Christopher Garrett
he/him
Timezone
About Christopher Garrett
I'm Rikkun! By trade, I'm a software developer. I develop and maintain many different apps and services, some even relating to my love of Tabletop. For example, I built an LFG groupfinder for Discord! I've been GMing for roughly 7-8 years at this point. I started because my primary group at the time had completed our story at the time, and our GM needed a break. We were playing D&D 5e 2014. I was bad to begin with, as I think many people are happy to admit. Whilst I had experience in story writing, tabletop gaming is a far different medium to creative writing. Interactive storytelling is far more volatile in how things turn out. I very quickly learned that while one can create a generalised storyline, players aren't always likely to follow the path you set out for them. Some players may even cause problems for the table. Very quickly I had adapted my preperation style, and hardened myself to be able to swiftly address issues amongst players, game and GM, especially during game time itself. I describe myself as hardy. I do my best to always participate in a game, I do my best to take the initiative when nobody else can, and I'll always be thankful to my players / GM. After playing on both sides of the table, I'm deeply aware of the insecurities that can creep in. What I want for everyone at my table is for them to have a good time, and step away with a smile.
At a glance
Less than a year on StartPlaying
Featured Prompts
When I'm not running games I'm...
Playing games, writing stories, or coding projects. Just recently, I've been looking into making a tool that Discord users can use to transcribe their calls into a text document, nice and easy, making note taking far easier.
How Christopher Garrett runs games
My particular style of GMing revolves around presenting challenges to player characters. Not just around combat, but through social challenges and puzzles too. When I run a game, what I aim to do more than anything is build memorable moments. It's a time that I get to use the research I did regarding different narrative techniques, map and world design, and musical / auditory impact. I feel it is important to follow up by noting that I do not believe in the railroad. Whilst railroading is fundamental to interactive storytelling to some extent, tabletop specifically I feel is better when the players choose the pace at which they progress. However, I'm always an open book; a player can always ask me where to go next if they feel lost, and I will give them a set of options or ideas. What I excell at is worldbuilding and social intrigue. I love crafting worlds, I love making the pieces of those worlds click together in an interesting way, and I love seeing how players can be inserted into those worlds. I'm a strong believer in players having an impact, but equally them not having an impact. For example, a city that the players heard about in Act 1 may be completely different in Act 4. Combat is another thing I enjoy. As previously mentioned, I love creating challenges. Whilst monsters with big health bars to whittle down can be fun, monsters with a unique mechanic or solution can be even better.
Christopher Garrett's ideal table
My tables are overall very open and social. I like to make an effort to ensure everyone is having fun, and has and opportunity to engage with the game in a way in which they will enjoy. My ideal table is one in which we're all confidently able to bond over the game, with a good ability to understand and match the tones of scenes set both by myself, and other players. Interest in telling a story is important to me, however I find chemistry to be equally important.
Christopher Garrett's Preferences
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