StartPlaying logo
game master profile header image
AJ

AJ (he/him)

5.0

(5)

BIMPOC
Published Writer
Teacher/Educator

2 years on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Voices, Storytelling, Inclusive

About me

πŸ—‘οΈ 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. πŸ“œ WHAT I RUN β—‰ 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. β—‰ 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! β—‰ 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! β—‰ 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. πŸ’€ BACKGROUND β—‰ 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. β—‰ 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. β—‰ 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.

GM Style

βš”οΈ 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. βš–οΈ 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.

Game platforms used
Game Master Reviews (5)

Proficiencies

Players say this GM is great at:

Voices

Storytelling

Inclusive

Ercil avatar

Ercil

There’s no GM like him! The best GMs in the world would be taking notes from him. He’s that special.

TJ avatar

TJ

Fantastic characters populate his worlds! Each with unique personalities and varying approaches to interacting with the players.

Oliver avatar

Oliver

The tags on this site are very good when it comes to leaving reviews, but I'm afraid they can't properly describe just how excellent this DM is. AJ brings an amazingly varied and balanced experience to the table, with expansive and immersive worldbuilding and storytelling, interesting enemies with fun voices, and a brilliant overall level of skill. He works hard to bring the full experience to the table, and works with the players to tell a unique and fun story every time. Ten out of ten pudding cups!

Ken avatar

Ken

Knew him from previous campaigns, though not as a DM. Ran an adventure in an anthropomorphic Irish-inspired setting; D&D 5e based, levels 3-5, lasted a few months. Did a really good job capturing the feel of a storybook adventure--doubly impressive as that is out of his preferred wheelhouse of "sword and sorcery"/"weird fiction" genres. Very good at working with players and making sure the whole party felt engaged and involved. Was a great time. High hopes for the future. 10/10

James Sedoris avatar

James Sedoris

AJ does the best voices! He's also great at setting a variety of moods for all kinds of scenes! Always super open to player input too, highly recommended!!

What's StartPlaying?

Tabletop Roleplaying Games Run by Game Masters

  • Find a game to join solo or search for a professional game master for you and your friends/coworkers/family.

  • Book your session and wait for the Game Master to approve you.

  • If you don't have a blast with your first game, your next game is on us.