Jonathan (he/him)
5.0
(5)
1 year on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: Storytelling, Inclusive, World Builder
About me
Hi, I'm Jonathan! I've been around TTRPGs for my entire life. I love them a lot! It fills me with joy to tell stories together with others and have fun together! I've joined StartPlaying as a GM because I have too many worlds and stories I want to tell, and not enough friends to share them with... yet. I've been around games a lot, with both veteran players, and people completely new to table top games. I'm good at adapting to my players, providing challenges and new ideas for experienced players, and a welcoming casual environment for new players. With a background in theater and writing, my games tend to focus on storytelling and Role-Play, with an emphasis on emotional character growth that ties into the plot. That said, I do enjoy game mechanics and can provide fun opportunities to those more interested in the math and numbers of the game. But most importantly, I bring new and unique ideas into games. If you're interested in compelling settings inspired by history and mythology that you've never seen before, come play with me! I'll take you on some truly excellent adventures!
GM Style
My GM style has an emphasis on roleplay, and emotional journeys for the Player Characters. I enjoy bringing about significant NPCs and climactic decisions that shape the story. As a result, my games can feature a lot of tension, similar to heist, suspense, or drama media, where the possibility of an altercation or decision is oftentimes more memorable than the actual combat encounters. That said, I also bring my best when describing scenes, especially combat. My style usually means that the mental image of action scenes is highly cinematic.
Games played
Game Master Reviews (5)
Proficiencies
Players say this GM is great at:
Storytelling
Inclusive
World Builder
Jonathan is an absolute wizard of a GM who knows how to weave engaging combat into compelling story. I've played Pathfinder, Starfinder, and 5e with him and all were extremely fun. He's great with players' boundaries both in terms of content as well as making sure players aren't prioritizing the game over real life needs.
Jonathan is an INCREDIBLE GM! 100% have him run your campaigns, you will not regret it. He GM'd for my first ever campaigns in any RPG systems, and I immediately felt comfortable, like I could ask questions, and safe to play and be creative! He is incredible at building vast and detailed worlds, and very knowledgeable in various RPG systems. He is great at incorporating music, uses fun voices, and comes up with memorable encounters and NPCs! Genuinely could not recommend him enough.
Jonathan always has some kind of intricate story item up his sleeve. The number of times I've literally dropped my jaw at something he revealed is astounding, and his worlds are always intriguing and well thought out. He is also extremely receptive to feedback, encourages his players to come to him with concerns or desires, and will actively avoid triggering or undesired topics as players ask. He knows a lot of different systems, too, and I've played a wide variety of different settings with him, from high fantasy to solarpunk futuristic. He'll be a hit no matter what you're playing, trust me.
This guy is nothing if not creative. I'm in a campaign he's DMing about an invasion by a conglomeration of various monstrous races (Goblins, gnolls, drow, etc.) but with a twist. We're a spec ops unit for the *monstrous races*, fighting to create a nation for ourselves as the humans, elves, and dwarves expand into the wilds we used to call home. And it's not a 'hurr durr, humans bad' campaign either. There's been a lot of nuance in the decisions we've made, and the people we're fighting aren't even necessarily evil, per se. Rather, the language barrier has meant that we're unable to understand each other, and we have to figure out another way to communicate that this is a proper war, not just a mindless rampage. I think my favorite thing about it is the way that he's expanded on elements of classic fantasy tropes (Orcs are brutish, drow like poison, etc) to create cultures that have a lot of depth. Another thing I like is the way he handles players thinking outside the box. I've done my fair share of weird and gimmicky tricks that fall outside of what RAW sets down, and the calls he's made have both made sense and have been consistent.
I have been playing ttrpgs with Jonathan for more than four years now. He is very sweet and cares about his players at and away from the table. He's good at encouraging taking breaks when needed and at helping engage people during quieter moments. He's been playing for a long time and knows Pathfinder and D&D quite well, but will bend and homebrew when it is called for. He works really hard on lore and backstories and will try to put as much real world science, history, and cultural references that he can while still creating a fresh and original story.
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