Josh | Brighthall Tavern
he/him
5.0
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About Josh | Brighthall Tavern
You shove against the stiff wooden door, slowly sliding it open as it stands uncaring of your struggles. The door slowly budges and reveals a dimly lit room beyond. The crackle of a fire fills your ears and the smell of bread makes your stomach grumble. You only now realize just how long it has been since you last ate. The warmth of the fire calls you into the room as the door shuts behind you. A man sits at a table in the middle of the room. He beckons to the chair across from him and bids you to sit. The mead and bread already prepared to bring you forth as if pulled by an unseen force, unable to resist... Hail and well met, adventurer. Welcome to the Brighthall Tavern! Whether you are looking to fight a horde of goblins 20 feet above the ground on a perilous rope bridge, explore the tallest mountains, or parlay with kings to stop the coming wars.. or all of the above, I will be your guide on those journeys. My name is Josh and I have been running and playing in Tabletop Roleplaying Games for about 15 years. Over this time I have run games in a number of different systems and worlds and have gained a love for creating and crafting stories that bring joy to those around me. There is nothing quite like seeing a group overcome a particular challenge and come out the other side exhausted, but excited and ready to take on the next adventure! So, if you’re wanting to get out there and explore new worlds, battle creatures from your darkest dreams and defend the innocent from the evils of the world join me at the table and let’s tell some stories! I run an inclusive LGBTQIA+ friendly table and do not support bigotry in any form. If you are looking for that sort of thing in your games, this table is not for you.
At a glance
5 years on StartPlaying
607 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Beginner Friendly
$24.95 per session
Top Game Master
One of StartPlaying's top-rated GMs, a player favorite and highly recommended.
Featured Prompts
My 3 systems I'd bring to a desert island would be
D&D 5e - Because it's something pretty much everyone can enjoy and sometimes you just want that simple experience. Daggerheart - because it's my current game and has a lot of versatility. Through the Breach - Presumably I'm not alone and I could FINALLY get a group to play that game!
The three words my players would use to describe me are...
fun, creative, and knowledgeable.
When I'm not running games I'm...
spending time with my family. I have a wife and a kid and they take up most of my time. Otherwise I'm probably playing video games/prepping for games here.
How Josh | Brighthall Tavern runs games
Game Style - I try to find a balance between roleplaying, combat and exploration (which can sometimes be hard with systems like 5e). If a group prefers one or the other though I can really focus in and make it a game about what the group wants. Combat Style - When it comes to combat I prefer fun combat to super crunchy fare. If you're looking for a gamemaster who will be an expert tactician 100% of the time.. I am not that. I try and roleplay the decisions that the enemies will make and I think I do a pretty good job of that. I like to get really into the descriptions of what is happening in combat and describe each round as deeply as I can. Voices - I'll be honest, I do my best. I'm really good at -voices- but have a REALLY hard time with accents. I'm just not very good at them and they end up sounding forced and end up causing more disruption at the table due to laughter than some scenes benefit from (some this is great and I do it on purpose). Roleplay Style - It really depends on what the group wants in this case. If the group wants to sit down and roleplay out every interaction with full dialogue I am all for it, if a group or a player would rather narrate their characters' decisions and conversations I am also here for that. We will either figure this out in Session 0 if you know what you want or we'll figure it out as we play! Strictness to System - I try and hew pretty close to RAW. That said, I FIRMLY believe in the rule of cool and will gladly throw the rules out when necessary to achieve that. I also try not to make my players roll when unnecessary. If it's a cool thing that should happen and there is no real need for stakes - sure you succeed. That said if we're in a tense deep moment there might be a few rolls to keep that tension alive. The only time I don't really like to budge on Rule of Cool is when it steps on another players toes. I'm not going to bend the rules so you can break down the door, when the rogue is right there with his lock picks (and hasn't tried yet). Hopefully, that fills in the details - if you have any further questions feel free to send me a message, I'm always happy to talk roleplaying games!
Featured Prompts
I deal with rules issues by...
having a brief conversation in the moment. I then make a quick ruling to keep the session flowing, but if you have any additional concerns with that ruling you can always reach out after the session so we can talk more in depth and I will make a more definitive ruling.
My favorite trope is...
ending on a good cliffhanger. Doesn't always work out, but if I can find a way to end with something to keep you all holding your breath until the next session - I will.
Rules are...
there to support the fiction. We're all here to play games, have fun, and tell a satisfying story. If the rules aren't in service of that then they probably need adjusting.
Josh | Brighthall Tavern's ideal table
My ideal table is full of people who are here to play games, have fun, and tell a satisfying story. When it comes down to it that's the whole goal. Sometimes meta conversations happen, sometimes we're so deep in the roleplay that we don't notice how much time has passed in the session. My job as the DM is to make sure everyone is on board, engaged, and having a good time. If we're doing that together then that's my ideal table.
Featured Prompts
I am for a vibe that's...
like we're running a table in person. If I can make it feel like we just spent the last 3-4 hours sitting around a table together playing TTRPG's then I did my job. Sometimes the session is action packed, sometimes it's a shopping trip - but that's what happens in TTRPGs.. and that's okay.
I love it when a player
points to another character. Anytime that players jump in and engage with another character those are my favorite moments. They almost always result in some of the best roleplay.
I think it's a red flag when players...
try to play another players character. It's okay to point things out and try to synergize and strategize, but getting outwardly frustrated when another player does something you wouldn't do is a massive red flag for me as a GM.
Josh | Brighthall Tavern's Preferences
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