Jesse
he/him
5.0
(6)
Timezone
Language
Identity
About Jesse
Hello, I'm Jesse. I've been playing and Gamemastering for 20+ years. I started with D&D 3.0 and have grown with both the Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder environments. I love to explore other systems, as well, and have played more than my fair share of the White Wolf systems (especially, Vampire), The Mistborn Adventure Game and now the Cosmere RPG, Call of Cthulu, and the unofficial Pokemon TTRPGs (Pokemon: Tabletop United and Pokemon: Tabletop Adventures). I've stuck my nose in many others systems such as various GURPS and PbtA systems, Blades in the Dark, and many more large and small games. I haven't picked up a systems that I've been truly unfamiliar with in over a decade. My experience is a spectacular mix of in-person plays with local friends and congoers as well as remote plays via VTTs such as Roll20 and Foundry and Play-by-Post campaigns with online friends and strangers alike. I'm familiar with tools of all varieties and flexible enough to pick up all the new ones as they ship out. I'm always trying to find the right combination for me and my table. I want to add that professionally, my background is in both education and counseling and that you can be comfortable in knowing that I am a well-organized person with both the patience and skills to deescalate and find common ground. Finally, I just want to say that I'm incredibly passionate about TTRPGs and look forward to running some games, and telling some amazing stories with this community.
At a glance
Less than a year on StartPlaying
2 games hosted
Highly rated for: Inclusive, Creativity, Storytelling
$20 per session
Featured Prompts
I became a GM because
... I wanted to play more D&D. I started playing with my parents' friends when I was 12. I wanted to play more but they had boring lives and jobs and stuff. So, I taught my friends how to build characters and roll skill checks and now I can play as much as I want; D&D or otherwise.
My favorite books are
... written by Sanderson, Butcher, Weeks, Lynch, or Anthony. I'm fantasy junkie and the more words I can't pronounce, the better. Huge sprawling stuff and street level stuff, alike. I do love Sci-fi, too, but fantasy will always be my one true, literary love.
When I'm not running games I'm...
... playing video games, watching anime, or reading. I also love to cook, write, game dev, and so much more. I'd say I'm something of a polymath, but you'd probably just say that I can't it still. All that said, I pull inspiration from everything I do, so more is better, right? Right?!
How Jesse runs games
I love roleplay, combat, and worldbuilding. I'm also very original, and awesome, and humble. I seek to design scenarios that characters can live in - When players come out of their shell to spend a whole session in slice-of-life mode, I'm elated. I love to watch characters come to life with their own opinions and personalities that can be completely separate from their player. I strive to design encounters that are swift, fun, and balanced - Combat encounters should always add to the story progression in some way. In so many games, combat is the main way that most players engage with the rules and thus, express their agency on the world. So, I always make combat as meaningful as possible. I want to always create worlds that are engaging - It's too easy to create a world that only exists as a vehicle for the characters to be strong in, that has no life to it at all. So, I always try to make worlds feel lived in, whether in a custom game or a module, with my descriptions and NPC actions. Don't worry, I won't be that GM that sends anyone a dissertation on the economics of the kingdom's wheat exports... Unless it's pertinent to the game. Also, I'm a voices GM. So, I'm going to use you as improv practice and try to bring more life to the game. I am also a writer, so if you're playing a PbP game with me, I hope you look forward to me putting my all into it.
Featured Prompts
I deal with rules issues by...
... having a conversation. Usually, before the first session. We'll all know the expectations and understand each other's stances before session zero is over. If something unexpected comes up, I will make a call in the moment for the sake of momentum, but we should always talk about it after.
My favorite trope is...
... when the players run off with an NPC that was never meant to be this important. I put a lot of love into my custom worlds and characters, but even module characters will get some extra love from me. I love well-written and deep characters, so it's pretty gratifying for players to kidnap them.
Rules are...
... The means by which we play the game and we play the game to have fun. I'm an "as intended" guy most of the time but the rule of cool is right there and it's a constant temptress. I like that the rules of a well-balanced game lends to fairness in fun, but you gotta do the cool thing sometimes.
Jesse's Preferences
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