red Box on a humid day in the Philippines. The Satanic Panic was at full swing, and everything from heavy metal, Pokémon, Magic the Gathering, to Dungeons and Dragons was vilified. In the midst of that era, Jay's friends brought a mysterious red box to school, one with a picture of a warrior and a ferocious dragon on its cover. The first edition of D&D. In Jay's own words:
"It changed my life that one day"
He was instantly hooked as he and his friends learned this weird game called Dungeons and Dragons. He kept on playing the game, and eventually found himself a teenager, and then finally an adult. As he went to college to pursue a career in acting, he said his goodbyes to the game, not knowing that it would fall right into his orbit soon enough.
Lesson 1: The Seeds are already planted
Your first love of the game matters. That foundational passion is what you'll come back to, and what will sustain you when the business gets hard.
Chapter 2: The Theater Years (College & Beyond)
During the college years, Jay chased after his dreams of making it big in Hollywood as an actor. He began auditioning for shows during his college years, working on set design and performing on theatre stages. After graduating from Cal State Northridge, he and his friends started a theater company in Hollywood. It was tough, but he worked relentlessly on promoting the shows via social media and newsletters, creating graphic designs for the production box art, building stage sets, and even acting in a few of the plays that came out of the theater. There was no time for Dungeons and Dragons. That wouldn't change until a decade later.
Lesson 2: Your "Wasted Time" isn't Wasted
Every skill you build outside of D&D becomes your competitive advantage later. Jay's talents, like social media marketing, graphic design, and acting, could all seem random, but all of the "random" skills forge the tools you can use for standing out in a crowded Pro-GM business
All that stuff, like theater, being a dad, the other kind of aspects of my life, those all ended up contributing to D&D later on
Chapter 3: The Return (4th Edition Era)
The years quietly passed on. Jay found himself the father of two kids, with all of the responsibilities and work that comes with it. However, a new edition of D&D came out around that same time, which was D&D 4E. As he picked it up again, he began to use the skills that he had been developing over his life span. His vocal training became his NPC's voices. His graphic design skills became table maps. And his kids became some of his newest players. As a nerdy dad, Jay remarked that when he started having kids, he "could not wait to get them into the game". He ran the Ghostbusters RPG for them, with one of his favorite memories of his "little three-year-old with like a handful of dice". He had returned to his childhood nostalgia, but this time as a dad with years of life behind him.
Lesson 3: Bring Your Whole Self to the Table
Life is rarely easily fractionated. Every part of your life blends. Why should TTRPGs be any different? Your unique experiences shape you, so let it shape your campaigns as well. Your life experience is your brand. Use it.
Chapter 4: Adventurers League Grind (2014-2015)
The incredibly polarizing run of the fourth edition led to the rapid development of D&D's next phase, which was D&D 5E. This exploded the game's popularity wildly to mass audiences. This was around when I started playing D & D (Yes, I am a spring chicken). At this point, Jay had returned to the scene and began running campaigns for the Adventurer's League. At first, it was just one game a week at an LA game store. Then it turned into 2, then 3, and Jay began GMing seriously for a public audience. He began reading tomes of adventure, planning encounters, and even writing his own campaigns. Jay had just begun his first foray into professional GMing. Even though the 5E Adventurer's League was mostly voluntary, his rewards would be worth more than the gold pieces in his games.
Lesson 4: Volume Builds Skill (and Visibility)
Running multiple games per week wasn't just practice; it made him visible to the community. By meeting a variety of new players every week, his game master skills became polished, he began learning new talents, and positioned himself to meet the right people.
Chapter 5: The Wizards Connection (2016-2017)
Critical Role exploded onto the scene and brought D&D notoriety to an ever-growing enclave of fans. It started the trend of "actual play", or live streaming TTRPGs for online audiences. Wanting to seize the moment, Wizards of the Coast started hosting scores of events to promote the D&D brand. Jay got himself roped into this and went on some crazy adventures. As one of the top organizers in the LA area for the Adventurer's League, WoTC started reaching out. "Hey Jay, can you promote this LA event? We need GMs for our launch events. We need celebrity players". He just started saying yes. That is how he recruited for the Chelsea Handler show, booking Flula Borg for a Live D&D event. Jay called this lucky, but in reality, he was just present. When you're present for life, life gives you the strangest opportunities. So, just say yes.
If there's one, like, big piece of advice that I would give anybody who's interested in kind of going beyond the table, go to conventions. Go to conventions and meet people, meet other game designers and other authors and publishers.
