Matthew
he/him
5.0
(14)
Timezone
Language
Identity
About Matthew
Hi! I started the hobby in 2018 and have been a DM since! I love the hobby and have played it all through university and since working full time. I live in Japan and love traveling, playing board games, having gatherings at my house, and meeting new people. I have taught dnd to dozens of people in my life and have mostly played in person until now. I love roleplaying and helping players get the most out of their choices. I think new players have a great energy and have awesome ideas about what is possible in narrative games! I have run and completed full published campaigns, short campaigns, holiday one shots, and custom games! I love this game and almost always have a home game I am running as well. Can't wait to meet new people and get new awesome memories with this game!
At a glance
Less than a year on StartPlaying
28 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Teacher, Knows the Rules
Average response time: Under 1 hour
Response rate: 100%
Featured Prompts
My favorite books are
My favorite books are The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (and finished by Brandon Sanderson), The Stormlight archive by Brandon Sanderson, Mistborn Era 1 and 2 by Brandon Sanderson, The Lies of Locke Lemora by Scott Lunch, Red Rising by Pierce Brown, and I am currently SLOWLY reading Malazan!
When I'm not running games I'm...
Traveling around Japan. I love driving in the country side while listening to fantasy audiobooks. Snowboarding in winter and playing golf in spring! Studying Japanese. I have been studying for 4 years and I love using Japanese everyday!
How Matthew runs games
"Telling Fun Stories, Character Growth, and Rule of Cool" My games are narrative focused and the decisions of the characters have long lasting implications. The rules are there to give us structure and empower our decisions, They should not get in the way of us telling awesome stories and having cool moments! I love role playing and adding comedy when appropriate. I also enjoy narrating success and failure and encourage my players to do so as well. The characters and villains aren't always perfect and I like to narrate the villain slipping on the sewer water while attempting to strike you, but instead plunges head first into the sewage stream. (Nat 1) Or a player themselves meeting a similar fate (although for a player likely only a foot would slide in unless the character wanted something bigger to happen) I incorporate back stories heavily and encourage players to think about what their characters want and what is important for them. My most common campaign type is using a pre-written campaign and modifying it to fit the players. I usually reduce the number of encounters and try to make the encounters have higher stakes and make them more interesting. I like my campaigns to have a clear goal and for the characters to feel like their actions matter. Session 0 is very important to the games I run. It help us all get on the same page with the story, understand our responsibilities and expectations, talk about what we do or don't want in our DND games, and ensure that we are excited about the story that we are going to tell together. Unless it is a special event session, PVP is not allowed unless everyone is comfortable with it in the moment. Players are expected to make characters who want to heed the call to adventure, and player decisions should reflect that. As a rule, unless it is a special event campaign or game, I do not allow the use of evil characters or characters who plan on being antagonistic to other players, NPC bystanders, or the story.
Featured Prompts
My games focus on...
My games primarily focus on maintaining the tone throughout the adventure, incorporating character choices and cool moments, and making the world feel big and moving. My sessions usually have 2 or 3 combats, lots of role playing and decision making.
Matthew's ideal table
My ideal tables has players who are excited to play in the story and want to work together to have cool moments. I love when players work together to make plans and I try to make their ideas possible! I try to be the hype-man at the table and encourage other players to join in as well! Proactive players are the best fit for my table. Asking questions about the world, involving other characters and NPCs in their role playing and narrating their successes and failures. The vibe at my table is normally pretty focused on the story and I am usually very locked in. I try to move the spotlight around the party and have fun moments with everyone!
Featured Prompts
I love it when a player
finds something that their character wants more than gold. It feels great to get gold in D&D. But giving extra money to the paladin so he can open that orphanage, or finally replacing that window at the local tavern that you smashed 3 sessions ago that is when I know people are Role Playing Pros!
I think it's a red flag when players...
don't engage with the game and require extra work to bring them back into the narrative. There is no problem with taking a step back in some role-play scenes or needing reminders about plot hooks and NPCs! But respect everyone's time and support your fellow players and the story we are telling.
Matthew's Preferences
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Game Mechanics