
Jason Martinez (he/him)
5.0
(2)
4 years on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: Storytelling, Creativity, World Builder
About me
Hello and welcome! I'm a long time gamemaster currently living in Sacramento (PST). I pride myself on structuring the plot around player character goals and personalities and delivering satisfying conclusions to games (especially campaigns). I've been running roleplaying games for over 30 years now from one shots to multiyear epics. In that time I've used everything from GURPS and World of Darkness to Apocalypse World and Fate to Microscope and Fiasco. As well as the various flavors and editions of D&D from 2nd edition on. I'm happy to run games in the system the story (or group) demands but my preference is for moderate to light crunch. I've game mastered virtually for well over a decade in addition to my in person games (both at home and at conventions).
GM Style
I'm a collaborative gamemaster. Even in systems without a built in world building element, I try to built off player choices whenever possible. The character they build or choose, the relationships and backstories they establish, these all feed back into play. I tailor and adjust the stories based on the group's interests and introduce elements that will highlight their personalities and strengths. Beyond that I have few aspects of GMing that I really relish. I love to run interesting tactical combats that make characters struggle a bit. I'm always interested in helping player characters achieve personal arcs. I enjoy seeding mysteries and bits of lore that unlock a large picture of the world for those that unravel them. And most of all I love placing interesting choices in front of characters and seeing what they decide.
Game platforms used
Game Master Reviews (2)
Proficiencies
Players say this GM is great at:
Storytelling
Creativity
World Builder
Many of my favorite RPG memories were made playing in one of Jay's games. I have played games run in D&D 3.5, Chronicles of Darkness, Knights Black Agents and Apocalypse World. I struggle with learning rules sets, and I sometimes get lost. However I always felt engaged and listened to when I play with Jay. He lets me run with creative ideas, and he only pumps the breaks when he thinks it'll effect my engagement or the engagement of others. He is very good at balancing the rules set, his story ideas and the players desires. There are characters I felt comfortable playing in Jay's games that I wouldn't otherwise feel comfortable playing around a table. Honestly, if I had the free time to play, I'd hire him to run a custom game.
I have played an Apocalypse World and a Night's Black Agents game with Jay. I really wish that I could give him more tags (like Good for Beginners) because while I had played Apocalypse world before Jay's game, NBA was completely unknown to me and Jay had made sure I had a complete understanding of the rules of the game, and didn't get upset when I forgot them. In his Apocalypse World game I played a Savvyhead, and Jay made it clear that I could make whatever I wanted, within the bounds of logic for the setting. Parts of the game took place in the Everglades, and you could almost see disease-infested corpses floating in the swamp, and smell the fetid air. Fantastic!
What's StartPlaying?
Tabletop Roleplaying Games Run by Game Masters
Find a game to join solo or search for a professional game master for you and your friends/coworkers/family.
Book your session and wait for the Game Master to approve you.
If you don't have a blast with your first game, your next game is on us.