Lesson 5: Show Up
Start showing up where the industry is. Conventions, organized plays, and events aren't just for fun; they're where opportunities find you. Be present, because you never know where life will find you. That's not luck, that's positioning
Chapter 6: The Pivot to Pro (The Transition)
This entire time, Jay had been working a variety of day jobs. He had bills and kids after all, so he needed something stable. Then one day, a day job contract had ended, and Jay decided to actively look for "game master opportunities". He ended up finding one, but not on SPG (which didn't exist at the time), but rather on Linkedin of all places. It was for a nonprofit called Writopia Lab, which helped kids learn to write. Few people knew how to run Avatar Legends, the RPG, so he was a natural fit. As a dad, running games for kids came naturally to him, and it was an "incredible experience" for Jay, who remarked that the kids were "deeply immersed" in the game. He then applied for Hero's workshop as well, and just started running after-school sessions, summer camps, and birthday parties. Jay had finally begun to transition into professional GMing.
On how he made this career sustainable:
"The biggest shift into the direction that I went into is honestly just kinda committing to running games"
Lesson 6: Take the Plunge
Professional GMing is entrepreneurial. The crucial step isn't waiting for perfect conditions; it's actively seeking opportunities and demonstrating confidence in your skills. Jay didn't wait for permission. He committed.
Chapter 7: Diversification (Building Multiple Streams)
After Jay took the plunge, professional D&D opportunities kept on showing up, but in the strangest of forms. A friend recruited him for a corporate team-building event. Parents from his summer camp adventures hired him for birthday parties. When Honor Among Thieves was released in theaters, Alamo Drafthouse (which you can still find him at the SF location) booked his services to promote the movie. It was so successful that they hired him for monthly ongoing games. Thematic experience designers even reach out, asking, "Can you run a game to help us develop ideas?" He also began writing on the side for organizations like the West Coast Adventurers Guild. None of these opportunities came conventionally packaged. But by simply asking and being open, he embarked on wild professional GMing adventures.
Lesson 7: Say Yes to Weird Opportunities
This is the literal definition of "Beyond the Table", using GM skills to solve problems for businesses that have nothing to do with a d20. Each weird gig expands your skill set, client base, and market understanding. Corporate team-building. Movie promotions. Experience Design consulting. Kids' camps.
Chapter 8: The D20 Cruise (The Big Gig)
Imagine showing up on a cruise destined for beautiful, far off tropical harbors. During the long journey between ports, you showed up in a room to play D&D with hundreds of other deeply committed players. Then, as you walked around the cruise ship, you saw fellow players, other TTRPG nerds, and other members of your hive mind. Playing D&D on a cruise is a dream come true for many. It's an even bigger dream to get to be paid to do it.
Jay seemed to find himself at the right place, at the right time. The cruise organizers wanted to build an RPG cruise event. They found Jay online through their mutual connections and recruited him as a consultant. Jay found celebrity guests for the first cruise. He was rewarded with a hefty prize, a guaranteed Dungeon Master spot. The players loved him, and they wanted him to come back. So he returned the next year, and the year after that.
The people who go on a cruise to play games, they are very, very committed to the experience. You're gonna have to be. We've experienced some really incredible, like, role play moments where they'll really get invested in the story.
Jay found that these players didn't just like D&D. They LOVED it. They got deep into the roleplaying, which provided Jay with some of his favorite GMing moments. With the gentle boom of the waves crashing onto the boat and the salt air running through the balconies, players got deeply invested in their adventures at sea. He had found his buried treasure after years of searching for it.
Lesson 8: The Payoff: An experience of a lifetime
It is a surreal experience to travel on a cruise filled with strangers who absolutely love D&D. However, the real reward isn't the cruise; It's the chance to deeply connect with people over a game you love. This is the essence of Ikigai, or "your reason to be". Jay got to do something he loved, with what the world wanted to pay him for. It is very rare to be aligned in both purpose and profit.
Chapter 9: All Endings are New Beginnings
Today, Jay is still running campaigns on the D20 Cruise (get your tickets if you can!). After moving to San Francisco, he has been employed by Alamos Draft House and is rebuilding his audience over there. He's still raising his kids. Some may say the last chapter has been the highlight of his life, but I wouldn't be so quick. There's still a lot more left to life after all.
Before I end this article, I wanted to share extra nuggets of wisdom from Jay Africa.
