Joshua

he/him

5.0

(2)

Timezone

America/new York

Language

English

Identity

Black

Game Designer

About Joshua

My very first tabletop RPG was a homebrew pen and paper game that I made and ran for my friends in high school. This was back before I knew what TTRPGs even were. I was simply trying to translate turn-based video games into a thing that I could play with my friend group in original worlds and stories. I had heard of Dungeon and Dragons before, but thought it was a board game like Monopoly or Risk. I didn't get into the TTRPG hobby proper until I started watching Critical Role in college. From there I threw myself into the deep-end of learning game systems like D&D 5e, GURPS, Cyberpunk Red, Powered by the Apocalypse, and many others. I finally had a name for the thing I had been iterating on since 9th grade and a vehicle to tell the stories I had been imagining since 1st. And the sky was the limit with what these systems could simulate, the stories they could tell, and the emotions they could invoke. I am a game designer and future author, and I would love to share my passion for high-stakes challenges, impactful stories, and memorable worlds with others.

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Creativity, Inclusive, Sets the Mood

Featured Prompts

I became a GM because

I wanted to create video games, but didn't know how to code yet. So I got started by recreating turn-based video game systems into pen-and-paper games. I played with various people in my friend group for years during high school. I fell in love with their enjoyment at the game and their characters.

How Joshua runs games

As a game master, I love to run games with difficult challenges and combat that tests the players ability to plan and improvise. I love to through curveballs in the narrative to give players impactful choices to influence the story. And above all, I love making the players feel like their contributions matter: every NPC they create, every interaction with the world they initiate, every piece of the shared fiction they cherish. I want the players to feel engrossed and invested in the game as well as each other. I tailor every session to the group so I can run the type of game that they want to play. Whether they are a table that leans heavily into roleplay, combat, discovery, or some combination of the three, I want to provide that experience because I enjoy all of those things as well. In my typical game, you can always expect to find interesting NPCs and worlds, varied and tactical fights and obstacles, choice driven storytelling, and a twist of some kind around every OTHER corner.

Featured Prompts

Rules are...

Oppression. REVEL IN CHAOS! But I do use them as a convenient framework for shorthand during games. I don't throw them out, I just adjust them until they're closer to perfect for the table/group.

Joshua's ideal table

I'm down for any table where the players have come hungry for fun and companionship. As long as the everyone is respectful of everyone else and the games that we are playing, then you're welcome here.