Great at improvising when his players derail a session Amazing story telling

I’ve invested countless hours of my life into games with Brandon and they were hours wholly well spent! He could pick up *any* system and build out a rich and believable world that I’d be excited to play in, he’s just *that* fabulous of a GM. Brandon is perfectly willing to support absurd shenanigans if players have a creative or interesting idea on how to approach something. (Frankly, I’m probably spoiled by how many times I’ve gotten away with those.) But he’s also not afraid to set the tone with stakes high. I deeply appreciate how he provides lots of opportunities for players to make decisions that feel meaningful while keeping the narrative moving. Brandon is a very patient and considerate GM who has always been very accommodating to myself and other players in our games. He consistently encourages open dialogue and feedback to ensure everyone is comfortable at the table and having fun. I’ve always felt safe and heard in games played with Brandon.

Thoughtful in making sure every character gets a time to shine. Allows players to help shape the world in backstory and setting. Is always open to hearing out problems, in taking advice, and finding agreeable solutions. Flexible, always trying new things. Defers to rule of cool when it feels like an appropriate moment, even if the dice don't always quite agree--a good scene and good storytelling will always take precedence to hard numbers.

Brandon is a brilliant DM. First, I'll offer a few details on my experience with Brandon and then I will cover a few criteria that I think future players may consider when looking for a new DM. Background: Brandon originally joined one of my short adventures through a group finding Discord and we really hit it off and became good friends at and beyond the table. We have traded the DM hat around a few times over the last 4 years and he always impresses me with his unique and deep storytelling. Brandon is a caring and empathetic person that communicates well and encourages teamwork, fairness, and creativity. I will also offer that he has been both a player and a DM going back nearly 20 years now, so he draws on a career of experience as a storyteller and works professionally as a narrative designer and dialogue writer. Preferred Style and Tools: From my experience with Brandon, he really enjoys to run a ttrpg using the tried and true theatre of the mind experience. Players will most often engage in creative imagery and descriptive storytelling with plenty of room for roleplay and socializing. To help with more complex battle encounters he often uses KenkuFM and Owlbear Rodeo to provide the occasional map or ambiance. He prefers to use lite tools that are intuitive to use and do not interfere with the player experience. Brandon provides and fun, engaging and thought provoking experience. I don't consider him the kind the DM to give each character a funny voice, but he does offer enough range to differentiate the cast. Moreso, he employs characterization and presentation techniques that help draw strong distinctions between characters. You don't have to worry much about characters being mixed up or blending together, which is a strong and undervalued attribute to have as a DM in my opinion. Rule 0 is an important part of the process for Brandon and each group is invited to discuss what kind of experience they want early on or utilize the X card when new material becomes uncomfortable. In my personal experience, we have not shied away from more mature themes such as violence, romance, and darker themes such as survivor's guilt or abuse. But again, that is all dependent on your group and ranges from non-existent, vague or suggestive, or all the way up to a dark and gritty experience based on your comfort zone. Our group consisted of a more mature crowd, and Brandon was very well equipped to tell darker stories or explore character layers when appropriate. Again, this is a skill he carries with him from his professional experience as well and he is quite adept at telling a story appropriate for most any age group or genre. Favored Genres: Brandon does a great job of covering most types of material but I would recommend him best if you really enjoy High Fantasy, JRPG/Isekai, or Thrillers with interesting twists and reveals. He also does a great job with event pacing and moving the story along at just the right temperature to allow for exploration but also build on momentum to keep players sucked into the narrative. His ability to manage moving parts of a story and keen sense of timing means he does a heck of a good Heist as well. The Three Pillars: Story/ Exploration/ Combat: Many consider that a great DM and great campaign requires a firm foundation built on the three core facets of tabletop roleplaying. I can confidently say that Brandon delivers on all three, though in my experience he emphasizes characters and worldbuilding over the latter. Characters- His characters have motivations, agendas, and deliberate personalities that make each of them distinct from one another. Characters develop over time and are represented honestly; NPCs will aid or hinder your party based on your own agenda and their motivations change with new information or the behavior of the players. Brandon works well with newer players seeking a more traditional experience and honors or breaks tropes of various subgenres based on how they wish to approach the narrative to provide a great story experience. He also delivers satisfying character arcs for more veteran players who like to really explore their character's motivations and often workshops how to get players out of being reactive and helping them to be more proactive and involved in the events of the narrative. New players need not fear being overlooked or disconnected from the story. Exploration- I gotta say, Brandon truly shines with his worldbuilding. Brandon definitely enjoys learning about and exploring various cultures both in the real world and in literature from many genres and applies this to his games and homebrew. If you ever desired a DM that would do a particular culture or group justice, I feel like he has the skills to exceed your expectations and deliver strong social intrigue. I particularly recall a story concerning a race of desert dwelling Kenku tribe that unearthed ancient mechanical constructs from a bygone age deep beneath their ancestral grounds. The constructs represented a deep and repressed history that brought with it interesting dilemmas and various factions with different agendas. Many Kenku recall the old songs about calamity and technology, others want to move on from their nomadic place in the world. The folds of that narrative just sucked you right in and made you feel like you were shaping the future of that world. These kinds of adventures stuck with me. Combat- Full disclosure, I prefer low to mid tier games that do not get bogged down in mechanical layers that get in the way of story telling, but I do recognize that Combat is a more central component of the ttrpg experience for others. Brandon does a great job of applying the rules and working through combat in a fun and effective manner. Though we played mostly D&D5e at levels 3-11, he made sure to bring satisfying and unique encounters to the table to keep us engaged with unique monster variants or completely original boss mechanics and Lair Actions, Mythic Actions, Legendary Actions, etc to keep keep you guessing. While I have not personally engaged with Brandon at very high levels of gameplay, it has been shared with me that he does just as great a job at the mid to high tiers of play. As far as rules go, I will say that he does a great job of interpreting and applying them in a judicial manner. But he 100% is willing to put down the book to enable the players when it comes to pulling off some crazy or interesting stunts. Brandon is definitely a Rule of Cool guy, but that doesn't mean his games go off the rails either. I generally feel that the experience is fair and well rounded on average. Well, there's my review. Brandon and I go back a few years but I have done my best to offer a fair and unbiased opinion to summarize his skillset and attitude at the table. Hopefully, this will have been informative and help you choose your next DM. I'm sure that Brandon would do a great job entertaining your party and deliver a memorable experience. Signed, Bastion

I hesitate to write a review, lest others figure out that my group of friends are in possession of one of the greatest DM's. For the sake of him getting the money he deserves (that's what this site is for right?), I suppose it'd be ok to lend him out as long as you return him to us. He's been DMing for our group of friends for maybe a decade, give or take? Others of our group have tried from time to time to take his place (and we do have some real good story tellers in our group in addition to him), but he's unfortunately just too good at it. Each D&D night is the highlight of my week, and I spend the rest of the week chomping at the bit for the next session...so I suppose you could say he crafts one hell of a story and world for us all to play in.