On the principle of Commitment
I think a really important thing to know is that you do have to build it up, and that takes time. That takes time... It's a hustle. You have to kind of commit to the hustle. I'll tell you that much too.
Jay is open about having a supportive partner who gave him room to experiment. For aspiring pros, the lesson is clear. To make GMing sustainable, you have to commit to it. However, when you are beginning, having a stable source of income (like a day job) to provide a runway helps you make the eventual commitment. The reality check is that building your Pro-GMing business will take time. Like all things worth doing, building a network of connections and audience requires patience. It takes hustle. But it's worth it.
On the principle of Connection
Go to conventions. Go to conventions and meet people, meet other game designers and other authors and publishers and sort of the people who have their fingers on the pulse of gaming and the gaming industry. ... If you get yourself out there, if you kind of, like, do a little research, know which conventions are kind of the places to be and the places to kinda meet people, you can really get to know the community in a way that you might not have. ... It really enlivens and enriches how you see the game. Of course, that affects how you play the game and how you run the game, the things you kind of do for the game
Jay has had a crazy number of opportunities that seemingly ended up on his lap. To some, it may seem lucky. But luck is merely where preparation meets opportunity. Show up where the people you want to meet are, and get yourself out there. At worst, you meet new friends. At best, you could be running D&D games on cruises.
On the principle of Self Promotion
You do have to put the legwork into promoting yourself, getting the word out. You can't be shy about asking for players or promoting yourself, certainly. Remind your players, "if you enjoy my game and you you hear of anybody else who's interested, please send them my way".
You miss 100% of the shots that you never take, so be bold in asking. Most people will never consider the idea of booking you beyond the table, even if they would enjoy the table. It's not their fault; they simply hadn't considered it. Many people are afraid of asking for reviews, feedback, referrals, etc., because they are scared of losing customers. The truth is, the customers who do love you will jump at the chance to help you. Why deny yourself their help?
On the principle of Niche and Adaptation
What a lot of people don't understand is that not every play style matches every GM. "If you want to kind of commit to being a pro GM, sometimes you do have to adapt and understand that, like, okay. These players want a different experience. It's not something I'm used to, but I'm gonna learn how to run this table for them... Sometimes you do have to shape yourself to the market instead of expecting that the market's gonna shape itself to you.
They've [D20 Cruise] kind of figured out what I can handle and what I bring to my table and what players match the experience that I can provide.
If you know what your strengths are and you really kinda, like, play to those strengths, you do offer like, every GM has something unique to offer.
All Gamemasters are inherently unique. Your life experiences are personal to you and shape the kind of GM you become. Now, what that means in practice is that you must become introspective. Know what you are like as a GM, what you enjoy doing, and then meet your players where they are at. At the end of the day, the best GMs are those who are able to adapt to what their players want from them, without losing the spark that makes them unique. You don't need to sell out to retain customers. You can be your authentic self, as long as you also listen to what your players want.
On the principle of being a Steward for the Game
So you're always you're kind of always on your feet. And, know, you you have to rep you have to be a steward not only of the game, you know, you you not only have to represent the game well because you don't wanna push people away from playing the game. You have to be a steward of, like, the the what it what it what it amounts to basically a convention at sea because you never know who's gonna wanna, you know, join the next cruise or come and check out ...
The best GMs are ambassadors for their games. Jay was constantly wearing his TTRPG gear in public, displaying his D20 badge on the cruise, and getting his dice frisked by TSA. And more often than not, conversations would often spiral into "oh, D&D is cool, how do I get into it?" Remember, you could be the reason why somebody either joins D&D or gets turned off by it forever. The best GMs aren't magnetic; they are just good stewards of the game.
D&D 35,000 Feet in the Air
I want to close with one final story that Jay shared.
While on a mundane flight between the east and west coast, Jay was frantically preparing for his Adventurer's League game. He had to run the campaign the day after he landed, and so, he was spending his four-hour flight doing something productive. Just as he took out his books and began prepping, a couple sat in the seat next to him. They stared at the dice and books, looked at him, and asked quite innocently, "Do you play D&D? Can you teach us how?"
Jay pulled out a new dice tray that he picked up recently, readied some dice from his bag, and prepared himself internally. He then proceeded to play D&D with two strangers, 35,000 feet in the air.
He never met those strangers again. But he probably changed the way they saw D&D forever.
Never underestimate the impact you can have as an ambassador of TTRPGs. When you radiate friendliness and passion about the game, people are attracted to you like fireflies to light.
That is how you find the right people.
Until Next time
--Astro --