Jake

he/him

4.8

(6)

Timezone

America/new York

Language

English

Identity

Military Veteran

Disabled

Published Writer

Educator

Game Designer

About Jake

Retired soldier with 27 years of service under my belt. These days I channel that experience into running high‑energy, old‑school adventures with grounded survival logic and a touch of dark humor. Why do I run paid games? Well after 10 years of trying to get a group together (really a lifetime - I started trying to play games like this and even built games for my friends back when I was 10 years old). After some soul searching - I figured that the missing element was "skin in the game." When I was running these for free, scheduling, life, and excuses were the real BBEG. When you sign up and pay you are telling me you are serious about showing up and should be ready to get after an awesome game night. Otherwise I’ve spent the last eight years running one‑shots for strangers across OSE, 5E, Dungeon World, ICRPG, EZD6, Basic Fantasy, Stars Without Number, White Hack, Electric Bastionland, and more. My games are adventurous, reactive, and full of surprises. I've run nearly 50 groups through Hot Springs Island over the past few years and my games will focus there, so get ready for some high adventure!

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Creativity, Knows the Rules, Storytelling

$20 per session

Featured Prompts

I ran my first game...

When I was 10 years old, it was a game I built out of several board games. The goal was to slay a dragon, get loot, and rescue a princess I believe. I ran my first modern game in Stuttgart Germany for some of my military friends - I used ICRPG and it was Descent into Avernus!

My favorite books are

Moby Dick Starship Troopers Neuromancer Call of the Wild The Odyssey by Stephen Fry Beyond Thunder River (short story by Robert E. Howard) Feel free to ask me about them!

My favorite shows/movies are

Flash Gordon Conan the Barbarian (1982) He-Man (2026 version) The Last Starfighter The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

How Jake runs games

I’m all about choices and consequences. When you make a decision, the world reacts; sometimes loudly, sometimes subtly, but always in a way that matters. My games are full of danger, wonder, and adventure, and the world is never a passive backdrop. It’s a living thing with factions, creatures, and oddities. I like combat to feel more like war and less like a board game. Intent and context matters. No fight is fair and even fewer are worth fighting. Expect your intelligent adversaries to know you and possibly hunt you if you have a bad reputation. Expect predators to hit stragglers and the weak looking. My promise to you is you'll always get a warning (probably a few) and that your actions will define you. The world responds to what you do, not what you hope will happen. If you negotiate, the factions shift and you may find new allies. If you hide, the world notices. If you push deeper, the world pushes back. My job is to keep the energy high, the choices meaningful, and the adventure fun, whether you’re fighting, bargaining, or trying to talk your way out of a steam elemental gambling debt in some seedy den of ill-repute.

Featured Prompts

I once ran a session...

Where my players got the attention of a gold dragon they had seen flying overhead by building an enormous phallic symbol on the side of a mountain. It worked, that Dragon came down and introduced herself. She became my players patron for a time.

My favorite trope is...

Is the Sadistic Choice - save someone or something you care about or save someone innocent, you only get one. Plus all the derivatives, putting loved ones in danger, their favorite dog, whatever, few things spurn more action than a clever villains sadistic choice.

When it comes to voices

Generally don't do voices; I do give speeches though, and I do negotiate in real time. I've convinced more than one group to join the bad guy and I love playing the classic deal making devil. If you want to test your might and try to talk the villain down it won't come down to a roll!

Jake's ideal table

Honestly the ideal table is one that takes the world and its dangers seriously but still knows how to laugh. They will take their turns and let everyone get their say, make a decision - and then act. I love it when the players know their characters and use their heads to solve problems. What types of players will fit well at my table? Anyone who yearns for adventure, who wants to play the game and their role in the game (for example if you are the front line person - be the front line person, folks are depending on you!). Folks who aren't afraid to risk their character for some gold or a good reputation. People who understand that the game world is dangerous and their character may die. Most of all players who interact with the world in a productive way.

Featured Prompts

I love it when a player

Interacts with the game world - talks to faction members, negotiates instead of fighting, and helps lead their comrades to adventure and riches. Puts together clues and warnings in the environment and does something productive with it. Use their brain housing group to come up with a clever plan!

I think it's a red flag when players...

Write a ten page back story for their level 1 OSE character. Talk over other players constantly (not a fan of rudeness). Try to rules snipe me on every call. Are more focused on role-playing than playing their role. Are disrespectful to other players or me.

I think metagaming...

Depends on your definition. If you mean using the tools of the game, thinking and talking about a problem in the game - that's awesome, please do that! If it's trying to anticipate my desires or preferences and hedging your bets, well, that's going to leave you frustrated, so bad idea.