GM Ken

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How GM Ken runs games

My typical campaigns are what I would call “character focused sandboxes”. There is no “main plot”, the world will continue on in your character’s absence, and it’s up to the group to decide what to do and what things to pursue. That said, there will be plenty to engage with, and much of it will be connected to your character, their backstory, and the decisions you make. There will be plenty going on, in fact, there will always be "too much" going on, meaning, you won't be able to solve every problem, and so you will need to decide what is most important to you. There will be tough calls, and situations with no right answer. Often, you will need to make a decision with less than a complete understanding of the situation, and just deal with the fallout. You can often get what you want, but there will almost certainly be a cost (be suspicious if there is no obvious upfront cost). I love intrigue and drama. If you get invested in your character, we will definitely have a lot of fun going through their trials and tribulations. Your setbacks will be devastating, and your victories all the sweeter for it.

GM Ken's ideal table

I mostly follow the rules, but I don’t mind changing them to fit the game I’m trying to run. I’m much more interested in what works best for us as a group. I do try for internal consistency, though. I like games with a strong focus on the player characters and their story, which is “written” by the ideas they come up with and the choices they make. I often incorporate elements of PC backstories into the goings on of the campaign/adventure. This sometimes means I go after the things your character loves, but I try not to “sucker punch”, and the results almost always come down to player choice. I do not prepare plots, there is no “correct” path to take. I am often just as surprised as everyone else at the outcome. That said, I do prepare pieces of the world, like characters, places, and situations. These change and respond to character actions. However, they do not change to counter players’ plans before they are interacted with. I am not a voice actor. I often speak in character, but not always, and I only sometimes do "voices". I do not require players to speak in character, though I do need to be able to understand what your character is saying. Something like "I try to convince the guard that we are just merchants" is perfectly fine. I like for the players to have cool characters. If you work with me to make sure it makes sense in the context of the campaign world, I’ll try and let you have the cool unique character you come up with. I also like to reward players for making interesting connections to the world, and giving me inspiration for plot hooks. The more you give me, the more I’ll be able to give you. I am available outside of official game time if you have questions, or concerns, or if you want to plan something, or even if you want to do something in-game that doesn't need the rest of the group. If there is something you think sounds interesting, like a class ability or a piece of gear, but it doesn’t end up working in a way you like, tell me about it. I’m probably willing to change something to help make it more like what you wanted. I try to simulate a living world that reacts in a reasonable and predictable way. However, it’s a fictional world that operates more on the laws of fiction and tropes than it does on real-world physics. I’m trying to emulate the action and drama from movies and books over real life. Do not expect the enemies you face to match the stat blocks in the book. I adjust them, or even make new ones from scratch, and again I aim for internal consistency, not consistency with other people/products. I make mistakes, and I’m happy to hear feedback. During a session, if there’s something I miss or mess up and it can be resolved reasonably quickly, let me know and we'll get it squared away. Otherwise, just point it out to me and we can take care of it between sessions so that it’s ready to go for next time. As a final thought, I want you to have a good time. If something isn’t working, tell me about it, and I’ll try to do what I can to help.

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