Scott
he/him
5.0
(22)
Timezone
Language
Identity
About Scott
I was first introduced to D&D 3rd Edition as a child and never stopped playing games. Sharing the hobby with new people is one of my favorite things to do. Whether the game is D&D, Pathfinder, or something totally different.
At a glance
1 year on StartPlaying
34 games hosted
Highly rated for: Beginner Friendly, Inclusive, Knows the Rules
$20 per session
Average response time: Under 1 hour
Response rate: 100%
Top Game Master
One of StartPlaying's top-rated GMs, a player favorite and highly recommended.
Featured Prompts
I got started GMing...
in high school, because I wanted to introduce my friends to D&D.
My favorite books are
My all time favorite books tend to be classics like Wuthering Heights, Pride and Prejudice, The Idiot, and The Count of Monte Cristo. I like that no matter how much time has passed humans are still fundamentally the same, just with different material conditions.
My favorite system of all Time is
Urban Shadows 1st Edition! It's the game that makes the fantasy of "combining all the World of Darkness splats" into a reality. The 2nd edition is still good, but it shifts the focus away from the individual PCs to their communities and affiliates.
How Scott runs games
I have 2 distinct modes of play that depend on the game being run: For D&D and Pathfinder 2e I run things by the book. I particularly enjoy running dungeon crawls where time spent doing exploration activities and searching rooms matters. Tactical Combats are run with zero dice fudging, and monster tactics that fit their nature (Mindless creatures will not to flank you, Animals will run when injured, Humanoids will attempt to coordinate out loud in a language you may or may not understand). Roleplay is never discouraged, but due to the nature of Adventure Modules character backstories are de-emphasized. For games like Dungeon World and Blades in the Dark there is a much stronger focus on collaborative worldbuilding and exploring character backstories and motivations. Combat in these games is much simpler than Pathfinder or D&D and is not the primary focus, placing a greater focus on creative problem solving and character expression.
Featured Prompts
I deal with rules issues by...
table consensus. Pathfinder 2e is complex game and sometimes I'm just wrong about a rule (Hero Point goes to the first person to correct a rules mistake, 2 if it's in the GM's favor). If the wording is ambiguous or unclear, we pause the game and decide how we want to handle it going forward.
Rules are...
what make a game what it is. I also enjoy board games, and in that hobby it is common to find a game that suits your needs better if you don't like the rules instead of rewriting them. There are so many fun games out there it feels bad to stick to just one!
When it comes to voices
I'll admit this is a weak spot of mine. I try to distinguish NPCs by changes in pitch or speaking pattern, but sometimes they kind of blend together. Character voices for PCs can be helpful in keeping track of what's being said "in game" vs "out of game" but aren't strictly necessary.
Scott's ideal table
My ideal table is one where people agree to the rules ahead of time and stick to them. Depending on the game system this can mean either a focus on crunchy tactical combat, or on building interpersonal relationships between characters. I'm not opposed to house rules, but it's better when they're stated in advance and not fudged to arrive to a certain game outcome.
Featured Prompts
If you're into ___, you're going to love my table
cheesy CW/MTV Urban Fantasy you're going to love my Powered by the Apocalypse games. Firaxis XCOM you're going to love my Pathfinder Games.
I think metagaming...
can be fine. Ways it can improve the game: walking into an obvious trap, having in-character conversations laced with dramatic irony, reminding people of things that are obvious to their characters because what happened 2 months ago for us can be 2 hours ago for them. It can be bad, but not always.
I think min/maxing...
totally acceptable, if you don't complain about the disadvantages that come with the MIN. If you dump Cha your character is going to be bad at convincing people, and I won't let you try to Intimidate with Str. If you dump Int your character will know less things and have trouble targeting weaknesses
Scott's Preferences
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