
DMMichael (he/him)
5.0
(11)
3 years on StartPlaying
92 games hosted
Highly rated for: Voices, Storytelling, Creativity
About me
Hi I'm DM Michael. I've been running games for over 4 years and love welcoming new and experienced players alike. As a former theater kid, I really lean into my characterizations, using voices for my NPCs and provide a lot of atmosphere with music and custom tokens. I also love building story beats around character backstories. This is YOUR story and you will shape the world. Logistically, I use a combination of Roll20 and Discord. I run mostly 5e but have recently started getting into Trail of Cthulhu. That said, if you and your group are interested in a different rule set I'm happy to set up a custom game to accommodate your interests. Whether you want a nifty one-shot or a multiverse-spanning epic campaign, let's work together to craft a game that will be one for the ages.
GM Style
My style is story-driven, with a focus on roleplaying. Generally, I run published modules but modify them heavily based upon the backgrounds and desires of the people at my tables. I also tend to stick to rules as written, but rules as intended and "rule of cool" also enter into my adjudicating from time to time. I also love tactical combat. I rarely stick to the basic monster manual stat blocks, and the monsters will behave according to their intelligence and cunning. My games also feature interesting locations that make combat more interesting. Players will need to rely on teamwork to be successful.
Games played
Game platforms used
Game Master Reviews (11)
Proficiencies
Players say this GM is great at:
Voices
Storytelling
Creativity
My experience with Mike was phenomenal as a DM. I'm still somewhat new to TTRPG'ing too so I''m speaking not only of the overall experience but as a statement that he is absolutely new or newer player friendly, if that otherwise might give someone pause on the front end. Mike met everything I was looking for or hoping for going in both in terms of interaction and flexibility as well as making the experience fun, engaging and captivating all around. He is particularly adept at the art of providing different voices for the various NPC's encountered, and the fact he not only does the voices in and of itself but is able to quickly/efficiently respond in-depth and on the fly is a testament to just how amazing the man is at his craft. If time/opportunity allowed me to engage in another group with him in the future, I would absolutely jump at the chance - and if you're considering one of his games, let me assure you that you should too.
I have been playing in Michael's 5e D&D Descent to Avernus game for the past few months and have been thoroughly impressed with his skill as a GM. Week after week, he delivers an amazing play experience. In particular, he does a great job presenting a believable world, providing interesting non-player characters for the characters to interact with, voicing characters with a wide variety of unique voices and accents (seriously, it is impressive hearing all his different voices!), devising complex plots with twists and turns galore, setting the ambience with custom music playlists, and designing thrilling encounters that push the characters to their absolute limits. He's also extremely knowledgeable about the rules and the technology he uses (i.e., Roll20, Discord, and WatchTogether), so there is little wasted time trying to figure out how something works. In the campaign I am playing with him, he has had a wide range of player experience levels in the game, from old veterans like me all the way to first-time RPG players. He is extremely welcoming to players of all experience levels and does a great job onboarding players and quickly integrating them into the campaign. All this to say, I have played with a lot of GMs over the past 38 years and Michael is among the best I have ever played with and justly earns my highest recommendation.
Michael is amazing! He's is incredibly inclusive and awesome and can get you super involved in your characters story. He doesn't shy away from pushing each characters backstory into the fold and bringing to life in such an amazing way! The NPC are an absolute gift to be around. They all are vastly different and have their own motivations, definitely some top tier voice acting going on here!
Michael is absolutely fantastic- he’s incredibly knowledgeable and always values player input. He works hard to make sure each player has fun, and ads interactive maps and themed background music to engage his players. He tells incredible stories and puts player experience above all. His NPCs are varied and incredibly engaging, and even his villains are a delight. He takes each player into consideration during the session, and his creativity is unmatched. He’s very good at improvisation and works with his players to build the best story for everyone. I couldn’t recommend him more.
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