AJ
he/him
5.0
(5)
Timezone
Language
Identity
About AJ
🗡️ Do you like classic sword and sorcery fantasy? Roll up a character and come along with me on a fun, weird adventure! I like building worlds and telling stories that are steeped in old school fantasy charm and depth, but updated to be inclusive and socially aware. 📜 WHAT I RUN ◉ I run D&D 5E homebrew one/multiple shots. These are normally set in my very lore-light version of the pulp fantasy world of Nehwon, meaning anyone can drop in and out of games without a big time/lore/backstory investment. ◉ I regularly run some of the best-known official 5E adventures, including Curse of Strahd, Lost Mine of Phandelver, Tomb of Annihilation, Ghosts of Saltmarsh and more - always with a few quality of life homebrew tweaks. Just let me know what you/your group want to play and I can prepare it! ◉ I'm a big fan of converting and running vintage 1st Edition D&D modules in 5E. These include classics like The Lost City, The Keep on the Borderlands, Against the Cult of the Reptile God, etc. They're super pulpy, fun, dungeon-crawly adventures. If you want me to run any of these just let me know and I can prepare it! ◉ I'm happy to run anything you and your group will play! If you have an idea or concept for an adventure/campaign/setting that you'd like to play, literally just message me out of the blue, we can discuss it, and I'll do my best to make it a reality. 💀 BACKGROUND ◉ I love fantasy of all kinds, but I have a soft spot for sword and sorcery, weird and Lovecraftian fiction, and gothic horror. I like stories that are pulpy, exotic and a bit dark, but I also love bawdiness and camp. ◉ I'm a historian by training and I bring that to my games. My knowledge of classic, medieval, and early modern history informs my worldbuilding, and loads of literary influences run through my storytelling. ◉ I have a background in education and I think it helps me be a more cooperative, dynamic, and supportive DM. I really enjoy introducing new folks to D&D 5E and supporting them to be great players.
At a glance
2 years on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: Voices, Storytelling, Inclusive
How AJ runs games
⚔️ COMBAT: I run crunchy, tactical, well-narrated combat. But I also leave loads of room for improvisation; tell me what cool thing your character wants to do in battle and we'll figure out what to roll for it and what it does mechanically. I try and pace things so there's at least one fight per session – as long as it makes sense for the story. 🎭 ROLEPLAY: My games are packed with weird, fun, and fascinating NPCs just waiting to be messed with. I have all NPCs speak in character, with a range of cool and funny accents. I also encourage my players to roleplay their characters as much as possible, to whatever degree they're comfortable with, whether that's speaking in character (accent optional) or making strong in-character decisions. ⚖️ RULES: I stick with D&D 5E rules as intended + the rule of cool. I occasionally do homebrew tweaks, e.g. more useful consumables/items, more streamlined levelling up, but I'll run these by you before we play. I like improvising based on players' decisions and highly receptive to players' input, offering risks/rewards to my players constantly. I'm a big fan of my players' characters and generally make rulings in their favour.