EchoVG

he/him

5.0

(2)

Timezone

America/chicago

Language

English

About EchoVG

I've been DM'ing D&D 5e for around 5 years at this point, having volunteered at my local libraries to run introduction one shots, and running two successful campaigns for my friend group. I mostly stick to rules as written/rules as intended, although I do use some homebrew rules here and there such as the commonly used "Fading Spirits" resurrection rules, and "crunchy crits". These of course would only be used if everyone at the table is up for it. I use three main tools for online DM'ing: FoundryVTT, where there will be a map or scenery to set the mood, as well as where all rolls will be made. D&DBeyond, this I use for character creation and leveling up, mostly for ease of use since that is what I'm used to. All characters will be imported into Foundry and maintained there, but I find having the sheet on D&DBeyond allows me to look things up and plan on the go when I don't have access to Foundry. Finally, Discord. This is where we will communicate with each other both in-game and out. I will have a private character chat for each player, as well as an in character and out of character chat for everything else. No cameras will be required, however I do request a decent quality microphone with minimal background noise.

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Sets the Mood, Inclusive, Knows the Rules

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I became a GM because

I became a GM because I wanted to play more often. I started out playing in a very sporadically scheduled game and decided that if I wanted more D&D, I was going to have to do it myself. 5 years later and here we are!

My favorite shows/movies are

My favorite movies are the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Captain America: The Winter Solider, and Treasure Planet. Favorite TV shows include Supernatural, Criminal Minds, Travelers, and seasons 1-6 of Game of Thrones.

When I'm not running games I'm...

I'm usually hanging out with my dog. I've recently gotten into 3D printing and painting miniatures for my IRL games as well as collectable figures. I'm also an avid gamer, mostly playing fantasy RPG style games.

How EchoVG runs games

Roleplay and Combat are the main two ingredients of my games, having a rough 50/50 mix of both. I can't go more than a few session without a fight, but I also can't go multiple sessions in a row of pure combat. I need my drama just as much as I need my adrenaline! I do my best to roleplay NPC's and differentiate voices, but I'm not a voice actor, and I don't expect you to be either. I'm the type of person who needs something on the screen to keep me engaged, so I use a ton of battlemaps and theater of the mind images to get everyone immersed into the game! My favorite part of D&D is the combat, and I run intelligent monsters as intelligent. There may be times the best option is to retreat and come back later to approach from a different angle. Character death is a real possibility, however, this isn't to say that I want to kill your characters. I want the party to succeed as much as you do! It's no fun to TPK and lose the characters we've seen grow along our adventure. I tend to play on the more serious side of things, but that is not to say there's no jokes or lighthearted moments! There's a time and place for both types.

Featured Prompts

I deal with rules issues by...

Making a judgement call mid-game and then handling the dispute after the game is over. This keeps things flowing in the moment so as to not detract from what's happening, then later on we can all hash it out and decide what is best for the game as a whole.

I once ran a session...

Purely off of memory and 2 hours of sleep. My notes didn't sync up to my laptop, so I had to go off of memory and slight improv to run a murder mystery one shot.

My favorite trope is...

Self sacrifice. Boy do I love a good "You guys go on ahead, I'll hold 'em off." moment for a character. Brings a tear to my eye every time.

EchoVG's ideal table

Consistency is all I ask. Show up on time, be polite, and commit to your character and the game to the best of your ability. The vibes depend on the campaign. Curse of Strahd is a serious and dark vibe that everyone buys into, whereas Lost Mine of Phandelver can be lighthearted and almost comical at times. The vibes will be discussed during session 0. I don't expect you to be trained actors, you don't need an incredible character voice. Growing and learning along the way is part of the process. Just be willing to dive into the RP and be a little silly with it! You don't have to take notes one everything that happens, but I'd like you to be present and helpful for both myself and your fellow players. This is a two way street as well, don't be afraid to let me know during or after a session how you felt!

Featured Prompts

I love it when a player

Immerses themselves! Become your character for 4 hours, take notes, put clues together, reference the world around your character, put yourself in your characters boots!

My perfect party mix is

Pretty much anything is viable, but I do love a classic Spellcaster, Tank, Healer, and Rogue party. The best mix is a party that gets along and will have a blast going through an awesome adventure!

My table is not the place for...

Main character syndrome. D&D is a group game. There is no main character. Everyone plays a role and has their moments, letting other people have theirs is important, but so is taking your moment to shine! Just read the room and know when to step back, and when to take the spotlight.