Jason
he/him
Timezone
Identity
About Jason
I was introduced to this hobby at the tender age of 9, way back in 1981. This kindled a lifelong love for roleplaying games that has remained with me to the present day. While I love both playing and GMing, my real passion is running games. There's nothing more satisfying than dreaming up a fantastic world, filled with danger, mysteries and engaging NPCs for a group of players immersed in their characters, as they imagine themselves living lives of thrilling adventure. I prefer to run games with streamlined mechanics, that get out of the way and give players the freedom to focus on the action and roleplay that makes gaming fun, and that make it easy for players who are fresh to the hobby to get up to speed without feeling bored or overwhelmed. Because of that, I often run various Indy games inspired by old school rules, but with a few modern twists and innovations (See my TTRPG systems list, below).
At a glance
Less than a year on StartPlaying
Featured Prompts
I became a GM because
I love creating a world for players to live in and interact with and, even more, I enjoy the suspense of the unfolding story and dramatic suprises created by the choices that my players during the course of the campaign.
My 3 systems I'd bring to a desert island would be
1) Prose Descriptive Qualities 2) Lasers and Feelings 3) The Black Hack
My favorite system of all Time is
The PDQ (Prose Descriptive Qualities) RPG. This simple, rules-light framework is narratively focused, easy to house rule, and can be modified to work with any genre or setting.
How Jason runs games
I craft worlds where you can become another person for a few hours and leave the boredom and worries of your real life behind. You will become a protagonist in thrilling stories of danger, exploration, magic, and adventure that we will write together, with the help of a computer, dice rolls, and (most importantly!) our imaginations. In my games you can attempt anything you can imagine. Your actions and choices as your character will impact that character (for better or worse!) and the world they inhabit. Nothing in the game world is static. NPCs have their own plans and agendas. These will unfold and impact the game world, as well. Player characters will encounter numerous opportunities to thwart or assist NPCs, or enlist them in their own agendas. My platform of choice is Roll20 with Discord. I utilize music, sound effects, art, maps, and accessible setting primers to help immerse my players in the game. My ultimate goal is to make the players feel like the main character in a novel, movie, or television series. Indeed, if I do my job properly, I hope you will remember our campaign(s) with the same fondness as your favorite TV or book series.
Featured Prompts
I deal with rules issues by...
being firm and fair. In most cases, I will say yes and I only say no in extreme circumstances. Having said that, my "yes" is not simply "You can do it", but more often a "Yes, but..." or a "Yes, and..." because giving the player what they want, while adding a problem or twist tends to be more fun.
If my games were Movies they'd be directed by...
James Gunn or Irvin Kirsher. At least, that's what I like to think. I tend to strive for the same combination of action, adventure, pathos, and humor that you find in the Guardians of the Galaxy films and The Empire Strikes Back, and I hope my games reflect this.
Rules are...
Rules are there to add an element of randomness and suspense when the outcome is uncertain. They help facilitate and enhance the things that we imagine during play, but they are not the focus and end-goal of the game itself.
Jason's ideal table
I run narrative, rules-light, genre-focused games. If your primary concern is immersion, imagination, and a passion for the genre or setting in play, then you should have a great time at my table. My games are for players that prefer concept to crunch, role-playing to dice rolling, and who view the hobby as a creative excercise, rather than a contest to dominate or "win". Players who approach the campaign in a collaborative (as opposed to competitive) way, will feel very much at home here. If you can trust me to do my job, you find that my purpose is to enhance and facilitate your fun, which is (in my opinion) the primary responsibility of a Game Master.
Featured Prompts
I love it when a player
puts immersion and imagination before rules and mechanics. Imagine first, and reference the rules only when the outcome is uncertain.
I think it's a red flag when players...
bicker with one another. Sometimes this is a simple misunderstanding, and I'm more than happy to help players sort it out. But if it is a recurring issue, the party (or parties) causing the trouble will be ejected from the campaign. I will not allow a player's bad behavior to ruin our game.
My table is not the place for...
any form of bigotry, including racism, sexism, homophobia, or similar kinds of cruelty or abuse. It is also not the place for real-world debates on politics or religion. Our purpose here is to have fun while treating each other with kindness and respect. Can't do that? Find another game.
Jason's Preferences
Systems
Game Mechanics
Themes