About me

Hello, I am Hannu from DragonWorks. I started role-playing as a fresh 10-y-old with friends from school. My mom was my first GM, who immediately quit when she realized what she was in for. My friends looked at each other, uncomfortably shuffling in their seats. "Who was going to be GM now?", they asked. I stood up and told them not to worry, because I was going to be the GM. This choice set me on a lifelong path whose full implications I have yet to discover. I've recently realized that I'm 34 years-old now, and though my school friends have all taken different paths in life, I still GM five weekly games. I've grown, developed, and prospered, having GMed almost 2000 professional sessions on Roll20. In person I tend to be serious, driven, flexible, and eager to improvise. You can expect a high level of preparation and fidelity in my games. I use tools and techniques from game mastering books. My players know me and can speak for me. Nowadays I head DragonWorks, a gaming company that offers both free and paid content in Pathfinder 1E and Dungeons & Dragons 5E. We aim to outdo all others in the quality of our TTRPG sessions, which we host continuously. We are tried and vouched for, and come with the strongest endorsement that is possible to give: The opinions of actual players who have been with us since our start in early 2017.

GM style

A good GM recognizes that above all he is an entertainer. He straddles the line between teammate, narrator, referee, and the opposing team. He provides opposition, challenge, and tension, but most of all he is meant to enable the players' preferred play-styles, though it's sometimes tough if the player doesn't know what they want. Then you two just have to discover it together through experimentation. I like doing character voices, though it's up to the player if they want to do that. It's not something I consider essential, but it can be a lot of fun. I can run pretty much any kind of content. After 2000 sessions on Roll20 I've run everything from pure rp sessions where we talk to each other for hours, to investigation sessions where we solve a mystery, to boss battles with unique mechanics and lots of crunch. I tend to prefer a balanced mix of one third roleplay, one third investigation, and one third combat. Each group around my table tends to find their own preferred play-style. A good GM understands that in-game both he and the player are inside a story, and that it is vital that the two agree on what kind of story it is. If the player thinks it's a "Stand up and be counted" action story, and the GM thinks it's a "Run for your lives or be devoured" Cthulhu story then you're not going to have a good time. A good gamemaster is his players' biggest fan, but also keeps the game moving forwards. He runs a healthy mix of roleplaying, combat and investigation. He insists that the actions of characters need to make sense for that character. He loathes murderhobos, rules lawyers, and GMs who derive pleasure from ruining players. Those are just the worst. He recognizes that games are voluntary exchanges of power and trust, and that people took time from their lives and showed up for a certain kind of experience not just so the GM does whatever.

Games played

Game platforms used

What's StartPlaying?

Tabletop Roleplaying Games Run by Game Masters